1 Hiram was king of the city of Tyre. Hiram sent messengers to David. Hiram also sent logs from cedar trees, stonecutters, {\cf2\super [147]} and carpenters {\cf2\super [148]} to David. Hiram sent them to build a house for David.
1 Also, Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and cedar wood, and artisans of walls and of wood, so that they might build a house for him.
Then those people who had come back from captivity gave money to the stonecutters and carpenters. And those people gave food, wine, and olive oil. They used these things to pay the people of Tyre and Sidon to bring cedar logs from Lebanon. Those people wanted to bring the logs in ships to the sea coast town of Joppa like \{Solomon did when he built\} the first temple. Cyrus king of Persia gave permission for them to do these things.
Then Solomon sent a message to Hiram. Hiram was the king of the city of Tyre. Solomon said, “Help me like you helped my father David. You sent wood to him from cedar trees so he could build a house for himself to live in.
David gave an order for all foreigners living in Israel to be gathered together. David chose stonecutters {\cf2\super [232]} from that group of foreigners. Their job was to cut stones ready to be used for building God’s temple. {\cf2\super [233]}
After David had moved into his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a house made of cedar wood, but the Box of the Agreement {\cf2\super [192]} sits under a tent. \{I want to build a temple {\cf2\super [193]} for God.\}”
And so I ask you to help me. Send your men to Lebanon. There, they should cut down cedar trees for me. My servants will work with yours. I will pay you any price that you decide as your servants’ wages. But I need your help. Our carpenters [26] are not as good as the carpenters of Sidon.”
Hiram was the king of Tyre. Hiram had always been David’s friend. So when Hiram heard that Solomon had become the new king after David, he sent his servants to Solomon.
King David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a fancy house made of cedar wood, but God’s Holy Box [49] is still kept in a tent! {We should build a nice building for the Holy Box.}”
Then David could see that the Lord had really made him king of Israel. The Lord made David’s kingdom very large and powerful. God did this because he loved David and the people of Israel.