Chronological

5 Also Hiram, king of Tyre, sent his servants to Solomon; for he heard that they had anointed him king for his father (for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father); for Hiram was (a) friend of David in all time.

² And also Solomon sent to Hiram, and said,

³ Thou knowest the will of David, my father, and for he might not build an house to the name of his God (Thou knowest the desire of my father David, and that he could not build a house in honour of the name of the Lord his God), for [the] battles nighing by compass, till the Lord gave them under the step of his feet.

⁴ But now my Lord God hath given rest to me by compass, and none adversary is, neither evil assailing; (But now the Lord my God hath given peace to me all around, and there is no adversary, nor evil, assailing me;)

⁵ wherefore I think to build a temple to the name of my Lord God, as God spake to David, my father, and said, Thy son, whom I shall give to thee for thee upon thy throne, he shall build an house to my name. (and so I shall build a Temple in honour of the name of the Lord my God, as God spoke to my father David, and said, Thy son, whom I shall put on thy throne in thy place, he shall build a House in honour of my name.)

⁶ Therefore command thou, that thy servants hew down to me cedars of the Lebanon (And so command thou, that thy servants cut down cedars in Lebanon for me); and my servants (shall) be with thy servants; and I shall give to thee the meed of thy servants, whatever thou shalt ask; for thou knowest, that in my people (there) is not a man that can hew trees, as (well as the) Sidonians can (do it)/as (well as) the men of Sidon.

⁷ Therefore when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he was full glad, and said, Blessed be the Lord God today, that hath given to David the son most wise upon this people full much. (And so when Hiram had heard Solomon’s words, he was very glad, and said, Blessed be the Lord God today, who hath given David a most wise son to rule over this great people.)

⁸ And Hiram sent to Solomon, and said, I have heard whatever things thou sentest to me (for); I shall do all thy will, in trees of cedars, and in trees of box (and I shall provide all the cedar, and fir, or pine, trees, that thou needeth, or wanteth).

⁹ My servants shall put down those trees from the Lebanon to the sea, and I shall array those trees in ships in the sea, unto the place that thou shalt signify to me; and I shall direct those there, that thou take those; and thou shalt give necessaries to me, that meat be given to mine house. (My servants shall bring down that wood from Lebanon to the sea, and I shall convey it in sea-worthy ships, to the place that thou shalt signify to me; and I shall send them there, so that thou can have them; and thou shalt give necessities to me, so that food shall be given to all my household.)

¹⁰ And so Hiram gave to Solomon cedar trees, and box trees, by all his will; (And so Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar, and fir, or pine, trees, that he needed, or wanted;)

¹¹ and Solomon gave to Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat, into meat to his house, and twenty cors of purest oil; Solomon gave these things to Hiram by all years. (and Solomon gave to Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat, for food for his household, and twenty cors of purest oil; Solomon gave these things to Hiram annually.)

¹² Also the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, as he spake to him; and peace was betwixt Hiram and Solomon, and both they smote together (a) bond of peace. (And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, as he said he would; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they struck a covenant together.)

¹³ And king Solomon chose workmen (out) of all Israel; and the sum was thirty thousand of men.

¹⁴ And Solomon sent them into the Lebanon, ten thousand by each month by whiles, so that in two months by whiles they were in their houses; and Adoniram was on such a sum. (And Solomon sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand each month by turn, and then for two months by turn, they went back to their own houses; and Adoniram was in charge of them all.)

¹⁵ And so seventy thousand of them, that bare burdens, were to Solomon, and fourscore thousand of masons in the hill(s), (And so working for Solomon were seventy thousand men who carried loads, and fourscore thousand stonemasons in the hills,)

¹⁶ without the sovereigns, that were masters of all the works, by the number of three thousand and three hundred, commanding to the people, and to them that made work. (besides the sovereigns, or the foremen, who were masters over all the work, three thousand and three hundred in number, commanding the people who did the work.)

¹⁷ And the king commanded, that they should take great stones, and precious stones/heavy stones, into the foundament of the temple, (And the king commanded, that they should cut great fine stones/great heavy stones, for the foundation of the Temple,)

¹⁸ and that they should make those square; which stones the masons of Solomon and the masons of Hiram hewed. And [the] men of Byblos made ready [the] trees and (the) stones, to the house to be builded (needed to build the Temple).

6 Forsooth it was done in the four hundred and fourscore year of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the realm of Solomon (in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign), in the month Zif; that is, the second month of the fourth year of the realm of Solomon on Israel; he began to build an house to the Lord.

