1 Kings 5:1-18 - Solomon's Wisdom: Architecture
1 When King Hiram of Tyre heard that Solomon succeeded his father as king he sent ambassadors to Solomon. He had always been a friend of David's.
2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram: 3 You know my father David could not build a Temple for the worship of Jehovah due to the constant wars he had to fight. There were enemies in countries all around him. First Jehovah had to give him victory over all his enemies. 4 Jehovah my God has given me peace on all my borders. I have no enemies, and there is no danger of attack. 5 Jehovah promised my father David: 'Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a Temple for me. I have decided to build that Temple for the worship of Jehovah my God.'
6 Send your men to Lebanon to cut down cedars for me. My men will work with them. I will pay your men whatever you decide. You may already know, my men do not know how to cut down trees as well as yours do.
7 Hiram was extremely pleased when he received Solomon's message. He said: Praise Jehovah today for giving David such a wise son to succeed him as king of the great nation of Israel! 8 Then Hiram sent Solomon the following message: I received your message. I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide the cedars and the pine trees. 9 My men will bring the logs from Lebanon to the sea and will tie them together in rafts to float them down the coast to the place you choose. My men will untie them. There your men will take charge of them. On your part, I would like you to supply the food for my men.
10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted. 11 Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred thousand bushels of wheat and one hundred and ten thousand gallons of pure olive oil every year to feed his men.
12 Jehovah kept his promise and gave Solomon wisdom. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon for they made a treaty with each other.
13 King Solomon drafted thirty thousand men as forced labor from all over Israel. 14 He appointed Adoniram to be in charge of them. He divided them into three groups of ten thousand men. Each group spent one month in Lebanon and two months back home. 15 Solomon also had eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains. There were seventy thousand men to carry the stones. 16 He placed three thousand three hundred foremen there to supervise their work. 17 King Solomon command that they cut fine large stones for the foundation of the Temple. 18 Solomon's and Hiram's workers and men from the city of Gebal prepared the stones and the timber to build the Temple.