Historical
The Beginnings of Solomon’s Administration(A)
1 As David’s son Solomon consolidated[a] his administration,[b] the Lord his God was with him to make him very successful.[c] 2 Solomon addressed the entire nation of Israel, including the commanders of thousands and hundreds, the judges, all the other leaders of Israel, and all of the heads of the ancestral houses of Israel.
3 Solomon, along with the whole assembly with him, met at the high place in Gibeon because that’s where God’s Tent of Meeting that the Lord’s servant Moses had constructed in the wilderness was located. 4 Nevertheless, David had brought the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, after having erected a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 Also, the bronze altar that Uri’s son Bezalel, Hur’s grandson, had erected, was in place in front of the Lord’s tent. Solomon and the assembly sought the Lord[d] there. 6 Solomon approached the presence of the Lord at the bronze altar that had been placed at the Tent of Meeting and offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it.
Solomon Asks God for Wisdom
7 That very night God appeared to Solomon and told him, “Ask what I am to give you.”
8 Solomon replied to God, “You showed great gracious love to my father David, and have established me as king in his place. 9 Now, Lord God, your promise to my father David is fulfilled, because you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me wisdom now, so I may go in and out among[e] this people, because who can rule this great people that belongs to you?
11 God told Solomon, “Since you had this in mind,[f] to ask neither to focus on riches, wealth, honor, or the lives of those who hate you, nor have you requested a long life, but instead you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you may rule my people over whom I have established you as king, 12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. Furthermore, I will give you riches, wealth, and honor—such as none of the kings owned who lived before you and none after you are to ever attain their equal.”
Solomon’s Wealth(B)
13 So Solomon returned from the Tent of Meeting at the high place in Gibeon to Jerusalem, where he reigned over Israel. 14 Solomon amassed both chariots and horsemen: he owned 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, stationing them in armories[g] and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and made cedar[h] trees as plentiful as sycamore[i] trees that grow in the Shephelah.[j] 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s procurement officials obtained them from Kue at great[k] price. 17 Chariots were imported from Egypt for 600 shekels[l] each, and horses cost 150 shekels[m] each, and then they exported them to all of the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
Solomon Enlists King Hiram’s Help to Build the Temple(C)
2 [n]Now Solomon was determined[o] to build a temple dedicated to the Name of the Lord as well as his own royal palace. 2 [p]So Solomon conscripted 70,000 men to do heavy work, 80,000 men to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to supervise them. 3 Solomon also sent this message to King Hiram[q] of Tyre:
“Just as you did with my father David, sending him cedars to build him a palace to live in, do the same for me. 4 Look, I’m building a temple dedicated to the name of the Lord my God, to his glory, so we can burn fragrant incense in his presence, display rows of the bread of his presence continuously, and make burnt offerings in the morning, evening, on Sabbath days,[r] during New Moon festivals,[s] and during appointed festivals scheduled[t] by the Lord our God. This is mandated forever in Israel.
5 “The Temple that I’m building will be great, because the greatness of our God surpasses that of[u] all gods. 6 But who can build a temple for him, since neither heaven nor the highest of the heavens can contain him? So who am I, that I should build a temple to him, except to burn incense in his presence?
7 “At any rate, send me an individual who is a skilled craftsman in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as in purple, crimson, and blue[v] materials,[w] who knows how to craft engravings, so he may work with the craftsmen whom I have assembled in Judah and Jerusalem, as provided for by my father David. 8 Also send me cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, since I’m aware that your servants know how to cut down timber from Lebanon. My servants will accompany your servants 9 to prepare an abundant amount of timber for me, because the Temple that I’m building is to be great and awesome.
10 “Now look! I will pay your servants, the lumberjacks who prepare the timber, 20,000 measures[x] of barley, 20,000 baths[y] of wine, and 20,000 baths[z] of oil.”
Solomon’s Wealth
11 In a letter that he sent to Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre wrote,[aa] “Because he loves his people, the Lord has placed you as king over them.” 12 Hiram also wrote:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth. He gave King David a wise son, who is acquainted with discretion and understanding, and who is building a temple to the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.
13 Now I’m sending along Hiram-abi,[ab] a skilled craftsman, who is very creative.[ac] 14 He is the son of a mother from the tribe of Dan, and his father is from Tyre. He’s skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and timber, as well as in purple, blue,[ad] linen, and crimson materials.[ae] He is skilled in engravings, and can craft any design to which he may be assigned. He will work with your skilled artisans and with all of your craftsmen who have been assigned by my lord David, your father.
15 “So then, may my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine about which he has spoken. 16 We’ll cut down the timber you need from Lebanon and transport it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so you can move it to Jerusalem.”
17 Solomon took a census of all the non-Israeli men[af] who lived in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had taken, and 153,600 were counted. 18 He conscripted 70,000 of them to do heavy work, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 men to supervise the people.
