1st Kings — 5
Preparations for Building the Temple
1 King Hiram of Tyra had always been a loyal friend of Daud. When Hiram learned that Daud’s son Shalumah was the new king of Yashar'AL, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him.
2 Then Shalumah sent this message back to King Hiram:
3 “You know that my father, Daud, was not able to build a Temple to honor the Name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH his 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH because of the many wars waged against him by surrounding nations. He could not build until 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH gave him victory over all his enemies.
4 But now 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH my 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH has given me Shalum on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well.
5 So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH my 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, just as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH had instructed my father, Daud. For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my Name.’
6 “Therefore, please command that cedars from Labanun be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidunians!”
7 When King Hiram received Shalumah’s message, he was very pleased and said, “Yadah (Praise) 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH today for giving Daud a wise son to be king of the great nation of Yashar'AL.”
8 Then he sent this reply to Shalumah: “I have received your message, and I will supply all the cedar and cypress timber you need.
9 My servants will bring the logs from the Labanun mountains to the Maditerranaan Sea and make them into rafts and float them along the coast to whatever place you choose. Then we will break the rafts apart so you can carry the logs away. You can pay me by supplying me with food for my household.”
10 So Hiram supplied as much cedar and cypress timber as Shalumah desired.
11 In return, Shalumah sent him an annual payment of one hundred thousand bushels of wheat for his household and one hundred and ten thousand gallons of pure olive oil.
12 So 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH gave wisdom to Shalumah, just as he had promised. And Hiram and Shalumah made a formal alliance of Shalum.
13 Then King Shalumah conscripted a labor force of thirty thousand men from all Yashar'AL.
14 He sent them to Labanun in shifts, ten thousand every month, so that each man would be one month in Labanun and two months at home. Aduniram was in charge of this labor force.
15 Shalumah also had seventy thousand common laborers, eighty thousand quarry workers in the hill country,
16 and three thousand six hundred foremen to supervise the work.
17 At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple.
18 Men from the city of Gabal helped King Shalumah’s and King Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.