聖殿的器具

所羅門造了一座銅壇,長九米,寬九米,高四點五米。 他又鑄了一個圓形銅海,高二點二五米,直徑四點五米,周長十三點五米。 銅海邊緣下方有兩圈牛的圖案,每五十釐米有十頭牛,是鑄銅海的時候鑄上的。 有十二頭銅牛馱著銅海,三頭向北,三頭向西,三頭向南,三頭向東,牛尾向內。 銅海厚八釐米,邊如杯邊,又如百合花,容量為六萬六千升。 他又造了十個盆,五個放右邊,五個放左邊,用來清洗獻燔祭所用之物。但銅海只供祭司沐浴使用。

他照著所定的式樣,造了十個金燈臺放在殿裡,五個在右邊,五個在左邊; 又造了十張桌子放在殿裡,五個在右邊,五個在左邊;還造了一百個金碗。 他又建了祭司院、大院及大院的門,門都包上銅。 10 銅海放在殿的右邊,就是東南方。

11 戶蘭又造了盆、鏟和碗。他為所羅門王完成了上帝殿裡的工作。 12 戶蘭所製造的有:兩根柱子,兩個碗狀的柱冠,兩個裝飾柱冠的網子, 13 用來裝飾碗狀柱冠、安在兩個網子上的四百石榴——每個網子上兩行; 14 盆座及盆座上的盆; 15 銅海和銅海下面的十二頭銅牛; 16 盆、鏟、肉叉及耶和華殿裡的一切器具。這些都是巧匠戶蘭用磨亮的銅為所羅門王製造的。 17 這些都是照王的命令,在疏割和撒利但之間的約旦平原用泥模鑄成的。 18 所羅門製造的器具極多,銅的重量無法統計。

19 所羅門又造了上帝殿裡的金壇和放置供餅的桌子, 20 按規定放在內殿前的純金的燈臺和燈盞, 21 以及純金的花飾、燈盞、火鉗、 22 蠟剪、碗、碟和火鼎。殿門和至聖所的門也是金的。

Chapter 4

Then he made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.(A) (B)He also made the molten sea. It was made with a circular rim, and measured ten cubits across, five in height, and thirty in circumference. Under the brim a ring of figures of oxen[a] encircled it for ten cubits, all the way around the compass of the sea; there were two rows of oxen cast in one mold with the sea. This rested on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east, with their haunches all toward the center; upon them was set the sea. It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim resembled that of a cup, being lily-shaped. It had a capacity of three thousand baths.[b]

Then he made ten basins for washing, placing five of them to the right and five to the left. In these the victims for the burnt offerings were washed; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.(C)

He made the menorahs of gold, ten of them as was prescribed, and placed them in the nave, five to the right and five to the left.(D) He made ten tables and had them set in the nave, five to the right and five to the left; and he made a hundred golden bowls.(E) He made the court of the priests and the great courtyard(F) and the gates of the courtyard; the gates he covered with bronze. 10 The sea he placed off to the southeast from the south side of the house.(G)

11 (H)When Huram had made the pots, shovels, and bowls, he finished all his work for King Solomon in the house of God: 12 two columns; two nodes for the capitals on top of the columns; and two pieces of netting covering the two nodes for the capitals on top of the columns; 13 four hundred pomegranates in double rows on both pieces of netting that covered the two nodes of the capitals on top of the columns. 14 He made the stands, and the basins on the stands; 15 one sea, and the twelve oxen under it; 16 pots, shovels, forks, and all the articles Huram-abi made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord; they were of burnished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in the neighborhood of the Jordan, between Succoth and Zeredah, in thick clay molds. 18 Solomon made all these vessels, so many in number that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

19 Solomon made all the articles that were for the house of God: the golden altar, the tables on which the showbread lay, 20 the menorahs and their lamps of pure gold which were to burn as prescribed before the inner sanctuary, 21 flowers, lamps, and gold tongs (this was of purest gold), 22 snuffers, bowls, cups, and firepans of pure gold. As for the entrance to the house, its inner doors to the holy of holies, as well as the doors to the nave of the temple, were of gold.

Footnotes

  1. 4:3 Oxen: in 1 Kgs 7:24 this double row of ornaments is described as consisting of gourds. The text of Kings available to the Chronicler may have been corrupt at this point since the two words sound similar in Hebrew. In 4:16 the Chronicler speaks of forks while 1 Kgs 7:40 refers to bowls.
  2. 4:5 Three thousand baths: two thousand baths according to 1 Kgs 7:26; see note on 1 Kgs 7:23–26.

The Temple’s Furnishings(A)

He made a bronze altar(B) twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.[a] He made the Sea(C) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits[b] high. It took a line of thirty cubits[c] to measure around it. Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it—ten to a cubit.[d] The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east.(D) The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. It was a handbreadth[e] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.[f]

He then made ten basins(E) for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings(F) were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.

He made ten gold lampstands(G) according to the specifications(H) for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

He made ten tables(I) and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls.(J)

He made the courtyard(K) of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. 10 He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

11 And Huram also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished(L) the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God:

12 the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

13 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);

14 the stands(M) with their basins;

15 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

16 the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles.

All the objects that Huram-Abi(N) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of polished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth(O) and Zarethan.[g] 18 All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze(P) could not be calculated.

19 Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God’s temple:

the golden altar;

the tables(Q) on which was the bread of the Presence;

20 the lampstands(R) of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;

21 the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold);

22 the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(S) and censers;(T) and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:1 That is, about 30 feet long and wide and 15 feet high or about 9 meters long and wide and 4.5 meters high
  2. 2 Chronicles 4:2 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
  3. 2 Chronicles 4:2 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  4. 2 Chronicles 4:3 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  5. 2 Chronicles 4:5 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  6. 2 Chronicles 4:5 That is, about 18,000 gallons or about 66,000 liters
  7. 2 Chronicles 4:17 Hebrew Zeredatha, a variant of Zarethan