Preparations for the Temple
(1 Kings 5:1–6)

1And Solomon determined to buylde an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdome. 2And Solomon tolde out threescore and ten thousande men to beare burthens, and fourescore thousand men to hewe stones in the mountayne, and three thousand and sixe hundred to ouersee them.

3And Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying: As thou diddest deale with Dauid my father, and diddest send him Cedar wood to buyld him an house to dwell in euen so deale with me: 4Behold I buylde an house for the name of the Lorde my God, to offer vnto him holy thinges, & to burne sweete incense, and to set shewe bread before him continually, to offer burnt sacrifices of the morning and euening on the Sabbath dayes, in the firste day of euery newe moone, and in the solempne feastes of the Lorde our God: for it is an ordinaunce to be continually kept of Israel. 5And the house which I buylde shalbe great: for great is our God aboue all gods. 6But who is able to buylde him an house? when that heauen and heauen aboue all heauens is not able to receaue him, what am I then that should buyld him an house? nay, but euen to burne sacrifice before him shall this buylding be. 7Sende me nowe therefore a cunning man, that can worke in golde and siluer, in brasse and iron, in purple, crymosin, yelowe silke, & that can skyll to graue with the cunning men that are with me in Iuda and Hierusalem, whom Dauid my father dyd prepare. 8Sende me also Cedar trees, pine trees, and algume trees, out of Libanon: For I wot that thy seruauntes can skill to hewe timber in Libanon: and behold my men shalbe with thyne, 9That they may prepare me timber enough: For the house whiche I am determined to buylde, shalbe wonderfull great. 10And behold, for the vse of thy seruauntes the cutters and hewers of timber, I haue geuen twentie thousande quarters of beaten wheat, and twentie thousand quarters of barlye, and twentie thousande battes of wine, and twentie thousande battes of oyle.

Hiram’s Reply to Solomon
(1 Kings 5:7–12)

11And Hiram ye king of Tyre aunswered in writing, whiche he sent to Solomon: Because the Lorde hath loued his people, therefore hath he made thee king ouer them. 12And Hiram sayde moreouer: Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel whiche made heauen & earth, & that hath geuen Dauid the king a wise sonne, and one that hath descretion, prudence, and vnderstanding, to buyld an house for the Lord, and a palace for his kingdome.

13And now I haue sent a wise man, and a man of vnderstanding, whom my father Hiram dyd vse: 14The sonne of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, and he can skil to worke in gold and siluer, in brasse and iron, in stone and timber, in purple and yelowe silke, in fine whyte and crymosin, and can graue sundry maner of grauinges, and to finde out diuers maner of subtill worke that shalbe set before hym, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lorde Dauid thy father. 15Nowe therefore, the wheate and barlye, oyle and wine, which my lorde hath spoken of, let him sende vnto his seruauntes: 16And we will cut wood in Libanon as much as thou shalt neede, and wil bring it to thee in flotes by sea to Iapho, from whence thou mayest cary them to Hierusalem.

17And Solomon numbred all the straungers that were in the lande of Israel, after the number of them whom his father Dauid had numbred: And they were founde an hundred fiftie and three thousand, and sixe hundred. 18And he set threescore and ten thousande to beare burthens, and fourescore thousande to hewe stones in the mountayne, and three thousande & sixe hundred officers to set the people a worke. The temple of the Lorde, and the porche are buylded, with other things thereto belonging.