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1 Kings 6-9
New American Standard Bible

The Building of the Temple

6 (A)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, that is, the second month, that he [a]began to build the house of the Lord. 2 And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord was [b]sixty cubits in its length, and twenty cubits in its width, and its height was thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the main room of the house was [c]twenty cubits in [d]length, [e]corresponding to the width of the house, and its width along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4 Also for the house (B)he made windows with artistic frames. 5 (C)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the main room and the [f](D)inner sanctuary; so he made (E)side chambers all around. 6 The lowest story was [g]five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he [h]made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not [i]be inserted into the walls of the house.

7 (F)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone finished at the quarry, and neither hammer, nor axe, nor any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The doorway for the [j]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by a winding staircase to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9 So (G)he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and [k]planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each [l]five cubits high; and they [m]were attached to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, 12 “As for this house which you are building, (H)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will fulfill My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 And (I)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and (J)will not abandon My people Israel.”

14 (K)So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He (L)built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the [n]ceiling he paneled the walls on the inside with wood, and he paneled the floor of the house with boards of juniper. 16 (M)He also built [o]twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the [p]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, as (N)the Most Holy Place. 17 The house, that is, the main room in front of the inner sanctuary, was [q]forty cubits long. 18 There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of (O)gourds and open flowers; everything was cedar, there was no stone visible. 19 Then he prepared an inner sanctuary inside the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 20 [r]The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also paneled the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he extended chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the entire house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also (P)the entire altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 (Q)And in the inner sanctuary he made two [s]cherubim of olive wood, each [t]ten cubits high. 24 The one wing of the first cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the first cherub was five cubits; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. 25 The second cherub was ten cubits; both of the cherubim were of the same measurement and the same form. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and (R)the wings of the cherubim spread out so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. And their wings were touching [u]end to [v]end in the center of the house. 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the surrounding walls of the house with engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, for the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 And for the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he overlaid the cherubim and the palm trees with gold.

33 So too he made for the entrance of the main room four-sided doorposts of olive wood, 34 and (S)two doors of juniper wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two [w]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work. 36 And (T)he built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 (U)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, that is, the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and in accordance with all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

Solomon’s Palace

7 Now (V)Solomon built his own house over the course of thirteen years, and he finished all of his house. 2 (W)He built the house of the timber from Lebanon; its length was [x]a hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window at three [y]intervals. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window at three [z]intervals.

6 Then he made (X)the hall of pillars; its length was [aa]fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, and a porch was in front of them and pillars and a (Y)threshold in front of them.

7 And he made the hall of the (Z)throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and (AA)it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

8 And his house where he was to live, the other courtyard inward from the hall, was of this same workmanship. (AB)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (AC)whom Solomon had married.

9 All of these were made of valuable stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the [ab]coping, and from the outside to the large courtyard.

10 And the foundation was of valuable stones, large stones, stones of [ac]ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 And above were valuable stones, cut according to measure, and cedar. 12 So (AD)the large courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams as well as the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, and (AE)the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

13 Now (AF)King Solomon sent word and had Hiram brought from Tyre. 14 (AG)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan in bronze; and (AH)he was filled with wisdom, skill, and knowledge for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (AI)performed all his work.

15 He fashioned (AJ)the two pillars of bronze; [ad](AK)eighteen cubits was the height of [ae]each pillar, and a line of [af]twelve cubits [ag]measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was [ah]five cubits and the height of the other capital was [ai]five cubits. 17 There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one lattice to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 The capitals which were on the tops of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 So there were capitals on the two pillars, also above and close to the [aj]rounded projection which was beside the lattice; and (AL)the pomegranates totaled two hundred in rows around [ak]both capitals. 21 (AM)And he set up the pillars at the (AN)porch of the [al]main room: he set up the right pillar and named it [am]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [an]Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was the lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 (AO)He also he made the [ao]Sea of (AP)cast metal [ap]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits, and [aq]it was [ar]thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under its brim (AQ)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (AR)completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast [as]with the rest. 25 (AS)It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a [at]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold [au]two thousand baths.

