⁷ When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord^(B) today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”

⁸ So Hiram sent word to Solomon:

¹⁰ In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, ¹¹ and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors^[a] of wheat as food^(E) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths^[b][c] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. ¹² The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,^(F) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.^(G)

¹³ King Solomon conscripted laborers^(H) from all Israel—thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram^(I) was in charge of the forced labor. ¹⁵ Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, ¹⁶ as well as thirty-three hundred^[d] foremen^(J) who supervised the project and directed the workers. ¹⁷ At the king’s command they removed from the quarry^(K) large blocks of high-grade stone^(L) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. ¹⁸ The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram^(M) and workers from Byblos^(N) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.