2 Chronicles 3
Contemporary English Version
The Temple Is Built
(1 Kings 6.1-38)
3 1-2 (A) Solomon's workers began building the temple in Jerusalem on the second day of the second month,[a] four years after Solomon had become king of Israel. It was built on Mount Moriah where the Lord had appeared to David at the threshing place that had belonged to Araunah[b] from Jebus.
3 The inside of the temple was 27 meters long and 9 meters wide, according to the older standards.[c] 4 Across the front of the temple was a porch 9 meters wide and 9 meters[d] high. The inside walls of the porch were covered with pure gold.
5 Solomon had the inside walls of the temple's main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains. 6 He used precious stones to decorate the temple, and he used gold imported from Parvaim[e] 7 to decorate the ceiling beams, the doors, the door frames, and the walls. Solomon also told the workers to carve designs of winged creatures into the walls.
8 (B) The most holy place was nine meters square, and its walls were covered with over 20 tons of fine gold. 9 Five hundred and seventy grams of gold was used to cover the heads of the nails. The walls of the small storage rooms were also covered with gold.[f]
10 (C) Solomon had two statues of winged creatures[g] made to put in the most holy place, and he covered them with gold. 11-13 Each creature had two wings and was four and a half meters from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing. Solomon set them next to each other in the most holy place, facing the doorway. Their wings were spread out and reached all the way across the nine-meter room.
14 (D) A curtain[h] was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with designs of winged creatures.
The Two Columns
(1 Kings 7.15-22)
15 Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was 16 meters tall and had a cap on top that was over 2 meters high. 16 The top of each column was decorated with designs that looked like chains[i] and with 100 carvings of pomegranates.[j] 17 Solomon had one of the columns placed on the south side of the temple's entrance; it was called Jachin.[k] The other one was placed on the north side of the entrance; it was called Boaz.[l]
Footnotes
- 3.1,2 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
- 3.1,2 Araunah: The Hebrew text has “Ornan,” another spelling of the name (see 2 Samuel 24.18-25; 1 Chronicles 21.18—22.1).
- 3.3 according to the older standards: There were possibly two different standards of measurement during Israel's history.
- 3.4 9 meters: Some manuscripts of two ancient translations; Hebrew “54 meters.”
- 3.6 Parvaim: An unknown place.
- 3.9 The walls … gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.10 statues of winged creatures: These were symbols of the Lord's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18-22).
- 3.14 A curtain: To separate the most holy place from the main room of the temple.
- 3.16 designs that looked like chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.16 pomegranates: A pomegranate is a small red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.
- 3.17 Jachin: Or “He (God) makes secure.”
- 3.17 Boaz: Or “He (God) is strong.”
2 Chronicles 3
English Standard Version
Solomon Builds the Temple
3 (A)Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (B)on Mount Moriah, where the Lord[a] had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, (C)on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Solomon's (D)measurements[b] for building the house of God: (E)the length, in cubits[c] of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house,[d] and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. 5 (F)The nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold (G)and made palms and chains on it. 6 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. 7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—(H)and he carved cherubim on the walls.
8 (I)And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents[e] of fine gold. 9 The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels.[f] And he overlaid (J)the upper chambers with gold.
10 (K)In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of wood[g] and overlaid[h] them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; 12 and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim[i] stood on their feet, (L)facing the nave. 14 (M)And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.
15 (N)In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains like a necklace[j] and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 (O)He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 3:1 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks the Lord
- 2 Chronicles 3:3 Syriac; Hebrew foundations
- 2 Chronicles 3:3 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- 2 Chronicles 3:4 Compare 1 Kings 6:3; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- 2 Chronicles 3:8 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 2 Chronicles 3:9 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- 2 Chronicles 3:10 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- 2 Chronicles 3:10 Hebrew they overlaid
- 2 Chronicles 3:13 Hebrew they
- 2 Chronicles 3:16 Hebrew chains in the inner sanctuary
2 Chronicles 3
King James Version
3 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
4 And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
6 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.
11 And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
12 And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.
14 And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
16 And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
2 Cronici 3
Cornilescu 1924 - Revised 2010, 2014
Zidirea Templului
3 Solomon(A) a început zidirea Casei Domnului la Ierusalim(B), pe muntele Moria, care fusese arătat tatălui său David, în locul pregătit de David în aria lui Ornan(C), Iebusitul. 2 A început să zidească în a doua zi a lunii a doua, în al patrulea an al domniei lui. 3 Iată pe ce temelii(D) a zidit Solomon Casa lui Dumnezeu. Lungimea, în coţi de măsura cea veche a coţilor, era de şaizeci de coţi, iar lăţimea, de douăzeci de coţi. 4 Pridvorul(E) dinainte avea douăzeci de coţi lungime, cât era de lată casa, şi o sută douăzeci de coţi înălţime; Solomon l-a acoperit pe dinăuntru cu aur curat. 5 A îmbrăcat cu lemn de chiparos casa(F) cea mare, a acoperit-o cu aur curat şi a săpat pe ea finici şi împletituri de lănţişoare. 6 A acoperit casa cu pietre scumpe ca podoabă şi aurul era aur din Parvaim. 7 A acoperit cu aur casa, bârnele, pragurile, pereţii şi uşile şi a pus să sape heruvimi pe pereţi. 8 A făcut casa Locului Preasfânt. Ea era lungă de douăzeci de coţi, cât lărgimea casei, şi largă de douăzeci de coţi. A acoperit-o cu aur curat, care preţuia şase sute de talanţi. 9 Greutatea aurului pentru cuie se ridica la cincizeci de sicli. A îmbrăcat cu aur şi odăile de sus. 10 A făcut în casa(G) Locului Preasfânt doi heruvimi săpaţi şi i-a acoperit cu aur. 11 Aripile heruvimilor aveau o lungime de douăzeci de coţi. Aripa celui dintâi, lungă de cinci coţi, atingea zidul casei şi cealaltă aripă, lungă tot de cinci coţi, atingea aripa celui de al doilea heruvim. 12 Aripa celui de al doilea heruvim, lungă de cinci coţi, atingea zidul casei şi cealaltă aripă, lungă tot de cinci coţi, se unea cu aripa celui dintâi heruvim. 13 Aripile acestor heruvimi, întinse, aveau douăzeci de coţi. Ei stăteau în picioare, cu faţa întoarsă spre casă. 14 A făcut perdeaua(H) albastră, purpurie şi cărămizie şi de in subţire şi a lucrat heruvimi pe ea.
Cei doi stâlpi de aramă
15 A făcut înaintea casei doi(I) stâlpi de treizeci şi cinci de coţi înălţime, cu un cap de cinci coţi în vârful lor. 16 A făcut nişte reţele ca acelea care erau în Locul Preasfânt şi le-a pus pe vârful stâlpilor. Apoi a făcut o sută(J) de rodii pe care le-a pus pe reţele. 17 A aşezat(K) stâlpii în partea dinainte a Templului, unul la dreapta şi altul la stânga, a numit pe cel de la dreapta Iachin şi pe cel de la stânga Boaz.
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