27 Then (AT)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was [av]four cubits, its width four cubits, and its height was three cubits. 28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, that is, borders between the crossbars, 29 and on the borders which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the crossbars there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was a [aw]cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and on its opening also there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form [ax]half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [ay]stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders cherubim, lions, and palm trees, as there was clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 (AU)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had the [az]same casting, [ba]same measure, and [bb]same form.

38 (AV)And he made ten basins of bronze, [bc]each holding [bd]forty baths; each basin was [be]four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. 39 Then he placed the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the [bf]Sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.

40 Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the (AW)two pillars, and the two lattices to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the (AX)four hundred pomegranates for the two lattices, two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; 43 and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; 44 and (AY)the one [bg]Sea and the twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 and (AZ)the buckets, the shovels, and the bowls; indeed, all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lord were of polished bronze. 46 (BA)The king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between (BB)Succoth and (BC)Zarethan. 47 However, Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; (BD)the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

48 Solomon also made all the furniture that was in the house of the Lord: (BE)the golden altar and the golden table on which was set the (BF)bread of the Presence; 49 and the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary; and (BG)the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 also the cups, the [bh]shears, the bowls, the ladles, and the (BH)firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the house, that is, for the main room, of gold.

51 (BI)So all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the Lord was finished. And (BJ)Solomon brought in the offerings vowed by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

8 (BK)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all (BL)the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, (BM)to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from (BN)the city of David, that is, Zion. 2 So all the men of Israel assembled themselves before King Solomon at (BO)the feast, in the month Ethanim, that is, the seventh month. 3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and (BP)the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the Lord, (BQ)the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were gathered together to him, (BR)were with him before the ark, sacrificing [bi]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then (BS)the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord (BT)to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, (BU)under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its carrying poles from above. 8 But (BV)the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9 (BW)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where (BX)the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it happened that when the priests came from the holy place, (BY)the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Addresses the People

12 (BZ)Then Solomon said,

“The Lord has said that (CA)He would dwell in the thick darkness.
13 (CB)I have truly built You a lofty house,
(CC)A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14 Then the king [bj]turned around and (CD)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 He said, “(CE)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, (CF)who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and fulfilled it with His hands, saying, 16 ‘(CG)Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house so that (CH)My name would be there, but (CI)I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17 (CJ)Now it was [bk]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was [bl]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was [bm]in your heart. 19 (CK)Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who [bn]will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’ 20 Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for (CL)I have risen in place of my father David and I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord [bo]promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have set a place for the ark, (CM)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

The Prayer of Dedication

22 Then (CN)Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and he (CO)spread out his hands toward heaven. 23 And he said, “Lord, God of Israel, (CP)there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, (CQ)keeping the covenant and showing faithfulness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24 You who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You [bp]promised him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25 Now then, Lord, God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have [bq]promised him, saying, ‘[br](CR)You shall not be deprived of a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful about their way, to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26 Now then, God of Israel, let Your words, please, be confirmed, (CS)which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, (CT)heaven and the [bs]highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28 Nevertheless, turn Your attention to the (CU)prayer of Your servant and to his plea, Lord, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today, 29 (CV)so that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward (CW)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant will pray toward this place. 30 And (CX)listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, (CY)when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and (CZ)forgive!

31 “(DA)If a person sins against his neighbor and is compelled to take an oath of innocence, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, (DB)condemning the wicked by [bt]bringing his way on his own head, and acquitting the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

33 “(DC)When Your people Israel are [bu]defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, (DD)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and implore Your [bv]favor in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave their fathers.

35 “(DE)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and praise Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel; (DF)indeed, teach them the good way in which they are to walk. And (DG)provide rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

37 “(DH)If there is a famine in the land, if there is a plague, if there is [bw]blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy harasses them in the land of their [bx]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer or plea [by]is offered by any person or by all Your people Israel, [bz]each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his [ca]hands toward this house; 39 then hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive and act, and give to each in accordance with all his ways, (DI)whose heart You know—for (DJ)You alone know the hearts of all [cb]mankind— 40 so that they will [cc]fear You all the days that they live on the [cd]land which You have given to our fathers.

