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1 Kings Chapter 5

Other Translations

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And thus the officers provided king Solomon: and [they execute] every one in his month all the orders for the table of the king, they omit nothing. And they carried the barley and the straw for the horses and the chariots to the place where the king might be, each according to his charge.
2 And these [were] the requisite supplies for Solomon: in one day thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of fine pounded meal,
3 and ten choice calves, and twenty pastured oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides stags, and choice fatted does.
4 For he had dominion on this side the river, and he was at peace on all sides round about.
9 And the Lord gave understanding to Solomon, and very much wisdom, and enlargement of heart, as the sand on the seashore.
10 And Solomon abounded greatly beyond the wisdom of all the ancients, and beyond all the wise men of Egypt.
11 And he was wiser than all [other] men: and he was wiser than Gæthan the Zarite, and [than] Ænan, and [than] Chalcad and Darala the sons of Mal.
12 And Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were five thousand.
13 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar in Libanus even to the hyssop which comes out through the wall: he spoke also of cattle, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fishes.
14 And all the nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and [ambassadors] from all the kings of the earth, as many as heard of his wisdom.
15 And Chiram king of Tyre sent his servants to anoint Solomon in the room of David his father, because Chiram always loved David.
16 And Solomon sent to Chiram, saying,
17 Thou knewest my father David, that he could not build a house to the name of the Lord my God because of the wars that compassed him about, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.
18 And now the Lord my God has given me rest round about; there is no one plotting against [me], and there is no evil trespass [against me].
19 And, behold, I intend to build a house to the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord God spoke to my father David, saying, Thy son whom I will set on thy throne in thy place, he shall build a house to my name.
20 And now command, and let [men] cut wood for me out of Libanus: and, behold, my servants [shall be] with thy servants, and I will give thee the wages of thy service, according to all that thou shalt say, because thou knowest that we have no one skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians.
21 And it came to pass, as soon as Chiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed [be] God to-day, who has given to David a wise son over this numerous people.
22 And he sent to Solomon, saying, I have listened concerning all that thou hast sent to me for: I will do all thy will: [as for] timber of cedar and fir,
23 my servants shall bring them down from Libanus to the sea: I will form them [into] rafts, [and bring them] to the place which thou shalt send to me [about]; and I will land them there, and thou shalt take [them] up: and thou shalt do my will, in giving bread to my household.
24 So Chiram gave to Solomon cedars, and fir trees, and all his desire.
25 And Solomon gave to Chiram twenty thousand measures of wheat as food for his house, and twenty thousand baths of beaten oil thus Solomon gave to Chiram yearly.
26 And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon as he promised him; and there was peace between Chiram and Solomon, and they made a covenant between them.
27 And the king raised a levy out of all Israel, and the levy was thirty thousand men.
28 And he sent them to Libanus, ten thousand taking turn every month: they were a month in Libanus and two months at home: and Adoniram [was] over the levy.
29 And Solomon had seventy thousand bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain;
30 besides the rulers that were appointed over the works of Solomon, [there were] three thousand six hundred masters who wrought in the works.
32 And they prepared the stones and the timber [during] three years.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father, and Hiram had always loved David.
2 Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 “You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were around him on every side, until the LORD put his enemies under the soles of his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is no enemy and no evil occurrence.
5 Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place shall build the house for my name.’
6 Now therefore command that cedar trees be cut for me out of Lebanon. My servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say. For you know that there is nobody among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, “Blessed is the LORD today, who has given to David a wise son to rule over this great people.”
8 Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you have sent to me. I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning cypress timber.
9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you specify to me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you will receive them. You will accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.”
10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar timber and cypress timber according to all his desire.
11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat for food to his household, and twenty cors of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year.
12 The LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.
13 King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: for a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labor.
15 Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains,
16 besides Solomon’s chief officers who were over the work: three thousand three hundred who ruled over the people who labored in the work.
17 The king commanded, and they cut out large stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.
18 Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).