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1 Kings 5-7
Holman Christian Standard Bible

Hiram’s Building Materials

5 [a]Hiram king of Tyre(A) sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place,(B) for Hiram had always been friends with David.(C)

2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram: 3 “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of Yahweh his God. This was because of the warfare all around him until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(D) 4 The Lord my God has now given me rest all around; there is no enemy or crisis.(E) 5 So I plan to build a temple for the name of Yahweh my God,(F) according to what the Lord promised my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the temple for My name.’(G)

6 “Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants’ wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”(H)

7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he greatly rejoiced and said, “May the Lord be praised today!(I) He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!” 8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, “I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”(J)

10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, 11 and Solomon provided Hiram with 100,000 bushels[b] of wheat as food for his household and 110,000 gallons[c] of oil from crushed olives.(K) Solomon did this for Hiram year after year.

12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him.(L) There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(M)

Solomon’s Work Force

13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel;(N) the labor force numbered 30,000 men. 14 He sent 10,000 to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,(O) 16 not including his 3,300[d] deputies(P) in charge of the work. They ruled over the people doing the work. 17 The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.(Q) 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders,(R) along with the Gebalites,(S) quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the temple’s construction.

Building the Temple

6 Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year(T) after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv.[e](U) 2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord(V) was 90 feet[f] long, 30 feet[g] wide, and 45 feet[h] high.(W) 3 The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was 30 feet[i] long extending across the temple’s width, and 15 feet deep[j] in front of the temple.(X) 4 He also made windows with beveled frames[k] for the temple.(Y)

5 He then built a chambered structure[l] along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary.(Z) And he made side chambers[m] all around.(AA) 6 The lowest chamber was 7½ feet[n] wide, the middle was nine feet[o] wide, and the third was 10½ feet[p] wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. 7 The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.(AB)

8 The door for the lowest[q] side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They[r] went up a stairway[s] to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third. 9 When he finished building the temple,(AC) he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar. 10 He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams;(AD) each story was 7½ feet[t] high.

11 The word of the Lord came to Solomon:(AE) 12 “As for this temple you are building—if you walk in My statutes, observe My ordinances, and keep all My commands by walking in them,(AF) I will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David.(AG) 13 I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people Israel.”(AH)

14 When Solomon finished building the temple,[u](AI) 15 he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.(AJ) 16 Then he lined 30 feet[v] of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling,[w] and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.(AK) 17 The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place,[x] was 60 feet[y] long. 18 The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds(AL) and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar;(AM) not a stone could be seen.

19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(AN) inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant(AO) there. 20 The interior of the sanctuary was 30 feet[z] long, 30 feet[aa] wide, and 30 feet[ab] high; he overlaid it with pure gold.(AP) He also overlaid the cedar altar. 21 Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung[ac] gold chains(AQ) across the front of the inner sanctuary(AR) and overlaid it with gold. 22 So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar(AS) that belongs to the inner sanctuary.

23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim(AT) 15 feet[ad] high out of olive wood. 24 One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long,[ae] and the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet[af] from tip to tip. 25 The second cherub also was 15 feet;[ag] both cherubim had the same size and shape. 26 The first cherub’s height was 15 feet[ah] and so was the second cherub’s. 27 Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other[ai] wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.(AU) 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings—cherubim,(AV) palm trees and flower blossoms—in both the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors.(AW) The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.[aj] 32 The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees. 33 In the same way, he made four-sided[ak] olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance. 34 The two doors(AX) were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving. 36 He built the inner courtyard(AY) with three rows of dressed stone(AZ) and a row of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv. 38 In his eleventh year in the eighth month, in the month of Bul,[al] the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification.(BA) So he built it in seven years.(BB)

Solomon’s Palace Complex

7 Solomon completed his entire palace complex after 13 years of construction.(BC) 2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon.(BD) It was 150 feet[am] long, 75 feet[an] wide, and 45 feet[ao] high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. 3 It was paneled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on 45 pillars, 15 per row. 4 There were three rows of window frames, facing each other[ap] in three tiers.[aq](BE) 5 All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other[ar] in three tiers.[as] 6 He made the hall of pillars 75 feet[at] long and 45 feet[au] wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars[av] was in front of them. 7 He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge(BF)—the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[aw] 8 Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife.[ax](BG)

