1 Kings 7
1 However, it took Solomon thirteen years to finish building the whole of his palace.
But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon— a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. There were four rows of cedar pillars that supported cedar beams.
He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
3 The cedar roof of the house was on top of the beams that rested on the pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in each row.
And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
4 The windows were placed high up, in three rows facing each other.
And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.
5 All the doorways and door casings had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other in sets of three.
And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
6 He also had the Hall of Columns made—forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. It had a porch in front, its canopy also supported by columns.
And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them.
7 The throne room where he sat as judge was called the Hall of Justice, lined with cedar panels from floor to ceiling.
Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.
8 Solomon's own palace where he lived was in a courtyard behind the porch, made in a similar way to the Temple. He also had a palace made for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he'd married.
And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.
9 All these buildings were built using stone blocks that were expensive to produce. They were cut to size and trimmed with saws on the inside and outside. These stones were used from the foundation to the eaves, from the outside of the building all the way to the great courtyard.
All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.
10 The foundations were laid with very large top-quality stones, between eight and ten cubits long.
And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
11 On these were placed top-quality stones, cut to size, along with cedar timber.
And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.
12 Around the great courtyard, the inner courtyard, and the porch of the Lord's Temple were three courses of dressed stone and a course of cedar beams.
And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of YHWH, and for the porch of the house.
13 King Solomon sent for Hiram from Tyre.
And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was from Tyre, a craftsman who worked in bronze. Hiram had great expertise, understanding and being familiar with all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and carried out all that the king required.
He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.
15 He cast two columns in bronze. They were both eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.
For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
16 He also cast two capitals in bronze to place on top of the columns. Each capital was five cubits high.
And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:
17 He made a network of lattice of interlinked chains for both capitals, seven for each one.
And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.
18 Around the lattice network he made two rows of ornamental pomegranates to cover the capitals on the top of both the columns.
And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.
19 The capitals placed on top of columns in the porch were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high.
And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.
20 On the capitals of both columns were the two hundred pomegranates in rows that encircled them, just above the rounded part that was next to the chain network.
And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.
21 He erected the columns at the entrance porch of the Temple. The southern column he named Jachin, and the northern column he named Boaz.
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and he called the name thereof Boaz.
22 The capitals on the columns were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the columns was finished.
And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.
23 Then he made the Sea of cast metal. Its shape was circular, and measured ten cubits from edge to edge, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
24 Below the edge it was decorated with ornamental gourds that encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around. They were in two rows cast as one piece with the Sea.
And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.
25 The Sea stood on twelve metal bulls. Three faced to the north, three to the west, three to the south, and three to the east. The Sea was placed on them, with their rears toward the center.
It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
26 It was as thick as the width of a hand, and its edge was like the flared edge of a cup or a lily flower. It held two thousand baths.
And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.
27 He also made ten carts to carry basins. The carts measured four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.
And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.
28 This is how they were put together: side panels were attached to uprights.
And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:
29 Both the side panels and the uprights were decorated with lions, bulls, and cherubim. Above and below the lions and the bulls were decorative wreaths.
And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.
30 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. A basin rested on four supports that had decorative wreaths on each side.
And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.
31 At the top of each cart was a round opening like a pedestal to hold the basin. The opening was one cubit deep, and one and a half cubits wide. The opening had carvings around it. The panels of the cart were square, not round.
And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the cart. Each wheel measured one and a half cubits in diameter.
And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half a cubit.
33 The wheels were made in the same way as chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all made by casting.
And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.
34 Each cart had four handles, one on each corner, made as part of the stand.
And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.
35 There was a ring on the top of the cart a half cubit wide. The supports and panels were cast as one piece with the top of the cart.
And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
36 He had designs of cherubim, lions, and palm trees engraved on the panels, supports, and frame, wherever there was space, with decorative wreaths all around.
For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.
37 This is how he made the ten carts, with the same casts, size, and shape.
After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.
38 Then he made ten bronze basins. Each one held forty baths and measured four cubits across, one basin for each of the ten carts.
Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.
39 He placed five carts on the south side of the Temple and five on the north side. He placed the Sea on the south side, by the southeast corner of the Temple.
And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.
40 He also made the pots, shovels, and bowls. So Hiram finished making everything required by King Solomon for the Temple of the Lord:
And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of YHWH:
41 the two columns; the two capitals shaped like bowls on top the columns; the two chain networks that covered the bowls of the capitals on top of the columns;
The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
42 the four hundred ornamental pomegranates for the chain networks (in two rows for the chain networks that covered the capitals on top of the columns);
And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
43 the ten carts; the ten basins on the carts;
And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
44 the Sea; the twelve bulls under the Sea;
And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. Everything that Hiram made for King Solomon in the Temple of the Lord was made of polished bronze.
And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of YHWH, were of bright brass.
46 The king had them cast in molds made of clay in the Jordan valley between Succoth and Zarethan.
In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
47 Solomon did not weigh anything that had been made because there was just so much—the weight of bronze used could not be measured.
And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.
48 Solomon also had made all the items for the Temple of the Lord: the golden altar; the golden table where the Bread of the Presence was placed;
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of YHWH: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
49 the lampstands made of pure gold that stood in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left; the flowers, lamps, and tongs that were all made of pure gold;
And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
50 the basins, wick trimmers, bowls, ladles, and censers that again were all made of pure gold; and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, in addition to the doors of the main hall of the Temple.
And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.
51 In this way all King Solomon's work for the Temple of the Lord was completed. Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated, the special objects made of silver, the gold, and the Temple furnishings, and he placed them in the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord.
So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of YHWH. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of YHWH.
