Hiram

1Twenty years went by. In that time Solomon finished the LORD's house and his own house.

And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house,

NoteThe LORD's house means the temple. A temple is a special building where people worshiped God. LORD in big letters stands for God's own name.

2Solomon rebuilt the towns that King Huram had given him. Then he sent people from Israel to live in them.

That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

NoteHuram was the king of Tyre, a city by the sea. He was Solomon's friend and helped him build.

17Then Solomon went to the towns of Ezion-geber and Eloth. They sit by the sea, in the land of Edom.

Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.

NoteEdom was the land south of Israel. Ezion-geber and Eloth sat by the water. Ships could dock and load there.

18King Huram sent Solomon ships and sailors who knew the sea well. They sailed with Solomon's men to a place called Ophir. There they got 450 talents of gold and brought it back to King Solomon.

And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

NoteOphir was a faraway land known for its gold. Nobody today is sure where it was. A talent was a way to weigh things. One talent was about 75 pounds, as heavy as a big dog. So this was a huge pile of gold.

10Huram's workers and Solomon's workers brought gold from a place called Ophir. They also brought algum wood and jewels.

And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

NoteHuram was the king of Tyre, a city by the sea. He and Solomon were friends who traded with each other. Ophir was a faraway land known for its very fine gold. Nobody today knows exactly where it was. Algum wood was a rare wood that people brought in by ship.

11The king used the algum wood to make steps for the LORD's house and for his own palace. He also made harps and other stringed instruments for the singers. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah before.

And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.