9 All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was made of large, costly stones 12 and 15 feet[ay] long. 11 Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. 12 Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.(BH)

13 King Solomon had Hiram[az](BI) brought from Tyre. 14 He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze craftsman. Hiram had great skill,(BJ) understanding, and knowledge to do every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.(BK)

The Bronze Pillars

15 He cast two hollow bronze pillars:(BL) each 27 feet[ba] high and 18 feet[bb] in circumference.[bc](BM) 16 He also made two capitals(BN) of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 7½ feet[bd] was the height of the first capital, and 7½ feet[be] was also the height of the second capital. 17 The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths[bf] made of chainwork—seven for the first capital and seven for the second.

18 He made the pillars with two encircling rows of pomegranates on the one grating to cover the capital on top; he did the same for the second capital. 19 And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, six feet[bg] high. 20 The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and 200 pomegranates(BO) were in rows encircling each[bh] capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the portico(BP) of the sanctuary: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin;[bi] then he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz.[bj](BQ) 22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed.(BR)

The Reservoir

23 He made the cast metal reservoir,[bk](BS) 15 feet[bl] from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7½ feet[bm] high and 45 feet[bn] in circumference. 24 Ornamental gourds(BT) encircled it below the brim, 10 every half yard,[bo] completely encircling the reservoir.(BU) The gourds were cast in two rows when the reservoir was cast. 25 It stood on 12 oxen,(BV) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The reservoir was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 The reservoir was three inches[bp] thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom. It held 11,000 gallons.[bq]

The Bronze Water Carts

27 Then he made 10 bronze water carts.[br](BW) Each water cart was six feet[bs] long, six feet[bt] wide, and 4½ feet[bu] high. 28 This was the design of the carts: They had frames; the frames were between the cross-pieces, 29 and on the frames between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim.(BX) On the cross-pieces there was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging[bv] work. 30 Each cart(BY) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. Underneath the four corners of the basin were cast supports, each next to a wreath. 31 And the water cart’s opening inside the crown on top was 18 inches[bw] wide. The opening was round, made as a pedestal 27 inches[bx] wide. On it were carvings, but their frames were square, not round. 32 There were four wheels under the frames, and the wheel axles were part of the water cart; each wheel was 27 inches[by] tall. 33 The wheels’ design was similar to that of chariot wheels: their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. 34 Four supports were at the four corners of each water cart; each support was one piece with the water cart. 35 At the top of the cart was a band nine inches[bz] high encircling it; also, at the top of the cart, its braces and its frames were one piece with it. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees(BZ) on the plates of its braces and on its frames, wherever each had space, with encircling wreaths. 37 In this way he made the 10 water carts using the same casting, dimensions, and shape for all of them.

Bronze Basins and Other Utensils

38 Then he made 10 bronze basins(CA)—each basin holding 220 gallons[ca] and each was six feet[cb] wide—one basin for each of the 10 water carts. 39 He set five water carts on the right side of the temple and five on the left side. He put the reservoir near the right side of the temple toward the southeast.(CB) 40 Then Hiram made(CC) the basins, the shovels, and the sprinkling basins.

Completion of the Bronze Works

So Hiram finished all the work that he was doing for King Solomon on the Lord’s temple: 41 two pillars;(CD) bowls for the capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars;(CE) 42 the 400 pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars(CF)); 43 the 10 water carts;(CG) the 10 basins on the water carts;(CH) 44 the reservoir;(CI) the 12 oxen underneath the reservoir;(CJ) 45 and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling basins.(CK) All the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon at the Lord’s temple were made of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth(CL) and Zarethan.(CM) 47 Solomon left all the utensils unweighed because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.(CN)

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

48 Solomon also made all the equipment in the Lord’s temple: the gold altar; the gold table that the bread of the Presence was placed on;(CO) 49 the pure gold lampstands in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left;(CP) the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs; 50 the pure gold ceremonial bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles,[cc] and firepans;(CQ) and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the most holy place) and for the doors of the temple sanctuary.

