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But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

He built also the House of the Forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.

And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams that lay on fortyfive pillars, fifteen in a row.

And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.

And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows; and light was against light in three ranks.

And he made a Porch of Pillars: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and the porch was in front of them, and the other pillars and the thick beam were in front of them.

Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the Porch of Judgment; and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.

And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also a house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken for a wife, like unto this porch.

All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.

10 And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.

11 And above were costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stones and cedars.

12 And the great court round about was with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the Lord and for the porch of the house.

13 And King Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.

14 He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to work all works in brass. And he came to King Solomon and wrought all his work.

15 For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece; and a line of twelve cubits compassed each of them about.

16 And he made two capitals of molten brass to set upon the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits;

17 and nets of checker work and wreaths of chain work for the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars, seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital.

18 And he made the pillars, and two rows with pomegranates round about upon the one network to cover the capitals that were upon the top; and so did he for the other capital.

19 And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.

20 And the capitals upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network; and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other capital.

21 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar and called the name thereof Jachin [that is, He shall establish], and he set up the left pillar and called the name thereof Boaz [that is, In it is strength].

22 And upon the top of the pillars was lily work; so was the work of the pillars finished.

23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other; it was round all about, and his height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about.

24 And under the brim of it round about there were buds compassing it, ten to a cubit, compassing the sea round about; the buds were cast in two rows when it was cast.

25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hind parts were inward.

26 And it was a handbreadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies. It contained two thousand baths.

27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.

28 And the work of the bases was in this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges;

29 and on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims. And upon the ledges there was a base above; and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.

30 And every base had four brazen wheels and plates of brass, and the four corners thereof had supports. Under the laver were molten supports at the side of every addition.

31 And the mouth of it within the capital and above was a cubit; but the mouth thereof was round according to the work of the base, a cubit and a half; and also upon the mouth of it were engravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.

32 And under the borders were four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the base; and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.

33 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel; their axles and their hubs and their rims and their spokes were all molten.

34 And there were four supports to the four corners of one base, and the supports were part of the very base itself.

35 And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high; and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.

36 For on the plates of the ledges thereof and on the borders thereof he engraved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.

37 After this manner he made the ten bases; all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.

38 Then made he ten lavers of brass; each laver contained forty baths, and every laver was four cubits, and upon every one of the ten bases was one laver.

39 And he put five bases on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house, and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.

40 And Hiram made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made King Solomon for the house of the Lord:

41 the two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars;

42 and four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars;

43 and the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;

44 and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;

45 and the pots and the shovels and the basins. And all these vessels which Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of bright brass.

46 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.

47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many; neither was the weight of the brass found out.

48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, upon which the showbread was;

49 and the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left before the oracle, with the flowers and the lamps and the tongs of gold;

50 and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.

51 So was ended all the work that King Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver and the gold and the vessels did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.

Solomon Builds His Palace

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

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

He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(D) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[d](E) 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.(F)

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[e] and some eight.[f] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(G) 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(H)(I)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[g](J) 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,(K) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(L) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(M) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[h] 16 He also made two capitals(N) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[i] 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[j] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[k] 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[l] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(O) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n](P) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(Q) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(R) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(S) of thirty cubits[o] 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,(T) 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[p] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[q]

27 He also made ten movable stands(U) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[r] 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(V) 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[s] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[t] 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[u] 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,(W) each holding forty baths[v] 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[w] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(X)

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(Y) 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.(Z)

All these objects that Huram(AA) 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(AB) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(AC) and Zarethan.(AD) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(AE) because there were so many;(AF) the weight of the bronze(AG) was not determined.

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

the golden altar;

the golden table(AI) on which was the bread of the Presence;(AJ)

49 the lampstands(AK) 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(AL) and censers;(AM)

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(AN)—the silver and gold and the furnishings(AO)—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

Footnotes

  1. 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
  2. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  3. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  4. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  5. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  6. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  7. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  8. 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
  9. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  10. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  11. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  12. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  13. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  14. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  15. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  16. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  17. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  18. 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
  19. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  20. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  21. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  22. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  23. 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

Moreover he made an altar of brass: twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits he height thereof.

Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line f thirty cubits did compass it round about.

And under it was the similitude of oxen, which compassed it round about, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two ows of oxen were cast when it was cast.

It stood upon twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the outh, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.

And the thickness of it was a handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and t received and held three thousand baths.

He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to wash in them. Such things as they offered or the burnt offering they washed in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form and set them in the temple, five on the right hand and five on he left.

He made also ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made a hundred asins of gold.

Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with rass.

10 And he set the sea on the right side of the east end toward the south.

11 And Hiram made the pots and the shovels and the basins. And Hiram finished the work that he was to do for King Solomon for he house of God,

12 to wit: the two pillars, and the globes and the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to over the two globes of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars;

13 and four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths, two rows of pomegranates on each wreath to cover the two globes of the apitals which were upon the pillars.

14 He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;

15 one sea and twelve oxen under it.

16 The pots also, and the shovels and the fleshhooks and all their instruments, did Hiramabi make for King Solomon for the ouse of the Lord of bright brass.

17 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.

18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, for the weight of the brass could not be found out.

19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also and the tables whereon the showbread as set;

20 moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn according to the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;

21 and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs made he of gold, and that of perfect gold;

22 and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold; and the entry of the house, the inner oors thereof for the Most Holy Place and the doors of the house of the temple were of gold.

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