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Hiram king of Tzor sent his servants to Shlomo, because he had heard that they had anointed him king in his father's place, and Hiram had always loved David.

"You know that David my father wasn't able to build a house for the name of Adonai his God, because of the wars that beset him from every side, until Adonai put his enemies under the soles of my feet.

But now Adonai my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor calamity. So now I intend to build a house for the name of Adonai my God, in keeping with what Adonai said to David my father, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, will be the one to build the house for my name.' Therefore, order your people to cut down cedar trees from the L'vanon for me. My servants will be with your servants. I will pay your servants according to everything you say; for you know that we have no one among us as skilled in felling trees as the Tzidonim." When Hiram heard Shlomo's message, he was very happy and said, "Blessed be Adonai today, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people." Then Hiram sent Shlomo this message: "I have heard the message you sent me, and I will do everything you want concerning cedar logs and cypress logs. My servants will bring them down from the L'vanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to whatever place you tell me and will have them broken up there, and you will receive them. You will compensate me by providing food for my household." So Hiram gave Shlomo all the cedar logs and cypress logs he wanted; and Shlomo gave Hiram 100,000 bushels of wheat as food for his household and a thousand gallons of oil from pressed olives — this is what Shlomo gave Hiram each year. Adonai gave Shlomo wisdom, as he had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Shlomo — the two of them formed an alliance together. King Shlomo conscripted 30,000 men from all Isra'el for forced labor. He sent them to the L'vanon in monthly relays of 10,000; they would stay a month in the L'vanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. Shlomo had 70,000 men to carry loads and another 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, besides Shlomo's 3,300 supervisors who were in charge of the people doing the work. The king gave orders; and they quarried large stones, expensive stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stone. Shlomo's and Hiram's builders, along with the men from G'val, worked the stones and prepared the timber and stones for building the house.

He made the Hall of the Throne his place for dispensing justice, that is, the Hall of Judgment; it was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

His own living quarters, in the other courtyard, set back from the Hall, were similarly designed. He also made a house like this Hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom Shlomo had taken as his wife.

He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naftali, but his father was from Tzor, a bronze-worker filled with wisdom, understanding and skill for all kinds of bronze craftsmanship. He came to King Shlomo and did all his bronzework.

Thus all the work that King Shlomo did in the house of Adonai was finished. After this, Shlomo brought in the gifts which David his father had dedicated — the silver, the gold and the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of the house of Adonai .

King Shlomo and the whole community of Isra'el assembled in his presence were with him in front of the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen in numbers beyond counting or recording.

as he said: "Blessed be Adonai , the God of Isra'el, who spoke to my father David with his mouth and fulfilled his promise with his hand. He said,

Now Adonai has fulfilled this spoken word of his; for I have succeeded my father and sit on the throne of Isra'el, as Adonai promised; and I have built the house for the name of Adonai the God of Isra'el.

Then Shlomo stood before the altar of Adonai in the presence of the whole community of Isra'el, spread out his hands toward heaven,

then hear in heaven, act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, so that his way of life devolves on his own head, and vindicating the one who is right, giving him what his righteousness deserves.

then, regardless of what prayer or plea anyone among all your people Isra'el makes — for each individual will know what is plagueing his own conscience — and the person spreads out his hands toward this house;

hear in heaven where you live, and forgive, and act, and, since you know what is in each one's heart, give each person what his conduct deserves (because you, and only you, know all human hearts),

When Shlomo had finished praying all this prayer and plea to Adonai , he got up from in front of the altar of Adonai , where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven,

stood up, and raised his voice to bless the whole community of Isra'el. He said,

"Blessed be Adonai , who has given rest to his people Isra'el, in accordance with everything he promised. Not one word has failed of his good promise, which he made through Moshe his servant.

In this way he will incline our hearts toward him, so that we will live according to his ways and observe his mitzvot, laws and rulings which he ordered our fathers to obey.

May these words of mine, which I have used in my plea before Adonai , be present with Adonai our God day and night, so that he will uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Isra'el day by day.

So be wholehearted with Adonai our God, living by his laws and observing his mitzvot, as you are doing today."