2 Chronicles 3
The Voice
These foreigners are not paid day laborers; they are slaves forced to build a temple they may never enter. This scenario is similar to the Hebrews’ forced labor in Egypt and to the Israelites’ eventual forced labor in Babylonia. But one thing makes Solomon’s rule over them different: he presumably follows the laws of God regarding slaves (Leviticus 25:39–55). These laws specify that slaves may come from surrounding nations, must be treated fairly, and must be released in the jubilee year (a prescribed time every 50 years when debts are forgiven, seized land returns to its original owners, and slaves are freed).
3 1-2 Having assembled the materials and workers for the temple, Solomon began to build the Eternal’s temple on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. He built it in Jerusalem on Ornan the Jebusite’s threshing floor (which David had purchased and consecrated) on Mount Moriah (where Abraham had been willing to sacrifice Isaac to God generations before).
3 When Solomon prepared the plans of the True God’s temple, he modeled the design after temples in Syria and Canaan. The length was 90 feet and the width was 30 feet. 4 The length of the front porch was as wide as the temple (30 feet), and it was 30 feet[a] high. The rooms of the temple were highly ornamented. The porch was gilded inside. 5 The main room was paneled with gilded cypress wood and engraved with palm trees and ornamental chains. 6 The entire temple was decorated with precious stones and gilded with gold from Parvaim. 7-9 Even the supports and fasteners were gilded—the beams, the thresholds, the walls, the doors, and the nails (which weighed 20 ounces each). The walls were engraved with winged guardians, and the upper rooms were gilded.
The most holy place, which was located at the rear of the temple, was a 30-foot square room gilded with 23 tons of gold—the same amount that David paid for the temple site. 10 Inside the most holy place were two gilded, sculpted winged creatures, 11-12 each with a wingspan of 15 feet.
These fantastic creatures with bird wings, human faces, and animals’ body parts protect the covenant chest, and together they act as God’s footstool in the temple.
Each cherub touched one wing to the wall of the room and the other wing to the other cherub. 13 Together, their wings spanned across the room guarding the most holy place facing the main room and standing upright on their feet. 14 A veil of violet, purple, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, embroidered with winged creatures, covered the entrance to the most holy place.
15-17 Before the porch stood two columns, 52 feet high, crowned with 90-inch-high capitals. Solomon made decorative chains in the most holy place, adorned them with 100 pomegranates, and draped them on the tops of the columns. The column on the right was named Jachin, meaning “He establishes,” and the column on the left was named Boaz, meaning “He strengthens.”
Footnotes
- 3:4 Hebrew, 180 feet, which is unlikely
历代志下 3
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
建造圣殿(A)
3 所罗门在耶路撒冷，在耶和华向他父亲大卫显现过的摩利亚山上，就是在耶布斯人阿珥楠的禾场上，大卫预备的地方，开工建造耶和华的殿。 2 所罗门执政后第四年二月初二开始建造。 3 所罗门建造 神殿宇的根基是这样：按古时的尺寸，长二十七公尺，宽九公尺。 4 殿前走廊长九公尺，与殿的宽度相等；高九公尺（“高九公尺”原文作“高一百二十”；现参照古译本修译）；里面贴上纯金。 5 大殿的墙都盖上松木，又贴上精金，又在上面刻上棕树和链子。 6 又用宝石装饰殿墙，十分华美；金子都是巴瓦音的金子。 7 正殿和殿的栋梁、门槛、墙壁和门扇，都贴上金子；墙上刻上基路伯。
建造至圣所(B)
8 他又建造了至圣所，长九公尺，和殿的宽度相等，宽度也是九公尺；里面都贴上精金，共用了二十公吨金子。 9 钉子共重五百七十克金子。阁楼也贴上金子。
10 在至圣所里，雕刻了两个基路伯，都包上金子。 11 两个基路伯的翅膀共长九公尺；一个基路伯的一边翅膀长两公尺两公寸，触着殿墙；另一边翅膀也长两公尺两公寸，和另一个基路伯的翅膀相接。 12 另一个基路伯的一边翅膀也长两公尺两公寸，触着殿墙；另一边的翅膀也长两公尺两公寸，和前一个基路伯的翅膀相接。 13 这两个基路伯的翅膀都张开，共长九公尺；这两个基路伯都面向殿内站立。 14 所罗门又用蓝色紫色朱红色线和细麻做幔子，上面绣上基路伯。
建造两根柱子(C)
15 在殿的前面又做了两根柱子，高十五公尺半，每根柱上面的柱顶，高两公尺两公寸。 16 又做了像项链（按照《马索拉文本》，“像项链”作“在内殿”，意思不明确，可能是“像项链”的误写）的链子，安放在柱头上；又做了石榴一百个，安放在链子上。 17 他把这两根柱子立在殿前，一根在左面，一根在右面；右面的叫雅斤，左面的叫波阿斯。
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