41 “Also regarding the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account of Your name 42 (for they will hear of Your great name (DK)and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and act in accordance with all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order (DL)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to [ce]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that [cf]this house which I have built is called by Your name.

44 “When Your people go out to battle against [cg]their enemy, by whatever way You send them, and (DM)they pray to the Lord [ch]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their pleading, and maintain their cause.

46 “When they sin against You (for (DN)there is no person who does not sin) and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that [ci]they take them away captive (DO)to the land of the enemy, distant or near; 47 (DP)if they [cj]take it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and implore Your [ck]favor in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘(DQ)We have sinned and done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; 48 (DR)if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and (DS)pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49 then hear their prayer and their pleading in heaven, Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their wrongdoings which they have committed against You, and (DT)make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, so that they will have compassion on them 51 ((DU)for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought out of Egypt, (DV)from the midst of the iron furnace), 52 (DW)so that Your eyes may be open to the pleading of Your servant and to the pleading of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 For You have singled them out from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, (DX)just as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord [cl]God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

54 (DY)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and plea to the Lord, (DZ)he stood up from the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his [cm]hands spread toward heaven. 55 And he stood and (EA)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel (EB)in accordance with everything that He [cn]promised; (EC)not one word has [co]failed of all His good [cp]promise, which He [cq]promised through Moses His servant. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; (ED)may He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 so that (EE)He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the [cr]favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, [cs]as each day requires, 60 so (EF)that all the peoples of the earth may know that (EG)the Lord is God; there is no one else. 61 (EH)Your hearts therefore shall be [ct]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

62 (EI)Then the king and all Israel with him (EJ)offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63 And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. (EK)So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. 64 On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house of the Lord, because there he [cu]offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; for (EL)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So (EM)Solomon held the [cv]feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly (EN)from the entrance of Hamath (EO)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, that is, fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people, and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had [cw]shown to David His servant, and to Israel His people.

God’s Promise and Warning

9 (EP)Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and (EQ)the king’s house, and (ER)all [cx]that Solomon desired to do, 2 that (ES)the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him, “(ET)I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have offered before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built, (EU)by putting My name there forever, and (EV)My eyes and My heart will be there [cy]always. 4 As for you, (EW)if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and honesty, acting in accordance with everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My ordinances, 5 then (EX)I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I [cz]promised to your father David, saying, ‘[da]You shall not be deprived of a man on the throne of Israel.’

6 “(EY)But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have placed before you, but you go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 (EZ)then I will cut Israel off from the land which I have given them, and (FA)the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will [db]expel from My sight. So (FB)Israel will become a saying and an object of derision among all peoples. 8 And this house will become (FC)a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [dc]hiss and say, ‘(FD)Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and this house?’ 9 And they will say, ‘(FE)Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they [dd]adopted other gods and worshiped and served them, for that reason the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Cities Given to Hiram

10 (FF)Now it came about (FG)at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king’s house 11 (Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and juniper timber and gold, [de]satisfying all his desire), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 So Hiram left Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they [df]did not please him. 13 And he said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” So [dg]they have been called the land of [dh](FH)Cabul to this day. 14 (FI)And Hiram sent to the king [di]120 talents of gold.

15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon (FJ)conscripted to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the [dj](FK)Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, (FL)Hazor, (FM)Megiddo, and (FN)Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and overthrown Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the (FO)Canaanites who lived in the city; and he had (FP)given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower (FQ)Beth-horon, 18 and (FR)Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, that is, (FS)the cities for [dk]his chariots and the cities for [dl](FT)his horsemen, and [dm](FU)everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land [dn]under his rule. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 21 (FV)their descendants who were left after them in the land, (FW)whom the sons of Israel were unable to completely eliminate, (FX)from them Solomon conscripted (FY)forced laborers, as they are to this day. 22 But Solomon (FZ)did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his commanders, his charioteers, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.

