And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon: for he heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram had always been David’s friend.

Misit quoque Hiram rex Tyri servos suos ad Salomonem: audivit enim quod ipsum unxissent regem pro patre ejus: quia amicus fuerat Hiram David omni tempore.

Messengers, too, were sent by Hiram, king of Tyre, when he heard that Solomon had been anointed king in place of his father David, that had ever been Hiram’s friend.

And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

Misit autem Salomon ad Hiram, dicens:

And this message Solomon sent to Hiram in return;

Thou knowest the will of David my father, and that he could not build a house to the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars that were round about him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.

Tu scis voluntatem David patris mei, et quia non potuerit ædificare domum nomini Domini Dei sui propter bella imminentia per circuitum, donec daret Dominus eos sub vestigio pedum ejus.

My father David, as thou knowest, was for building a house in honour of the Lord his God; but there were threats of war all about him, and he must needs defer his purpose till the Lord should have crushed his enemies under his feet.

But now the Lord my God hath given me rest round about: and there is no adversary nor evil occurrence.

Nunc autem requiem dedit Dominus Deus meus mihi per circuitum, et non est satan, neque occursus malus.

Now, the Lord my God has given me security on every side; neither foe nor ill chance assails me,

Wherefore I purpose to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon the throne in thy place, he shall build a house to my name.

Quam ob rem cogito ædificare templum nomini Domini Dei mei, sicut locutus est Dominus David patri meo, dicens: Filius tuus, quem dabo pro te super solium tuum, ipse ædificabit domum nomini meo.

and I have a mind to build a temple dedicated to the Lord my God. He himself promised my father David, The son I will give thee for thy successor shall build a house in honour of my name.

Give orders therefore that thy servants cut me down cedar trees out of Libanus, and let my servants be with thy servants: and I will give thee the hire of thy servants whatsoever thou wilt ask, for thou knowest how there is not among my people a man that has skill to hew wood like to the Sidonians.

Præcipe igitur ut præcidant mihi servi tui cedros de Libano, et servi mei sint cum servis tuis: mercedem autem servorum tuorum dabo tibi quamcumque petieris: scis enim quomodo non est in populo meo vir qui noverit ligna cædere sicut Sidonii.

If thou wilt bid thy workmen cut down cedars for me on Lebanon, and let my workmen take part with thine, thy workmen shall have whatever pay thou demandest. As thou knowest, there is no woodman’s craft among my people such as the Sidonians have.

Now when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said: Blessed be the Lord God this day, who hath given to David a very wise son over this numerous people.

Cum ergo audisset Hiram verba Salomonis, lætatus est valde, et ait: Benedictus Dominus Deus hodie, qui dedit David filium sapientissimum super populum hunc plurimum.

When Solomon’s message reached Hiram, great was the joy it gave him; Blessed be the Lord God, said he, for what he has done this day, in granting David so wise a son to rule so populous a kingdom.

And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have heard all thou hast desired of me: and I will do all thy desire concerning cedar trees, and fir trees.

Et misit Hiram ad Salomonem, dicens: Audivi quæcumque mandasti mihi: ego faciam omnem voluntatem tuam in lignis cedrinis et abiegnis.

Then he sent Solomon his answer: I have heard thy message, and therewith granted thy request; cedar and fir thou shalt have to thy heart’s content.

My servants shall bring them down from Libanus to the sea: and I will put them together in floats in the sea, and convey them to the place, which thou shalt signify to me; and will land them there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt allow me necessaries, to furnish food for my household.

Servi mei deponent ea de Libano ad mare, et ego componam ea in ratibus in mari usque ad locum quem significaveris mihi: et applicabo ea ibi, et tu tolles ea: præbebisque necessaria mihi, ut detur cibus domui meæ.

My workmen shall convey them from Lebanon to the sea; on the sea I will embark them in rafts for whatever port thou shalt name; and when I have landed them there, it shall be thy part to carry them away. And meanwhile, thou shalt supply the needs of my own household.

So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees, and fir trees, according to all his desire.

Itaque Hiram dabat Salomoni ligna cedrina, et ligna abiegna, juxta omnem voluntatem ejus.

So Hiram gave Solomon cedar and fir wood to his heart’s content,

And Solomon allowed Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat, for provision for his house, and twenty measures of the purest oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram every year.

Salomon autem præbebat Hiram coros tritici viginti millia in cibum domui ejus, et viginti coros purissimi olei: hæc tribuebat Salomon Hiram per singulos annos.

while Solomon provided Hiram with forty thousand quarters of wheat to feed his household, and forty quarters of pure oil; such was the payment he made each year.

And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they two made a league together.

Dedit quoque Dominus sapientiam Salomoni, sicut locutus est ei: et erat pax inter Hiram et Salomonem, et percusserunt ambo fœdus.

Solomon had the gift of wisdom the Lord had promised him; he kept peace with Hiram, and a treaty was made between them.

And king Solomon chose workmen out of all Israel, and the levy was of thirty thousand men.

Elegitque rex Salomon operarios de omni Israël, et erat indictio triginta millia virorum.

And now Solomon picked out Israelites for his workmen, levying thirty thousand of them to that end;

And he sent them to Libanus, ten thousand every month by turns, so that two months they were at home: and Adoniram was over this levy.

Mittebatque eos in Libanum, decem millia per menses singulos vicissim, ita ut duobus mensibus essent in domibus suis: et Adoniram erat super hujuscemodi indictione.

and he used to send them to Lebanon for a month at a time by turns, so that each man should spend two out of every three months at home; it was Adoniram who was in charge of the levy.

And Solomon had seventy thousand to carry burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountain:

Fueruntque Salomoni septuaginta millia eorum qui onera portabant, et octoginta millia latomorum in monte,

Seventy thousand men king Solomon had to carry loads for him, and eighty thousand to cut wood on the mountain-side,

Besides the overseers who were over every work, in number three thousand, and three hundred that ruled over the people, and them that did the work.

absque præpositis qui præerant singulis operibus, numero trium millium et trecentorum, præcipientium populo et his qui faciebant opus.

not counting the overseers who were in charge of the work done, three thousand three hundred overseers to give the workmen their orders.

And the king commanded, that they should bring great stones, costly stones, for the foundation of the temple, and should square them:

Præcepitque rex ut tollerent lapides grandes, lapides pretiosos in fundamentum templi, et quadrarent eos:

And the king bade them bring great stones, costly stones, to be the foundations of his temple, and to hew them into shape.

And the masons of Solomon, and the masons of Hiram hewed them: and the Giblians prepared timber and stones to build the house.

quos dolaverunt cæmentarii Salomonis et cæmentarii Hiram: porro Giblii præparaverunt ligna et lapides ad ædificandam domum.

This work of hewing was shared between Solomon’s masons and Hiram’s; and the men of Gibel, too, prepared wood and stone for the building of the house.