Hiram the Bronze Craftsman

¹³ King Solomon sent for and had Hiram brought from Tyre. ¹⁴ He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, while his father was a man of Tyre, a coppersmith, and he was filled with wisdom, understanding and skill to do any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and executed all his work. ¹⁵ He fashioned the two bronze pillars, 18 cubits high and 12 cubits in circumference each. ¹⁶ He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set upon the tops of the pillars (the height of each capital was five cubits), ¹⁷ nettings of latticework and twisted threads of chain work for the capitals were on top of the pillars—seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. ¹⁸ So he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates all around on the netting covering the capitals on top of each capital. ¹⁹ The capitals that were on the top of the pillars in the portico were of lily design, four cubits high. ²⁰ So also the capitals on the two pillars—close to the belly next to the netting were the pomegranates in rows of 200 around both capitals.

²¹ Thus he set up the pillars at the porticos of the Temple. He set up the right pillar and named it Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. ^{[a] 22} On the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

²³ Next he made the sea of cast metal, ten cubits across from brim to brim, circular in form, five cubits in its height and 30 cubits in circumference. ²⁴ Under its brim there were gourds encircling it, ten per cubit, completely surrounding the sea. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with it. ²⁵ It stood 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 were inward. ²⁶ It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the petals of a lily; it held 11,000 gallons.