23 These were the [do](GA)chief officers who were in charge of Solomon’s work, 550, (GB)who ruled over the people doing the work.

24 As soon as (GC)Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, (GD)he then built the Millo.

25 Now (GE)three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the Lord, burning incense with them on the altar which was before the Lord. So he finished the house.

26 King Solomon also built a (GF)fleet of ships in (GG)Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the [dp]Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 (GH)And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to (GI)Ophir and received [dq]420 talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 6:1 Lit built
  2. 1 Kings 6:2 About 90 ft. long, 30 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high or 27 m, 9 m, and 14 m
  3. 1 Kings 6:3 About 30 ft. long and 15 ft. deep or 9 m and 4.6 m
  4. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit its length
  5. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit on the face of
  6. 1 Kings 6:5 I.e., Most Holy Place
  7. 1 Kings 6:6 About 7.5 ft. wide, 9 ft. wide, and 11 ft. wide or 2.3 m, 2.7 m, and 3.3 m
  8. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit gave
  9. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit take hold
  10. 1 Kings 6:8 As in LXX and ancient versions; MT middle
  11. 1 Kings 6:9 Or rows
  12. 1 Kings 6:10 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  13. 1 Kings 6:10 Lit took hold
  14. 1 Kings 6:15 Lit walls of the ceiling
  15. 1 Kings 6:16 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  16. 1 Kings 6:16 Lit walls
  17. 1 Kings 6:17 About 60 ft. or 18 m
  18. 1 Kings 6:20 Lit Before the
  19. 1 Kings 6:23 Heb plural of cherub
  20. 1 Kings 6:23 About 15 ft. or 4.6 m
  21. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit wing
  22. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit wing
  23. 1 Kings 6:34 As in LXX; MT curtains
  24. 1 Kings 7:2 About 150 ft. long, 75 wide, and 45 high or 46 m long, 23 wide, and 14 high;
  25. 1 Kings 7:4 Lit paces
  26. 1 Kings 7:5 Lit paces
  27. 1 Kings 7:6 About 75 ft. long and 45 ft. wide or 23 m long and 7 m wide
  28. 1 Kings 7:9 I.e., top sloping course of stone
  29. 1 Kings 7:10 About 15 and 12 ft. or 4.5 and 3.7 m
  30. 1 Kings 7:15 About 27 ft. or 8 m
  31. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit the one
  32. 1 Kings 7:15 About 18 ft. or 5.5 m
  33. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit went around the other pillar
  34. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  35. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  36. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit belly
  37. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit on the other capital
  38. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit sanctuary
  39. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., he shall establish
  40. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., in it is strength
  41. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e., large basin
  42. 1 Kings 7:23 About 15 ft. in diameter and 7.5 ft. high or 4.6 m and 2.3 m high
  43. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit a line of 30 cubits went around it all around;
  44. 1 Kings 7:23 About 45 ft. or 14 m
  45. 1 Kings 7:24 Lit in its casting
  46. 1 Kings 7:26 About 3 in. or 7.6 cm
  47. 1 Kings 7:26 About 12,000 gallons or 45,424 liters
