1 Kings 7

1 However, it took Solomon thirteen years to finish building the whole of his palace.

Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace.

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 the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width was fifty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits. The palace was built with four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on 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.

The house was roofed with cedar that rested on beams. Those beams were supported by pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in a row.

4 The windows were placed high up, in three rows facing each other.

There were beams in three rows, and each window was opposite another window in three sets.

5 All the doorways and door casings had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other in sets of three.

All the doors and posts were made square with beams, and window was opposite window in three sets.

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.

There was a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front and pillars and a roof.

7 The throne room where he sat as judge was called the Hall of Justice, lined with cedar panels from floor to ceiling.

Solomon built the hall of the throne where he was to judge, the hall of justice. It was covered with cedar from floor to floor.

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.

Solomon's house in which he was to live, in another courtyard within the palace grounds, was similarly designed. He also built a house like this for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken as a wife.

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.

These buildings were adorned with costly hewn stones, precisely measured and cut with a saw and smoothed on all sides. These stones were used from the foundation to the stones on top, and also on the outside to the great court.

10 The foundations were laid with very large top-quality stones, between eight and ten cubits long.

The foundation was constructed with very large, costly stones of eight and ten cubits in length.

11 On these were placed top-quality stones, cut to size, along with cedar timber.

Above were costly hewn stones precisely cut to size, and cedar beams.

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.

The great courtyard surrounding the palace had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams like the courtyard of the temple of Yahweh and the temple portico.

13 King Solomon sent for Hiram from Tyre.

King Solomon sent for Huram and brought him from 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.

Huram was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali; his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to do great work with bronze. He came to King Solomon to work with bronze for the king.

15 He cast two columns in bronze. They were both eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.

Huram fashioned the two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.

16 He also cast two capitals in bronze to place on top of the columns. Each capital was five cubits high.

He made two capitals of polished bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of each capital was five cubits.

17 He made a network of lattice of interlinked chains for both capitals, seven for each one.

Checker latticework and wreaths of chain work for the capitals decorated the top of the pillars, seven for each capital.

18 Around the lattice network he made two rows of ornamental pomegranates to cover the capitals on the top of both the columns.

So Huram made two rows of pomegranates around the top of each pillar to decorate their capitals.

19 The capitals placed on top of columns in the porch were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high.

The capitals on the tops of the portico pillars were decorated with lilies, four cubits high.

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.

The capitals on these two pillars also included, close to their very top, two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.

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.

He raised up the pillars at the temple portico. The pillar on the right was named Jakin, and the pillar on the left was named Boaz.

22 The capitals on the columns were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the columns was finished.

On the top of the pillars were decorations like lilies. The fashioning of the pillars was done in this way.

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.

Huram made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and the sea was thirty cubits in circumference.

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.

Under the brim encircling the sea were gourds, ten in each cubit, cast in one piece with “The Sea,” when that basin 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.

“The Sea” stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. “The Sea” was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside.

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.

The sea was as thick as the width of a hand, and its brim was forged like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. The sea held two thousand baths of water.

27 He also made ten carts to carry basins. The carts measured four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.

Huram made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long and four cubits wide, and the height was three cubits.

28 This is how they were put together: side panels were attached to uprights.

The work of the stands was like this. They had panels that stood between frames,

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 panels and on the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. Above and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hammered work.

30 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. A basin rested on four supports that had decorative wreaths on each side.

Every stand had four bronze wheels and axles, and its four corners had supports beneath for the basin. The supports were cast with wreaths on the side of each one.

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.

The opening was round like a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide, and was within a crown that rose up a cubit. On the opening were engravings, and their panels were square, 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.

The four wheels were underneath the panels, and the axles of the wheels and their housings were in the stand. The height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.

33 The wheels were made in the same way as chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all made by casting.

The wheels were forged like chariot wheels. Their housings, rims, spokes, and hubs were all cast metal.

34 Each cart had four handles, one on each corner, made as part of the stand.

There were four handles at the four corners of each stand, forged into the stand 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.

In the top of the stands there was a round band half a cubit deep, and on the top of the stand its supports and panels were attached.

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.

On the surfaces of the supports and on the panels Huram engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees that covered the space available, and they were surrounded by wreaths.

37 This is how he made the ten carts, with the same casts, size, and shape.

He made the ten stands in this manner. All of them were cast in the same molds, and they had one size, and the same shape.

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.

Huram made ten basins of bronze. One basin could hold forty baths of water. Each basin was four cubits across and there was one basin on each of ten stands.

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.

He made five stands on the south-facing side of the temple and five on the north-facing side of the temple. He set “The Sea” on the east corner, facing toward the south of the temple.

40 He also made the pots, shovels, and bowls. So Hiram finished making everything required by King Solomon for the Temple of the Lord:

Huram made the basins and the shovels and the sprinkling bowls. Then he finished all the work that he did for King Solomon in the temple of Yahweh:

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 bowl-like capitals that were on top of the two pillars, and the two sets of decorative latticework to cover the two bowl like capitals that were on 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);

He made the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of decorative latticework (two rows of pomegranates for each set of latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on the pillars);

43 the ten carts; the ten basins on the carts;

the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands.

44 the Sea; the twelve bulls under the Sea;

He made the large basin called “The Sea” with its twelve oxen under it;

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.

also the pots, shovels, basins, and all the other implements. Huram made them out of polished bronze, for King Solomon, for the temple of Yahweh.

46 The king had them cast in molds made of clay in the Jordan valley between Succoth and Zarethan.

The king had cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

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.

Solomon did not weigh all the utensils because there were too many to weigh, because the weight of the bronze could not be measured.

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;

Solomon had made all the furnishings that were in the temple of Yahweh out of gold: the golden altar and the table on which the bread of the presence was to be placed;

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;

the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner room, were of pure gold, and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs were 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.

Solomon also had made the cups, lamp trimmers, basins, spoons, and incense burners, all of which were made of pure gold; he had sockets of gold made for the doors of the inner room (which was the most holy place), and for the doors of the main hall 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.

In this way, all the work that King Solomon directed for the house of Yahweh was finished. So Solomon brought in the things that were set apart by David, his father, and the silver, the gold, and the furnishings, and put them into the storerooms of the house of Yahweh.