1 Kings 7
7
Solomon Continues to Build
1Solomon built his house over thirteen years, and he finished all of his house.
2He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; one hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits its width, and thirty cubits its height, on four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams atop the pillars. 3It was covered with cedar above, and the supporting beams which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen to the row. 4There were three rows of specially designed windows; with window to window three times. 5All of the doorways and the doorframes had four-sided casings, with opening to opposite opening three times.
6The hall of pillars he made fifty cubits in its length and thirty cubits in its width, and a porch was in front of them,#Literally “on their face” with pillars and an overhang in front of them.#Literally “on their face” 7He made the hall of the throne where he would pronounce judgment, the hall of justice, and it was covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters.#Hebrew “floor,” but other ancient versions have “rafters” 8His house where he would live in the next courtyard on the inside of the porch was like this work, and he would make a house like this porch for the daughter of Pharaoh whom Solomon had taken as wife. 9All of these were of precious stones, according to the measurement of dressed stone, sawn with a saw on all sides;#Literally “on the inside and on the outside” from the foundation up to the eaves and from the outside up to the great courtyard. 10The foundation was of precious stones, and large stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits 11with precious stones above, just the right size,#Literally “according to the measurement of dressed stones” and cedar. 12The great courtyard all around had three rows of dressed stones and a row of cedar beams; for both the courtyard of the inner house#Or “temple” of Yahweh and for the porch of the house.
13King Solomon invited and received Hiram from Tyre. 14He was the son of a widow woman from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan of bronze. He was filled with wisdom and with ability and with the knowledge to do all the work with the bronze. And he came to King Solomon, and he did all of his work. 15He cast the two pillars out of bronze; eighteen cubits was the height of the first, and a cord of twelve cubits would encircle the second pillar. 16He made two capitals to place on the tops of the pillars out of molten bronze; the first capital was five cubits in height, and the second capital was five cubits in height. 17A network of latticework and wreaths of chainwork with small chains were for the capitals which were on top of the pillars; seven for the first capital and seven for the second capital. 18He also made the pillars with two rows around on the lattice, each to cover the capitals which were on top, out of the pomegranate-shaped ornaments, and thus he did for the second capital as well. 19And on the capitals which were on top of the pillars in the porch were works of lilies four cubits high. 20And capitals were on the two pillars above near the bulging section which was beside the lattice, and two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments were in rows all around on the second capital. 21He set up the pillars for the porch of the main hall; he erected the pillar on the right and called its name Jakin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz. 22On the top of the pillars was a work of lilies; and so the work of the pillars was finished.
23He also made the molten#That is, cast from molten bronze sea, ten cubits in diameter,#Literally “from its edge up to its edge, round all around” and five cubits was its height. A measuring line of thirty cubits would encircle it all around. 24Gourds were under its rim surrounding it all around; ten to the cubit, surrounding the sea all around with two rows of gourds, which were cast when he cast the metal. 25The sea was standing on twelve oxen, with three facing to the north, three facing to the west, three facing to the south, and three facing to the east. The sea was on top of them, with all of their hindquarters turned to the inside. 26Its thickness was a handbreadth, but its rim was as the work on the brim of a cup, like the bud of a lily; it held two thousand baths.
27He made the ten stands of bronze; each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits in height. 28Now this was the construction of the stands: there were frames for them and frames between the crossbars, 29and on the frames which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the crossbars both above and beneath the lions and oxen were works of cascading wreaths. 30There were four bronze wheels for each of the stands, with bronze axles; the four support pedestals for these were under the basin, and the supports were decorated on each side with wreaths. 31Its opening from the inside of the capital and above was a cubit; its pedestal was a round work of a cubit and a half; moreover, on its opening were the carvings with four-sided frames, not circular. 32Four of the wheels were underneath the frames, and the axles of the wheels were on the stands. The height of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33The construction of the wheel was like the construction of the wheel of the chariot; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their naves were all cast. 34The four supports were the four corners of each stand, with the stand supporting it. 35On top of the stand was half a cubit deep, circular all around, and on the top of the stand were its supports and its frames. 36He engraved on the plates, on its supports, and on its frame cherubim, lions and images of a palm tree, according to the space for each, with wreaths all around. 37He made the ten stands like this in one cast, with the same measurement and shape for each of them.