  48. 1 Kings 7:27 About 6 ft. long and wide and 4.5 ft. high or 1.8 m and 1.4 m
  49. 1 Kings 7:31 About 18 in. or 45 cm
  50. 1 Kings 7:35 About 9 in. or 23 cm
  51. 1 Kings 7:35 Lit hands
  52. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  53. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  54. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  55. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit the one basin held
  56. 1 Kings 7:38 About 240 gallons or 908 liters
  57. 1 Kings 7:38 About 6 ft. or 1.8 m
  58. 1 Kings 7:39 I.e., large basin
  59. 1 Kings 7:44 I.e., large basin
  60. 1 Kings 7:50 I.e., a tool to trim wicks
  61. 1 Kings 8:5 Lit sheep and oxen...numbered for multitude
  62. 1 Kings 8:14 Lit turned his face about
  63. 1 Kings 8:17 Lit with
  64. 1 Kings 8:18 Lit with
  65. 1 Kings 8:18 Lit with
  66. 1 Kings 8:19 Lit will come forth from your loins
  67. 1 Kings 8:20 Lit spoke
  68. 1 Kings 8:24 Lit spoken to
  69. 1 Kings 8:25 Lit spoken to
  70. 1 Kings 8:25 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man from before Me
  71. 1 Kings 8:27 Lit heaven of heavens
  72. 1 Kings 8:32 Lit giving
  73. 1 Kings 8:33 Lit struck
  74. 1 Kings 8:33 Or compassion
  75. 1 Kings 8:37 Lit scorching
  76. 1 Kings 8:37 Lit gates
  77. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit takes place
  78. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit who know each
  79. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit palms
  80. 1 Kings 8:39 Lit the sons of mankind
  81. 1 Kings 8:40 Or revere
  82. 1 Kings 8:40 Lit face of the land
  83. 1 Kings 8:43 Or revere
  84. 1 Kings 8:43 Lit Your name is called upon this house which I have built
  85. 1 Kings 8:44 Lit his
  86. 1 Kings 8:44 Lit in the way of
  87. 1 Kings 8:46 Lit their captors take them captive
  88. 1 Kings 8:47 Lit return to their heart
  89. 1 Kings 8:47 Or compassion
  90. 1 Kings 8:53 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  91. 1 Kings 8:54 Lit palms
  92. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
  93. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit fallen
  94. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit word
  95. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
  96. 1 Kings 8:59 Or compassion
  97. 1 Kings 8:59 Lit the matter of a day in its day
  98. 1 Kings 8:61 Lit complete with
  99. 1 Kings 8:64 Lit made
  100. 1 Kings 8:65 I.e., of Booths
  101. 1 Kings 8:66 Lit done
  102. 1 Kings 9:1 Lit Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do
  103. 1 Kings 9:3 Lit all the days
  104. 1 Kings 9:5 Lit spoke
  105. 1 Kings 9:5 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
  106. 1 Kings 9:7 Lit send
  107. 1 Kings 9:8 Or whistle
  108. 1 Kings 9:9 Lit laid hold of
  109. 1 Kings 9:11 Lit to all
  110. 1 Kings 9:12 Lit were not right in his sight
  111. 1 Kings 9:13 Lit he called them
  112. 1 Kings 9:13 I.e., like nothing
  113. 1 Kings 9:14 About 4.5 tons or 4 metric tons
  114. 1 Kings 9:15 I.e., terraced structure
  115. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the
  116. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the
  117. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem
  118. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit of
  119. 1 Kings 9:23 Or officers of the deputies
  120. 1 Kings 9:26 Lit Sea of Reeds
  121. 1 Kings 9:28 About 16 tons or 14 metric tons
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1 Kings 6-9
New International Version