² Forsooth the house which king Solomon builded to the Lord, had sixty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height.

³ And a porch was before the temple of twenty cubits of length, by the measure of the breadth of the temple; and the porch had ten cubits of breadth, before the face of the temple. (And there was a vestibule in front of the Temple, twenty cubits in length, equal to the measure of the breadth of the Temple; and the vestibule was ten cubits deep, projecting out in front of the Temple.)

⁴ And Solomon made in the temple narrow windows withoutforth and large within.

⁵ And he builded on the wall of the temple, buildings of boards by compass, in the walls of the house, by compass of the temple, and of God’s answering place; and he made [the] sides in the compass. (And he made chambers, or rooms, out of boards, against the walls of the Temple, all around the Temple, and the Inner Temple, that is, the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, on the sides, and at the back.)

⁶ The building of boards, that was under, had five cubits of breadth; and the middle building of boards was of six cubits of breadth; and the third building of boards was having seven cubits of breadth (The bottom story, made out of boards, was five cubits in breadth; and the middle story, also made out of boards, was six cubits in breadth; and the third story, also made out of boards, was seven cubits in breadth). And he put beams in the house by compass withoutforth, (so) that those cleaved not to the walls of the temple.

⁷ And when the house was builded, it was built of perfect(ly) hewn stones; and hammer, and ax, and all thing made of iron, were not heard in the house, while it was in building (while it was being built).

⁸ The door of the middle side was in the wall of the right half of the house; and by a vice men went up into the middle solar, and from the middle solar into the third solar. (The door for the bottom story was in the wall for the right side of the House of the Lord; and by a stairway, men went up to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third story.)

⁹ And Solomon builded the house, and ended it. And Solomon covered the house with couples of cedar, (And Solomon built the House, and finished it. And he braced the House with cedar couplings,)

¹⁰ and he builded a building of boards over all the house, by five cubits of height, and covered the house with cedar wood. (and he built a building out of boards all around the sides of the House, or the Temple, five cubits in height, and joined it to the Temple with cedar beams.)

¹¹ And the word of the Lord was made to Solomon, and said,

¹² This is the house, which thou buildest; if thou goest in my behests, and doest my dooms, and keepest all my commandments, and goest by those, I shall make steadfast my word to thee, which word I spake to David, thy father; (This is the House, which thou should built; and then if thou followest my commands, and doest my judgements, and obeyest all my commandments, and goest by them, I shall make steadfast my word to thee, which word I spoke to thy father David;)

¹³ and I shall dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel, and I shall not forsake my people Israel. (and I shall live in the midst of the Israelites, and I shall never desert my people Israel.)

¹⁴ Therefore Solomon builded the house, and ended it; (And so Solomon built the House, and finished it;)

¹⁵ and he builded the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, from the pavement of the house unto the highness of the wall, and unto the couples; and he covered them with wood of cedar within; and he covered the pavement of the house with boards of box. (and he built the walls of the House within out of cedar boards, from the floor of the House unto the top of the wall, and unto the couplings; and he covered them with cedar wood within; and he covered the floor of the House with fir, or pine, boards.)

¹⁶ And he builded a wall of boards of cedar of twenty cubits at the hinder part of the temple, from the pavement unto the higher parts; and he made the inner house of God’s answering place into the holy of holy things, (and he made the Inner Temple, that is, the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies).

¹⁷ And that temple before the doors of God’s answering place was of forty cubits. (And the chamber in front of the doors of the Inner Temple was forty cubits in length.)

¹⁸ And all the house within was clothed with cedar, and had his smoothnesses, and his joinings made subtly, and gravings appearing above; all things were clothed with boards of cedar, and utterly a stone might not appear in the wall. (And all the House within was covered with cedar, and had carvings of knops, or of gourds, and open flowers; everything was covered with cedar boards, and no stone appeared, or was visible, utterly anywhere on the wall.)

¹⁹ And Solomon made God’s answering place in the midst of the house, in the inner part, that he should set there the ark of (the) bond of peace of the Lord (where he would put the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord).

²⁰ And God’s answering place had twenty cubits of length, and twenty cubits of breadth, and twenty cubits of height (And the Inner Temple was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height); and he covered (it), and clothed it with purest gold; but also he clothed the altar with cedar.

²¹ Also he covered with purest gold the house before God’s answering place, or the oracle, and he fastened the plates with golden nails. (And he covered the inside of the Temple all around the Inner Temple, or the oracle, with the purest gold; and he fastened plates to the walls with gold nails.)

