¶ Kynge Hiram sendeth Cedar tymber to the buyl∣dynge of the temple. The description of the workes.
CAPI. V.
ANd Hiram kynge of Tire sent his ser∣uauntes [ A] vnto Salomon / for he hadde herd that they had anoynted him kyng in the rowme of his father. And therto Hiram was euer a louer of Dauid.* 1.1 And Salomon sent agayne to Hiram, saying: thou knowest of Dauid my father, how he could not buylde an house vnto the name of the Lord his God for warre whiche he had on euery syde, vntyl ye Lorde had put them vnder his fote. But now the Lorde my God hath giuen me rest on eue∣rye syde / so that there is neither aduersary nor any euyl plage. And therfore I am disposed to buyld an house vnto the name of the Lord my God,* 1.2 as he promised Dauid my father saying: thy sonne which I wyll put vpon thy seat for the, he shall buylde an house vnto my name. [ B] Nowe then commaunde that they hewe me Cedar trees in Libanon. And let my seruaun∣tes be with thyne / & I wyll gyue the, the hyre of thy seruauntes in all suche thinges as thou shalt requyre / for thou knowest that there are not amonge vs that can skyll to hewe tymber lyke vnto the Sidones.
When Hiram herde the wordes of Salo∣mon / he reioysed greatlye and sayde: Blessed be the Lorde this daye, whiche hathe set Da∣uid a wyse sonne ouer this myghtye people. And Hiram sent agayne to Salomon, saying: I haue allowed the request whiche thou sen∣test to me / and wyll satisfye all thy luste con∣cernyng tymber of Cedar trees and fyrre. My [ C] seruauntes shall brynge them frome Libanon to the see. And I wyl conueye them by shyppe vnto the place that thou shalt assigne me, and wyll cause them to be discharged there, that thou mayste receyue them. And thou shalte do me this pleasure agayn / to gyue me grayne to∣warde my houskepynge. And So Hiram gaue Salomon Cedar trees, and fyrre trees, as moche as he desyred. And Salomon gaue Hi∣ram twentye thousande quarters of whete to fede his housholde with / and twentye buttes of pure oyle. And so moche gaue Salomon to Hiram yerely.
And the Lord gaue Salomon wysdome, as [ D] he promised him. And there was peax bitwene Hiram & Salomon, and they were in a leage togyther. And kyng Salomon raysed a tribute thorowe out all Israel. And the trybute was thyrtye thousande men, whiche he sent to Li∣banon, then thousande a moneth by course / so that they were one moneth in Libanon, and two monethes at home.
And Adoniram was ruler ouer the trybute. So Salomon hadde thre score and ten thou∣sande that bare burdens, and thre score and ten thousande that hewed in the mountay∣nes, besyde the Lordes he hadde to ouerse the worke, in nombre thre thousand and thre hun¦dred / who gouerned the people that wrought in the worke. And at the commaundemente