Solomon Builds the Temple(A)

6 In the four hundred and eightieth[a] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month,(B) he began to build the temple of the Lord.(C)

2 The temple(D) that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[b] 3 The portico(E) at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[c] and projected ten cubits[d] from the front of the temple. 4 He made narrow windows(F) high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.(G) 6 The lowest floor was five cubits[e] wide, the middle floor six cubits[f] and the third floor seven.[g] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed(H) at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool(I) was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

8 The entrance to the lowest[h] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar(J) planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

11 The word of the Lord came(K) to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands(L) and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise(M) I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon(N) my people Israel.”

14 So Solomon(O) built the temple and completed(P) it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling,(Q) and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.(R) 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.(S) 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[i] long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar,(T) carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.

19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(U) within the temple to set the ark of the covenant(V) of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary(W) was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.(X) 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

23 For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim(Y) out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits. 27 He placed the cherubim(Z) inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 On the walls(AA) all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim,(AB) palm trees and open flowers. 30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors(AC) he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

36 And he built the inner courtyard(AD) of three courses(AE) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details(AF) according to its specifications.(AG) He had spent seven years building it.

Solomon Builds His Palace

7 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(AH) 2 He built the Palace(AI) of the Forest of Lebanon(AJ) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[j] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3 It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4 Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5 All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[k]

6 He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.[l] In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

7 He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(AK) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[m](AL) 8 And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.(AM)

9 All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits[n] and some eight.[o] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(AN) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

The Temple’s Furnishings(AO)(AP)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[p](AQ) 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,(AR) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(AS) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(AT) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[q] 16 He also made two capitals(AU) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[r] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows[s] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[t] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[u] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(AV) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[v] and the one to the north Boaz.[w](AW) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(AX) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(AY) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(AZ) of thirty cubits[x] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(BA) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[y] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[z]

27 He also made ten movable stands(BB) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[aa] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(BC) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[ab] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[ac] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[ad] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38 He then made ten bronze basins,(BD) each holding forty baths[ae] and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. 40 He also made the pots[af] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(BE)

So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41 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;

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

43 the ten stands with their ten basins;

44 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45 the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.(BG)

All these objects that Huram(BH) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain(BI) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(BJ) and Zarethan.(BK) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(BL) because there were so many;(BM) the weight of the bronze(BN) was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all(BO) the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table(BP) on which was the bread of the Presence;(BQ)

49 the lampstands(BR) of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(BS) and censers;(BT)

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(BU)—the silver and gold and the furnishings(BV)—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

The Ark Brought to the Temple(BW)

8 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs(BX) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(BY) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.(BZ) 2 All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival(CA) in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.(CB)

3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests(CC) took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting(CD) and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites(CE) carried them up, 5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing(CF) so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant(CG) to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,(CH) and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.(CI) 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed(CJ) the ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.(CK) 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets(CL) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud(CM) filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service(CN) because of the cloud, for the glory(CO) of the Lord filled his temple.

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(CP) 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell(CQ) forever.”

14 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed(CR) them. 15 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord,(CS) the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,(CT) I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name(CU) might be there, but I have chosen(CV) David(CW) to rule my people Israel.’

17 “My father David had it in his heart(CX) to build a temple(CY) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you(CZ) are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’(DA)

20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded(DB) David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built(DC) the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(DD)

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands(DE) toward heaven 23 and said:

“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like(DF) you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love(DG) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises(DH) you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ 26 And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised(DI) your servant David my father come true.

27 “But will God really dwell(DJ) on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven,(DK) cannot contain(DL) you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open(DM) toward(DN) this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name(DO) shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(DP) toward this place. Hear(DQ) from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.(DR)

31 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath(DS) before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.(DT)

33 “When your people Israel have been defeated(DU) by an enemy because they have sinned(DV) against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,(DW) 34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(DX) because your people have sinned(DY) against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach(DZ) them the right way(EA) to live, and send rain(EB) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

37 “When famine(EC) or plague(ED) comes to the land, or blight(EE) or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,(EF) or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands(EG) toward this temple— 39 then hear(EH) from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive(EI) and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know(EJ) their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40 so that they will fear(EK) you all the time they live in the land(EL) you gave our ancestors.

41 “As for the foreigner(EM) who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42 for they will hear(EN) of your great name and your mighty hand(EO) and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know(EP) your name and fear(EQ) you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.(ER)

44 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray(ES) to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.(ET)

46 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin(EU)—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive(EV) to their own lands, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead(EW) with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’;(EX) 48 and if they turn back(EY) to you with all their heart(EZ) and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray(FA) to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple(FB) I have built for your Name;(FC) 49 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;(FD) 51 for they are your people and your inheritance,(FE) whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.(FF)

52 “May your eyes be open(FG) to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you.(FH) 53 For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,(FI) just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed(FJ) the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest(FK) to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises(FL) he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake(FM) us. 58 May he turn our hearts(FN) to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples(FO) of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.(FP) 61 And may your hearts(FQ) be fully committed(FR) to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

The Dedication of the Temple(FS)

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices(FT) before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated(FU) the temple of the Lord.