²² Nothing was in the temple that was not covered with gold; but also he covered with gold all the altar of God’s answering place. (There was nothing in the Temple that was not covered with gold; and he also covered all of the altar for the Inner Temple with gold.)

²³ And he made in God’s answering place two cherubims of the trees of olives, of ten cubits of height (each ten cubits in height);

²⁴ one wing of (the) cherub was of five cubits, and the tother wing of (the) cherub was (also) of five cubits, that is, having ten cubits, from the highness of the one wing till to the highness of the tother wing.

²⁵ And the second cherub was of ten cubits in even measure; and one work was in the two cherubims, (And the second cherub was also ten cubits in equal measure; and the two cherubim were of the same work, or design,)

²⁶ that is, one cherub had the height of ten cubits, and in like manner the tother cherub.

²⁷ And he set [the] cherubims in the midst of the inner temple; and the cherubims held forth their wings, and one wing touched the one wall, and the wing of the second cherub touched the tother wall; and the other wings in the middle part of the temple touched themselves together (and the other wings touched each other in the middle of the Inner Temple).

²⁸ And he covered the cherubims with gold, and (also) all the walls of the (whole) temple by compass/about;

²⁹ and he graved them with diverse gravings and smoothness; and he made in those walls cherubims, and palms, and diverse paintures, as standing forth and going out of the wall. (and he carved into them diverse carvings; he made cherubim, and palms, and open flowers on those walls, standing forth from the walls, and going out of them.)

³⁰ But also he covered with gold the pavement of the house, within and withoutforth. (And he also covered the floor of the Temple, within and without, with gold.)

³¹ And in the entering of God’s answering place he made two little doors of the trees of olives; and he made posts of five corners, (And at the entrance to the Inner Temple, he made two doors of olive wood; and he made posts with five corners,)

³² and [the] two doors (were) of the trees of olives; and he graved in those the painture of cherubims, and the likenesses of palms, and gravings above standing forth greatly; and he covered those with gold; and he covered as well the cherubims, as [the] palms, and (the) other things, with gold. (and the two doors were made out of olive wood; and he carved on them the likenesses of cherubim, and palms, and open flowers; and he covered them with gold; and he also covered the cherubim, and the palms, and the other things, with gold.)

³³ And in the entering of the temple he made posts four-cornered of (the) trees of olives; (And for the entrance to the Temple he made four-cornered posts out of olive wood;)

³⁴ and he made [the] two doors of the trees of box, each against (the) other (and he made the two doors out of fir, or pine, wood, each against the other); and ever either door was double, and it was opened holding itself together.

³⁵ And he graved cherubims, and palms, and gravings appearing greatly (And he carved cherubim, and palms, and open flowers); and he covered all things with golden plates, by square work at rule.

³⁶ And he builded a large street, or an alley, within, by three orders of stones made fair, and by one order of wood of cedar. (And he built a large courtyard within, with three rows of hewn stones, and one row of cedar beams.)

³⁷ The house of the Lord was founded in the fourth year of the realm of Solomon, in the month (of) Zif; (The House of the Lord was begun in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the month of Zif;)

³⁸ and the house was made perfect, or ended, in all his work, and in all his vessels, either purtenances, in the eleventh year, in the month [of] Bul; that is the eighth month; and he builded that house in seven years. (and the House was finished with all of its work, and all of its vessels, or its purtenances, in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul; that is, the eighth month; and so he built that House in seven years.)

2 Forsooth Solomon deemed, or purposed, to build an house to the name of the Lord, and a palace to himself. (And Solomon decided to build a House in honour of the name of the Lord, and a palace for himself.)

² And he numbered seventy thousand of men bearing (burdens) in shoulders, and fourscore thousand that should cut, or hew, stones in hills; and the sovereigns of them were three thousand and six hundred. (And he called up seventy thousand men who would carry burdens on their shoulders, and eighty thousand who would cut stones in the hills; and they had three thousand and six hundred rulers, or overseers.)

³ And Solomon sent to Hiram^[a], the king of Tyre, and said, As thou didest with my father David, and sentest him trees of cedar, that he should build to him an house, in which also he dwelled; so do thou with me, (And Solomon sent word to Hiram, the king of Tyre, and said, As thou didest with my father David, and sentest cedar wood to him, so that he could build a house for himself, in which he would live, so do thou also with me;)

⁴ that I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, and that I hallow it, to burn incense before him, and to make odour of sweet smelling spiceries, and to [the] everlasting setting forth of loaves, and to [the] burnt sacrifices in the morrowtide and eventide, and in [the] sabbaths, and (on) new moons, that is, (at) feasts in the beginnings of months, and in solemnities of the Lord our God into without end, which observances and hallowings be commanded to Israel. (so that I can build a House in honour of the name of the Lord my God, and I shall consecrate it, so that I can burn incense before him, to make the odour of sweet smelling spices, and for the everlasting setting forth of loaves, and for burnt sacrifices in the morning and in the evening, and on sabbaths, and on new moons, that is, at feasts at the beginning of the month, and at the solemn, or annual, Feasts of the Lord our God forevermore, which observances and consecrations be commanded to Israel.)

