Beginning

Solomon Prepares for the Temple

2 Solomon decided to build a temple as a place to worship the Lord. He also decided to build a palace for himself. ² He chose 70,000 men to carry things. He chose 80,000 men to cut stone in the mountains. And he chose 3,600 men to direct the workers.

³ Then Solomon sent a message to Hiram king of the city of Tyre. Solomon said:

¹¹ Then Hiram king of Tyre answered Solomon with this letter:

¹² Hiram also said:

¹⁷ Solomon counted all the foreigners living in Israel. This was after the time his father David had counted the people. There were 153,600 foreigners in the country. ¹⁸ Solomon chose 70,000 of them to carry things. He chose 80,000 of them to cut stone in the mountains. And he chose 3,600 of them to direct the workers. They were to keep the people working.

Solomon Builds the Temple

3 Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord. He built it in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. This was where the Lord had appeared to David, Solomon’s father. Solomon built the Temple on the place David had prepared. This place was the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ² Solomon began building in the second month of the fourth year he ruled Israel.

³ Solomon used these measurements for building the Temple of God. It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. (Solomon used the old measurement.) ⁴ The porch in front of the Temple was 30 feet long and 30 feet high.

Solomon covered the inside of the porch with pure gold. ⁵ He put panels of pine on the walls of the main room. Then he covered them with pure gold. And he put designs of palm trees and chains in the gold. ⁶ He put gems in the Temple for beauty. And he used gold from Parvaim.^{[a] 7} Solomon put gold on the Temple’s ceiling beams, doorposts, walls and doors. And he carved creatures with wings on the walls.

⁸ Then Solomon made the Most Holy Place. It was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide. It was as wide as the Temple. He covered its walls with about 46,000 pounds of pure gold. ⁹ The gold nails weighed over a pound. Solomon also covered the upper rooms with gold.

¹⁰ He made two creatures with wings for the Most Holy Place. He made them out of hot liquid gold. ¹¹ The wings of the gold creatures were spread out. Together, they were 30 feet across. One wing of one creature touched the Temple wall. The wing was 7½ feet long. The creature’s other wing touched a wing of the second creature. This wing was also 7½ feet long. ¹² One wing of the second creature touched the other side of the room. It was also 7½ feet long. The second creature’s other wing touched the first creature’s wing. This wing was also 7½ feet long. ¹³ Together, the creatures’ wings were 30 feet across. The creatures stood on their feet. They looked inside toward the main room.

¹⁴ Solomon made the curtain of blue, purple and red thread and expensive linen. And he put designs of creatures with wings in it.

¹⁵ Solomon made two pillars to stand in front of the Temple. They were about 52 feet tall. The capital of each pillar was over 7 feet tall. ¹⁶ Solomon made a net of chains. He put them on the tops of the pillars. He made 100 pomegranates and put them on the chains. ¹⁷ Then Solomon put the pillars up in front of the Temple. One pillar stood on the south side. The other stood on the north. He named the south pillar He Establishes. And he named the north pillar In Him Is Strength.

Things for the Temple

4 Solomon made a bronze altar. It was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide and 15 feet tall. ² Then Solomon used melted bronze to make a large bowl, which was called the Sea. It was round and measured 15 feet across from edge to edge. It was over 7 feet tall, and it measured 45 feet around. ³ There were carvings of bulls under the rim of the bowl. There were 10 bulls in every 1½ feet. They were put in two rows around the bowl when it was made.

⁴ The bowl rested on 12 statues of bulls. Three bulls faced north, 3 faced west, 3 faced south and 3 faced east. The bowl was on top of them. They faced outward from the center of the bowl. ⁵ The bowl was 3 inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup. It looked like a lily blossom. It could hold about 17,500 gallons.

⁶ Solomon made 10 smaller bowls. He put 5 of them on the south side. And he put 5 of them on the north. They were to be used to wash the animals for the burnt offerings. But the large bowl was to be used by the priests for washing.

⁷ Solomon made 10 lampstands of gold, following the plans for them. He put them in the Temple. He put 5 on the south side and 5 on the north.

⁸ Solomon made 10 tables and put them in the Temple. He put 5 on the south side and 5 on the north. And he used gold to make 100 other bowls.

⁹ Solomon also made the priests’ courtyard and the large courtyard. He made the doors that opened to the courtyard and covered them with bronze. ¹⁰ Then he put the large bowl on the south side. He put it in the Temple’s southeast corner.

¹¹ He made the pots, shovels and bowls. So Huram finished his work for King Solomon on the Temple of God. He had made these things:

All the things Huram-Abi made King Solomon for the Temple of the Lord were made of polished bronze. ¹⁷ King Solomon first had these things poured into clay molds. The molds were made in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. ¹⁸ Solomon had so many things made no one even tried to weigh all the bronze used.

¹⁹ Solomon also made all the things for God’s Temple. He made the gold altar. He made tables to hold the bread that shows we are in God’s presence. ²⁰ He made the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold. They were to burn in front of the Most Holy Place as planned. ²¹ Solomon used pure gold to make the flowers, lamps and tongs. ²² He used pure gold to make the wick trimmers. He used pure gold for the bowls, pans and dishes used to carry coals. He used pure gold to make the doors for the Temple. And he used pure gold for the inside doors for the Most Holy Place and the doors for the main room.

5 Then all the work Solomon had done for the Temple of the Lord was finished. He brought in everything his father David had given for the Temple. He brought in all the silver and gold and all the furniture. And he put everything in the treasuries of God’s Temple.

The Ark of the Covenant Is Carried into the Temple

² Then Solomon called for all the elders of Israel. He asked them to come to him in Jerusalem. He called for all the older leaders, the heads of the tribes and the leaders of the families. He wanted them to bring the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord from the older part of the city. ³ All the men of Israel came together with King Solomon. This was during the festival that was held in the seventh month.

⁴ All the elders of Israel arrived. Then the Levites picked up the Ark of the Covenant. ⁵ The priests and the Levites carried the Ark of the Covenant. They also carried the Meeting Tent and the holy things in it. ⁶ King Solomon and all the Israelites met in front of the Ark of the Covenant. They sacrificed so many sheep and bulls no one could count them.

⁷ Then the priests put the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord in its place. This was inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple. They put it under the wings of the gold creatures. ⁸ The wings of the creatures were spread out over the place for the Ark of the Covenant. They covered it and its carrying poles. ⁹ The carrying poles were very long. Anyone standing in the Holy Place in front of the Most Holy Place could see the ends of the poles. But no one could see the poles from outside the Holy Place. The poles are still there today. ¹⁰ The only things inside the Ark of the Covenant were two stone tablets.^[b] Moses had put them in the Ark of the Covenant at Mount Sinai. That was where the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

¹¹ Then all the priests left the Holy Place. All the priests from each group made themselves ready to serve the Lord. ¹² All the Levite musicians stood on the east side of the altar. They were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and all their sons and relatives. They were dressed in white linen and played cymbals, lyres and harps. With them were 120 priests who blew trumpets. ¹³ Those who blew the trumpets and those who sang together sounded like one person. They praised and thanked the Lord. They sang as they played their trumpets, cymbals and other instruments. They praised the Lord with this song:

Then the Temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ The priests could not continue their work because of the cloud. This was because the Lord’s glory filled the Temple of God.