Temple Construction(D)
3 So Solomon began construction of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the Lord[ag] had appeared to his father David, that is, where David had prepared Ornan the Jebusite’s threshing floor. 2 He began construction on the second day[ah] of the second month of the fourth year of his reign.
Dimensions of the Temple
3 These are the foundations that Solomon set in place for God’s Temple. The length in terms of the former standard measurements: 60 cubits;[ai] its width: 20 cubits.[aj] 4 A portico extended in front of the Temple for its entire width of 20 cubits,[ak] and was[al] 120 cubits[am] high. Inside he had it overlaid with pure gold. 5 The main room of the Temple was trimmed with a wainscoting composed of cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold ornamented with palm trees and chains. 6 The Temple was adorned with precious stones, including gold from the Orient.[an] 7 The Temple was overlaid with gold, including the beams, thresholds, walls, and doors. Cherubim were engraved on the walls. 8 With respect to the Most Holy Place in the Temple, its length across the width of the Temple was 20 cubits,[ao] and its width extended 20 cubits.[ap]
Materials of the Temple
Solomon[aq] overlaid it with 600 talents[ar] of pure gold. 9 The gold nails weighed 50 shekels.[as] He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold. 10 He crafted two cherubim from wood, overlaid them with gold, and placed them in the Most Holy Place in the Temple. 11 The wingspan of the cherubim was 20 cubits;[at] the wing of one, five cubits[au] long, touched the wall of the Temple, and its other wing, five cubits[av] long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the other cherub, five cubits[aw] long, touched the opposite[ax] wall of the Temple and its other wing, five cubits[ay] long, touched the wing of the first[az] cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended for 20 cubits[ba] as they stood on their feet and faced the front of[bb] the Temple. 14 He constructed the veil from blue,[bc] purple, crimson, and fine linen, embroidering cherubim on it. 15 He also made two pillars 35 cubits[bd] high for the front of the Temple, topped by a capital that was five cubits[be] high. 16 He crafted chains for the inner sanctuary and placed them on top of the pillars, attaching 100 pomegranates to each of the chains. 17 He set up the pillars at the front of the Temple, one on the south side of the entrance[bf] and the other on the north side of the entrance.[bg] He named the south pillar Jachin[bh] and the north pillar Boaz.[bi]
Furnishing the Temple(E)
4 Solomon[bj] also constructed a bronze[bk] altar 20 cubits[bl] long, 20 cubits[bm] wide, and ten cubits[bn] high. 2 He crafted a circular sea of cast metal 10 cubits[bo] from rim to rim and five cubits[bp] tall. A line 30 cubits[bq] long surrounded it. 3 Underneath, figurines resembling oxen[br] encircled the circular sea[bs] beneath it, ten oxen[bt] every cubit,[bu] and encircling the sea completely. The oxen were in two rows, cast all at the same time. 4 The sea stood on top of twelve oxen, three of which faced to the north, three of which faced to the west, three of which faced to the south, and three of which faced toward the east. The sea was placed on top of the oxen, with all of their hindquarters turned inwards. 5 It was a handbreadth[bv] thick, with its brim fashioned like the brim of a cup. Similar in shape to a lily blossom, it could hold 3,000 baths.[bw] 6 Solomon[bx] also made ten wash basins, placing five on the right side and five on the left. The basins were intended for use to rinse burnt offerings, and the sea was intended for use by the priests to wash in.
7 Solomon[by] made ten gold lamp stands as he had been directed and set them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north side. 8 He also made ten tables and placed them in the Temple, five on the right side and five on the left side. He also constructed 100 gold basins. 9 He made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, overlaying their doors with bronze. 10 He set the sea at the southeast corner of the Temple.
11 Hiram-abi[bz] crafted the pots, shovels, and basins, thus completing the work that he did for King Solomon on the Temple of God; 12 that is, the two pillars, the bowls, the two capitals on top of the pillars, the two lattice works that covered the two bowls for the capitals that were on top of the pillars; 13 the 400 pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework having two rows of ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of each pillar); 14 the ten[ca] stands with their ten basins; 15 the large bronze basin called the Sea with the twelve oxen underneath, 16 along with its pots, shovels, forks, and all of its other implements that Hiram-abi made from polished bronze for King Solomon and the Lord’s Temple. 17 The king had them forged in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah in the Jordan plain. 18 Solomon made so many utensils in such great quantities that the weight of the bronze was never fully recorded.
19 Solomon also made these items for God’s Temple: the golden altar, the tables for the Bread of the Presence, 20 the lamp stands and their lamps made of pure gold to burn in front[cb] of the inner sanctuary, as required, 21 the pure gold ornaments in the shape of flowers, the lamps, and the tongs (all made of the purest gold), 22 the gold trimming instruments, basins, pans, censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (that is, the Most Holy Place), and for the doors to the main hall of the Temple.
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