⁵ For the house which I covet to build is great; forsooth the Lord our God is great over all gods.

⁶ Who therefore may have might to build a worthy house to him? For if heaven and heavens of heavens may not take, or hold, him, how great am I, that I may build an house to him, but to this thing only, that incense be burnt there before him? (And so who is able to build a House worthy of him? For if heaven and the heavens of heavens cannot hold him, who am I, that I build him a House, but only for this, so that incense can be burned there before him?)

⁷ Therefore send thou to me a learned man, that can work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and iron, in purple, and in red silk, and in jacinth; and that can grave graving with these craftsmen, which I have with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, the which men David, my father, before made ready. (And so send thou to me a learned man, who knoweth how to work with gold, and silver, and bronze, and iron, and purple, and red silk, and jacinth; one who knoweth how to engrave engravings with these craftsmen who I have with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, which men my father David provided.)

⁸ But also send thou to me cedar trees, and pine trees, and thyine trees of the Lebanon; for I know, that thy servants can cut trees of the Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants, (And also send thou to me cedar, and pine, and algum timber from Lebanon; for I know, that thy servants know how to cut down the trees of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants,)

⁹ that full many trees be made ready to me (so that a great deal of timber can be prepared for me); for the house which I covet to build is full great and noble.

¹⁰ Furthermore to thy servants, workmen that shall cut trees, I shall give into meats twenty thousand cors of wheat, and so many cors of barley, and twenty thousand measures of oil, that be called baths. (And for thy servants, the workmen who shall cut down the trees, I shall give for food twenty thousand cors of wheat, and as many cors of barley, and twenty thousand measures of oil, that be called baths.)

¹¹ And Hiram, king of Tyre, said by letters which he sent to Solomon, For the Lord [hath] loved his people, therefore he hath made thee to reign upon it (and so he hath made thee to reign upon them).

¹² And Hiram added to (that), saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, which hath given to king David a wise son, and learned, and witting, and prudent, that he should build an house to the Lord, and a palace to himself. (And Hiram added to that, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, and who hath given to King David a wise and learned son, knowledgeable and prudent, who shall build a House for the Lord, and a palace for himself.)

¹³ Therefore I have sent to thee a prudent man and most knowing, Hiram^[b], my father, (And so I am sending to thee a prudent and most knowledgeable man, Hiram, my master craftsman,)

¹⁴ the son of a woman of the lineage of Dan, whose father was a man of Tyre; the which Hiram can work in gold, and silver, in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and in trees, also in purple, and jacinth, and bis, and in red silk; and the which Hiram can grave in all graving, and can find prudently, whatever thing is needful in work with thy craftsmen, and with the craftsmen of my lord David, thy father. (the son of a woman of the tribe of Dan, whose father was a man of Tyre; this Hiram knoweth how to work with gold, and silver, and bronze, and iron, and marble, and wood, and purple, and jacinth, and fine linen, and red silk; and this Hiram knoweth how to engrave in all manner of engraving, and knoweth how to prudently do whatever is needed to work with thy craftsmen, and with the craftsmen of thy father, my lord David.)

¹⁵ Therefore, my lord, send thou to (us) thy servants the wheat, and barley, and oil, and wine, which thou hast promised.

¹⁶ And we shall cut (down) trees of the Lebanon, how many ever thou hast need of; and we shall bring those trees in ships by the sea into Joppa; and it shall be thine doing to lead those over into Jerusalem.

¹⁷ Then Solomon numbered all men converted from heathenness, that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering that David, his father, had numbered; and an hundred thousand and three and fifty thousand and six hundred were found of them. (Then Solomon counted all the men converted from heathenness who were in the land of Israel, like in the census that his father David had taken; and a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred were found of them.)

¹⁸ And he made of them seventy thousand, that should bear burdens on their shoulders, and fourscore thousand, that should cut, or hew, stones in hills; and he made three thousand and six hundred sovereigns of [the] works of the people. (And he ordained seventy thousand of them, who would carry burdens on their shoulders, and eighty thousand, who would cut stones in the hills; and he made three thousand and six hundred to be the rulers, or the overseers, who would make these people work.)