64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat(FV) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar(FW) that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.(FX)

65 So Solomon observed the festival(FY) at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(FZ) to the Wadi of Egypt.(GA) They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good(GB) things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(GC)

9 When Solomon had finished(GD) building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the Lord appeared(GE) to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him:

“I have heard(GF) the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name(GG) there forever. My eyes(GH) and my heart will always be there.

4 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart(GI) and uprightness, as David(GJ) your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws,(GK) 5 I will establish(GL) your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail(GM) to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

6 “But if you[ag] or your descendants turn away(GN) from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you[ah] and go off to serve other gods(GO) and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land(GP) I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.(GQ) Israel will then become a byword(GR) and an object of ridicule(GS) among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[ai] who pass by will be appalled(GT) and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’(GU) 9 People will answer,(GV) ‘Because they have forsaken(GW) the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster(GX) on them.’”

Solomon’s Other Activities(GY)

10 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings—the temple of the Lord and the royal palace— 11 King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and juniper and gold(GZ) he wanted. 12 But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 13 “What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?” he asked. And he called them the Land of Kabul,[aj](HA) a name they have to this day. 14 Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents[ak] of gold.(HB)

15 Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted(HC) to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,[al](HD) the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor,(HE) Megiddo and Gezer.(HF) 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter,(HG) Solomon’s wife. 17 And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon,(HH) 18 Baalath,(HI) and Tadmor[am] in the desert, within his land, 19 as well as all his store cities(HJ) and the towns for his chariots(HK) and for his horses[an]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

20 There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites,(HL) Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites(HM) (these peoples were not Israelites). 21 Solomon conscripted the descendants(HN) of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate[ao](HO)—to serve as slave labor,(HP) as it is to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves(HQ) of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 23 They were also the chief officials(HR) in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.

24 After Pharaoh’s daughter(HS) had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the terraces.(HT)

25 Three(HU) times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

26 King Solomon also built ships(HV) at Ezion Geber,(HW) which is near Elath(HX) in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.[ap] 27 And Hiram sent his men—sailors(HY) who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. 28 They sailed to Ophir(HZ) and brought back 420 talents[aq] of gold,(IA) which they delivered to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 6:1 Hebrew; Septuagint four hundred and fortieth
  2. 1 Kings 6:2 That is, about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 27 meters long, 9 meters wide and 14 meters high
  3. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 16 and 20
  4. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verses 23-26
  5. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24
  6. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters
  7. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters
  8. 1 Kings 6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle
  9. 1 Kings 6:17 That is, about 60 feet or about 18 meters
  10. 1 Kings 7:2 That is, about 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  11. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  12. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  13. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  14. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  15. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  16. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  17. 1 Kings 7:15 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  18. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  19. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  20. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  21. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  22. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  23. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  24. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  25. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  26. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  27. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  28. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  29. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  30. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  31. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  32. 1 Kings 7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins
  33. 1 Kings 9:6 The Hebrew is plural.
  34. 1 Kings 9:6 The Hebrew is plural.
  35. 1 Kings 9:8 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now imposing, all
  36. 1 Kings 9:13 Kabul sounds like the Hebrew for good-for-nothing.
  37. 1 Kings 9:14 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
  38. 1 Kings 9:15 Or the Millo; also in verse 24
  39. 1 Kings 9:18 The Hebrew may also be read Tamar.
  40. 1 Kings 9:19 Or charioteers
  41. 1 Kings 9:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  42. 1 Kings 9:26 Or the Sea of Reeds
  43. 1 Kings 9:28 That is, about 16 tons or about 14 metric tons
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1 Kings 5
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