51 So all the work King Solomon did in the Lord’s temple was completed.(CR) Then Solomon brought in the consecrated things of his father David(CS)—the silver, the gold, and the utensils—and put them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.(CT)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 1Kg 5:15 in Hb
  2. 1 Kings 5:11 Lit 20,000 cors
  3. 1 Kings 5:11 LXX reads 20,000 baths; MT reads 20 cors
  4. 1 Kings 5:16 Some LXX mss read 3,600; 2Ch 2:2,18
  5. 1 Kings 6:1 April–May
  6. 1 Kings 6:2 Lit 60 cubits
  7. 1 Kings 6:2 Lit 20 cubits
  8. 1 Kings 6:2 Lit 30 cubits
  9. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit 20 cubits
  10. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit 10 cubits wide
  11. 1 Kings 6:4 Hb obscure
  12. 1 Kings 6:5 Lit built the house of chamber
  13. 1 Kings 6:5 Lit made ribs or sides
  14. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit five cubits
  15. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit six cubits
  16. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit seven cubits
  17. 1 Kings 6:8 LXX, Tg; MT reads middle
  18. 1 Kings 6:8 = people
  19. 1 Kings 6:8 Hb obscure
  20. 1 Kings 6:10 Lit five cubits
  21. 1 Kings 6:14 LXX omits these vv.
  22. 1 Kings 6:16 Lit 20 cubits
  23. 1 Kings 6:16 LXX; MT omits of the ceiling; 1Kg 6:15
  24. 1 Kings 6:17 Lit front of me; Hb obscure
  25. 1 Kings 6:17 Lit 40 cubits
  26. 1 Kings 6:20 Lit 20 cubits
  27. 1 Kings 6:20 Lit 20 cubits
  28. 1 Kings 6:20 Lit 20 cubits
  29. 1 Kings 6:21 Lit he caused to pass across
  30. 1 Kings 6:23 Lit 10 cubits
  31. 1 Kings 6:24 Lit five cubits
  32. 1 Kings 6:24 Lit 10 cubits
  33. 1 Kings 6:25 Lit 10 cubits
  34. 1 Kings 6:26 Lit 10 cubits
  35. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit the second
  36. 1 Kings 6:31 Hb obscure
  37. 1 Kings 6:33 Hb obscure
  38. 1 Kings 6:38 = October–November
  39. 1 Kings 7:2 Lit 100 cubits
  40. 1 Kings 7:2 Lit 50 cubits
  41. 1 Kings 7:2 Lit 30 cubits
  42. 1 Kings 7:4 Lit frames, window to window
  43. 1 Kings 7:4 Lit three times; = at 3 different places
  44. 1 Kings 7:5 Lit frames, opposing window to window
  45. 1 Kings 7:5 Lit three times; = at 3 different places
  46. 1 Kings 7:6 Lit 50 cubits
  47. 1 Kings 7:6 Lit 30 cubits
  48. 1 Kings 7:6 Hb obscure
  49. 1 Kings 7:7 Syr, Vg; MT reads floor
  50. 1 Kings 7:8 Lit daughter he had taken
  51. 1 Kings 7:10 Lit ten cubits and eight cubits
  52. 1 Kings 7:13 = Huram in 2Ch 4:11
  53. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit 18 cubits
  54. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit 12 cubits
  55. 1 Kings 7:15 LXX adds and the thickness of the pillar was four fingers hollowed and similarly the second pillar
  56. 1 Kings 7:16 Lit five cubits
  57. 1 Kings 7:16 Lit five cubits
  58. 1 Kings 7:17 Lit tassels
  59. 1 Kings 7:19 Lit four cubits
  60. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit encircling the second
  61. 1 Kings 7:21 = He Will Establish
  62. 1 Kings 7:21 = In Him Is Strength
  63. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit sea
  64. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit 10 cubits
  65. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit five cubits
  66. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit 30 cubits
  67. 1 Kings 7:24 Lit 10 per cubit
  68. 1 Kings 7:26 Lit a handbreadth
  69. 1 Kings 7:26 Lit 2,000 baths
  70. 1 Kings 7:27 Lit bronze stands
  71. 1 Kings 7:27 Lit four cubits
  72. 1 Kings 7:27 Lit four cubits
  73. 1 Kings 7:27 Lit three cubits
  74. 1 Kings 7:29 Or hammered-down
  75. 1 Kings 7:31 Lit a cubit
  76. 1 Kings 7:31 Lit one and a half cubits
  77. 1 Kings 7:32 Lit was one and a half cubits
  78. 1 Kings 7:35 Lit half a cubit
  79. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit 40 baths
  80. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit four cubits
  81. 1 Kings 7:50 Or dishes, or spoons; lit palms
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1 Kings 5-7
New International Version

Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

5 [a]When Hiram(B) king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

3 “You know that because of the wars(C) waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build(D) a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(E) 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest(F) on every side, and there is no adversary(G) or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple(H) for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’(I)

6 “So give orders that cedars(J) of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord(K) today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”

8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon:

“I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. 9 My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea(L), and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food(M) for my royal household.”

10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors[b] of wheat as food(N) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths[c][d] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,(O) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(P)

13 King Solomon conscripted laborers(Q) from all Israel—thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram(R) was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred[e] foremen(S) who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry(T) large blocks of high-grade stone(U) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram(V) and workers from Byblos(W) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Solomon Builds the Temple(X)

6 In the four hundred and eightieth[f] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month,(Y) he began to build the temple of the Lord.(Z)

2 The temple(AA) that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[g] 3 The portico(AB) at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[h] and projected ten cubits[i] from the front of the temple. 4 He made narrow windows(AC) high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.(AD) 6 The lowest floor was five cubits[j] wide, the middle floor six cubits[k] and the third floor seven.[l] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed(AE) at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool(AF) was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

8 The entrance to the lowest[m] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar(AG) planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

11 The word of the Lord came(AH) to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands(AI) and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise(AJ) I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon(AK) my people Israel.”

14 So Solomon(AL) built the temple and completed(AM) it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling,(AN) and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.(AO) 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.(AP) 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[n] long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar,(AQ) carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.

19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(AR) within the temple to set the ark of the covenant(AS) of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary(AT) was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.(AU) 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

23 For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim(AV) out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits. 27 He placed the cherubim(AW) inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 On the walls(AX) all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim,(AY) palm trees and open flowers. 30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors(AZ) he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

36 And he built the inner courtyard(BA) of three courses(BB) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details(BC) according to its specifications.(BD) He had spent seven years building it.

Solomon Builds His Palace

7 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(BE) 2 He built the Palace(BF) of the Forest of Lebanon(BG) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[o] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3 It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4 Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5 All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[p]

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

7 He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(BH) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[r](BI) 8 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.(BJ)

9 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[s] and some eight.[t] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(BK) 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(BL)(BM)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[u](BN) 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,(BO) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(BP) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(BQ) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[v] 16 He also made two capitals(BR) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[w] 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[x] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[y] 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[z] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(BS) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[aa] and the one to the north Boaz.[ab](BT) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(BU) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(BV) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(BW) of thirty cubits[ac] 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,(BX) 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[ad] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[ae]

27 He also made ten movable stands(BY) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[af] 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(BZ) 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[ag] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[ah] 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[ai] 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,(CA) each holding forty baths[aj] 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[ak] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(CB)

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(CC) 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.(CD)

All these objects that Huram(CE) 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(CF) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(CG) and Zarethan.(CH) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(CI) because there were so many;(CJ) the weight of the bronze(CK) was not determined.

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

the golden altar;

the golden table(CM) on which was the bread of the Presence;(CN)

49 the lampstands(CO) 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(CP) and censers;(CQ)

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

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-18 is numbered 5:15-32.
  2. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,250 metric tons
  3. 1 Kings 5:11 Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 2:10); Hebrew twenty cors
  4. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
  5. 1 Kings 5:16 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 2:2,18) thirty-six hundred
  6. 1 Kings 6:1 Hebrew; Septuagint four hundred and fortieth
  7. 1 Kings 6:2 That is, about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 27 meters long, 9 meters wide and 14 meters high
  8. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 16 and 20
  9. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verses 23-26
  10. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24
  11. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters
  12. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters
  13. 1 Kings 6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle
  14. 1 Kings 6:17 That is, about 60 feet or about 18 meters
  15. 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
  16. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  17. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  18. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  19. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  20. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  21. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  22. 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
  23. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  24. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  25. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  26. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  27. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  28. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  29. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  30. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  31. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  32. 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
  33. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  34. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  35. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  36. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  37. 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
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