3 And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, in the hill of Moriah, that was showed to David, his father, in the place that David had made ready in the cornfloor of Ornan (the) Jebusite. (And so Solomon began to build the House of the Lord in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, on the place that David had prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.)

² Forsooth he began to build in the second day of the (second) month, in the fourth year of his realm. (And he began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign, or of his kingdom.)

³ And these were the foundaments, which Solomon setted, that he should build the house of God; sixty cubits of length in the first measure, and twenty cubits of breadth. (And these were the foundations, which Solomon laid, that he would build for the House of God; sixty cubits in length, at the old measure, and twenty cubits in breadth.)

⁴ And he builded a porch before the front, that was stretched forth along beside, or at the measure of, the breadth of the house, of twenty cubits, and the highness was of an hundred and twenty cubits; and he overgilded it within with cleanest gold. (And he built a vestibule, or an entrance room, at the front, that was stretched forth along beside, or at the measure of, the breadth of the House, of twenty cubits, and its highness was a hundred and twenty cubits; and he overgilded it within with the purest gold.)

⁵ Also he covered the greater house with boards of box, and he fastened plates of gold of the best colour all about; and he graved therein palm trees, and as small chains embracing themselves together. (And he covered the large inner chamber with box boards, and he fastened gold plates of the best colour, that is, most pure, all about; and he carved on them palm trees, and small chains linked together.)

⁶ And he arrayed the pavement of the temple with most precious marble, in much fairness. And the gold was most proved, (And he arrayed the Temple with most precious marble, in much fairness, or for great beauty. And the gold was from Parvaim,)

⁷ of whose plates he covered the house, and the beams thereof, and the posts, and the walls, and the doors; and he graved cherubims, that is, angels, in the walls. (of whose plates he covered the House, and its beams, and the posts, and the walls, and the doors; and he carved cherubim, that is, angels, on the walls.)

⁸ Also he made an house to the holy of holy things, in length by the breadth of the house, of twenty cubits, and the breadth also of twenty cubits; and he covered it with golden plates, as with six hundred talents in value. (And he made the Holy of Holies, that is, the Most Holy Place, twenty cubits in length, which was equal to the breadth of the Temple, and also twenty cubits in breadth; and he covered it with gold plates worth six hundred talents in value.)

⁹ And also he made golden nails, so that each nail weighed fifty shekels; and he covered the solars with gold. (And he made gold nails, and each nail weighed fifty shekels; and he covered the solariums, or the upper rooms, with gold.)

¹⁰ Also he made in the house of the holy of holy things (And he made in the Holy of Holies, that is, in the Most Holy Place), two cherubims by the work of an image maker, and covered them with gold.

¹¹ The wings of cherubims were holden forth by twenty cubits (The cherubim’s wings were stretched out twenty cubits), so that one wing had five cubits, and it touched the wall of the house; and the tother wing had five cubits, and it touched the wing of the other cherub.

¹² In like manner the one wing of the other cherub had five cubits, and it touched the wall, and the other wing thereof that was (also) of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub.

¹³ Therefore the wings of ever either cherub were spread abroad, and they were holden forth by twenty cubits; and those cherubims stood upon [the] feet raised up, and their faces were turned to the outermore house. (And so the wings of both cherubim were spread out, and they stretched out twenty cubits; and the cherubim stood, raised up on their feet, and their faces were turned to the outer chamber.)

¹⁴ Also he made a veil of jacinth, and purple, of red silk, and bis; and weaved cherubims therein. (And he made the Veil, or the Curtain, out of jacinth, and purple, and red silk, and fine linen; and he weaved figures of cherubim into it.)

¹⁵ Also before the gates of the temple he made two pillars, which had five and thirty cubits of height; and the heads of those pillars were of five cubits in height. (And in front of the gates of the Temple he made two pillars, which were thirty-five cubits tall; and the pommels, or the capitals, of those pillars were five cubits tall.)

¹⁶ Also he made as it were little chains in God’s answering place, and he putted them on the heads of the pillars (And he made little chains, as there were in the Most Holy Place, that is, the Holy of Holies, and he put them on the capitals of the pillars); also he made an hundred pomegranates, which he setted betwixt the little chains.

¹⁷ And he setted those pillars in the porch of the temple (And he set up those pillars at the front of the Temple), one at the right side, and the other at the left side; he called that pillar that was at the right side Jachin, and that that was at the left side he called Boaz.