38He also made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths; each basin was four cubits, one basin on each of the ten stands. 39He placed five of the stands on the south side of the house and five on the north side of the house, and the sea he set on the southeast side of the house.
40Hiram also made the basins and the shovels and the bowls for drinking wine; and so Hiram finished doing all of the work that he was to do#Literally “that he did” for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh: 41the two pillars and the bowls of the capitals which were atop the two pillars, and the two lattice works to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were atop the pillars; 42and the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the two lattice works, the two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments for each latticework to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the surface of the pillars; 43and the ten stands and the ten basins on the stands; 44and the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45and the pots, the shovels, and the bowls for drinking wine. All the vessels of the tent which Hiram had made for King Solomon for the house of Yahweh were polished bronze. 46The king had cast them in the plain of the Jordan with the casting mold set in the ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47Solomon left all of the vessels unweighed because of their very great abundance, so the weight of the bronze could not be determined.
48Solomon also made all of the vessels which were in the house of Yahweh: the golden altar and the golden table on which was the bread of the presence; 49as well as the five lampstands of beaten gold at the south and five lampstands at the north before the presence of the inner sanctuary, with the flower-shaped ornaments, the lamps, and the pair of tongs all of gold. 50The cups, the snuffers, the bowls for drinking wine, the bowls for the incense, and the firepans were made from beaten gold; the facades for the doors of the inner house, for the most holy place,#Literally “holy of the holiest” for the doors of the main hall of the temple were of gold. 51When all of the work which king Solomon did on the house of Yahweh was completed, Solomon brought out the holy objects of his father David, the silver and the gold and the vessels, which he put in the treasury rooms of the house of Yahweh.
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1 Kings 7
7
Solomon builds his palace
1It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. 2He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,#7:2 That is, about 45 metres long, 23 metres wide and 14 metres high with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns – forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.#7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
6He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.#7:6 That is, about 23 metres long and 14 metres wide In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.
7He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.#7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor 8And 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.
9All 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. 10The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits#7:10 That is, about 4.5 metres; also in verse 23 and some eight.#7:10 That is, about 3.6 metres 11Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses 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
13King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,#7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45 14whose 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, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.
15He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.#7:15 That is, about 8.1 metres high and 5.4 metres in circumference 16He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits#7:16 That is, about 2.3 metres; also in verse 23 high. 17A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18He made pomegranates in two rows#7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.#7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates He did the same for each capital. 19The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits#7:19 That is, about 1.8 metres; also in verse 38 high. 20On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. 21He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin#7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes. and the one to the north Boaz.#7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength. 22The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.
23He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits#7:23 That is, about 14 metres to measure round it. 24Below the rim, gourds encircled it – ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.
25The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were towards the centre. 26It was a handbreadth#7:26 That is, about 7.5 centimetres in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.#7:26 That is, about 44,000 litres; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
27He also made ten movable stands of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.#7:27 That is, about 1.8 metres long and wide and 1.4 metres high 28This is how the stands were made: they had side panels attached to uprights. 29On 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. 30Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit#7:31 That is, about 45 centimetres deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.#7:31 That is, about 68 centimetres; also in verse 32 Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32The 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. 33The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.
34Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit#7:35 That is, about 23 centimetres deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same moulds and were identical in size and shape.
38He then made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths#7:38 That is, about 880 litres and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39He 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 south-east corner of the temple. 40He also made the pots#7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins and shovels and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:
41the 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;
42the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);
43the ten stands with their ten basins;
44the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;
45the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.
All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46The king had them cast in clay moulds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan. 47Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.
48Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:
the golden altar;
the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence;
49the lampstands 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;
50the pure gold dishes, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers;
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.
51When 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 – the silver and gold and the furnishings – and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.
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