1 Kings Chapter 5
Showing all 18 verses for 1 Kings Chapter 5.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. "
"Hiram, king of Tyre, sent envoys to Solomon when he heard Solomon had been anointed king in his father David's place, because Hiram had always been a close friend of David."
I want you to notice how a friendship built on genuine goodwill outlives the person it started with, benefiting those who come after. Invest in real relationships with integrity now.
"And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, "
"Solomon sent a message back to Hiram."
I remind you that good relationships require you to respond, not just receive. When someone extends goodwill towards you, meet them with your own engagement and effort.
"Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. "
"Solomon reminds Hiram that his father David could not build a house for the LORD his God because he was surrounded by wars, until God finally subdued his enemies under his feet."
I want you to be gentle with yourself about the good things you haven't yet been able to do because life has been at war around you. Wanting to do good and being able to are two different things, and neither shames the other.
"But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. "
"Solomon says that now God has given him complete rest on every side, with no enemy and no crisis threatening him."
I remind you not to feel guilty if you can't build your biggest, most meaningful projects during a season of crisis. Let yourself first pursue stability; significant work often has to wait for that foundation.
"And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. "
"Solomon declares his intention to build a house for the LORD his God, exactly as God had told his father David: that his son, who would succeed him on the throne, would build the house."
I want you to consider that not everything meaningful in your life has to be your own original idea. There's no shame in inheriting a purpose from those who came before you and carrying it well.
"Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. "
"Solomon asks Hiram to order his men to cut cedar trees from Lebanon, offering to pay whatever wage Hiram sets for his workers, and openly admits Israel has no one skilled enough at timber-cutting to match the Sidonians."
I encourage you to be honest about what you don't know or can't do, and to ask for help without shame. Needing others isn't weakness, it's how good things actually get built.
"And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. "
"When Hiram heard Solomon's request, he was overjoyed and said, 'Praise be to the LORD today, who has given David such a wise son to rule this great nation.'"
I want you to notice and celebrate good things wherever you find them, even outside your own group or belief system, the way Hiram does here.
"And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. "
"Hiram sent word to Solomon that he had considered his request and would provide everything Solomon wanted - both cedar and fir/cypress timber."
I remind you that trust, built over time, makes future cooperation easier and more generous. Let your own reputation for honesty and follow-through be the foundation others can build on.
"My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. "
"Hiram explains the logistics: his workers will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea, float it to wherever Solomon designates, and Solomon will receive it there; in exchange, Solomon is to supply food for Hiram's household."
I encourage you to see your differences from others as opportunities for genuine partnership rather than as inequalities to resent. The best relationships are where each person brings something real the other needs.
"So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. "
"Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and fir timber he wanted."
I want you to notice the difference between doing the bare minimum someone asked and giving generously to actually meet their real need. Be the kind of person who gives fully, not grudgingly.
"And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. "
"In return, Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat and twenty measures of pure olive oil for his household, and continued this payment year after year."
I remind you that real trust between people is proven over time through consistency, not through a single grand gesture. Keep showing up and keeping your word, year after year.
"And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. "
"The LORD gave Solomon wisdom just as he had promised, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a formal treaty together."
I want you to judge your own wisdom not by how clever you sound but by whether it actually produces peace and good relationships in your life.
"And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. "
"King Solomon conscripted a labour force of thirty thousand men from all over Israel."
I want you to notice that even good goals don't automatically justify the human cost of achieving them. Ask honestly whether the people paying the price for your ambitions have truly consented.
"And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy. "
"Solomon sent the workers to Lebanon in rotating shifts of ten thousand - each group worked one month in Lebanon and then had two months at home - and Adoniram was in charge of this labour force."
I remind you that even necessary hardships should be managed with as much consideration as possible for the people bearing them. Look for every way to lighten a load rather than extracting the maximum simply because you can.
"And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; "
"Solomon also had seventy thousand labourers who carried loads, and eighty thousand stone-cutters working in the mountains."
I encourage you to think about who actually does the hardest, least visible work behind any impressive achievement you admire, and to give that labour genuine respect rather than overlooking it.
"Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. "
"In addition, there were three thousand three hundred of Solomon's chief officers supervising the workforce."
I want you to see that doing something well at scale requires real structure and enough capable people helping to carry the load. Don't be afraid to build the support system a big task actually needs.
"And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. "
"The king gave the order, and they brought large, expensive, precisely-cut stones to lay the Temple's foundation."
I remind you that the quality of your foundations - character, habits, the unseen parts of your life no one will ever applaud - matters just as much as anything visible on the surface.
"And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house. "
"Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders, along with stonemasons, cut and shaped the stones; together they prepared both the timber and the stone needed to build the Temple."
I want you to embrace the truth that the most meaningful things you build in life are almost never accomplished alone. Welcome the help of people different from you.