2 Chronicles 3:3-4:22
New International Reader's Version
3 Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple. It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. Solomon’s men followed the standard measure used at that time. 4 The porch in front of the temple was 30 feet across and 30 feet high.
Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold. 5 He covered the inside of the main hall with juniper boards. Then he covered the boards with fine gold. He decorated the hall with palm tree patterns and chain patterns. 6 He decorated the temple with valuable jewels. The gold he used came from Parvaim. 7 He covered the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold. He carved cherubim on the walls.
8 He built the Most Holy Room. It was as long as the temple was wide. It was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide. He covered the inside of the Most Holy Room with 23 tons of fine gold. 9 He also covered the upper parts with gold. The gold on the nails weighed 20 ounces.
10 For the Most Holy Room, Solomon made a pair of carved cherubim. He covered them with gold. 11 The total length of the cherubim’s wings from tip to tip was 30 feet. One wing of the first cherub was seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the temple wall. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the wing tip of the other cherub. 12 In the same way one wing of the second cherub was seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the other temple wall. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the wing tip of the first cherub. 13 So the total length of the wings of the two cherubim was 30 feet from tip to tip. The cherubim stood facing the main hall.
14 Solomon made the curtain out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen. A skilled worker sewed cherubim into its pattern.
15 For the front of the temple, Solomon made two pillars. Each pillar was 26 feet tall. Each had a decorated top seven and a half feet high. 16 Solomon made chains that were linked together. He put them on top of the pillars. He also made 100 pomegranates. He fastened them to the chains. 17 Solomon set the pillars up in front of the temple. One was on the south. The other was on the north. He named the one on the south Jakin. The one on the north he named Boaz.
More Facts About the Temple
4 Solomon made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide and 15 feet high. 2 He made a huge metal bowl for washing. Its shape was round. It measured 15 feet from rim to rim. It was seven and a half feet high. And it was 45 feet around. 3 Below the rim there was a circle of bull figures around the bowl. In every 18 inches around the bowl there were ten bulls. The bulls were arranged in two rows. They were made as part of the bowl itself.
4 The bowl stood on 12 bulls. Three of them faced north. Three faced west. Three faced south. And three faced east. The bowl rested on top of them. Their rear ends were toward the center. 5 The bowl was three inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup. The rim was shaped like the bloom of a lily. The bowl held 18,000 gallons of water.
6 Solomon made ten smaller bowls for washing. He placed five of them on the south side of the huge bowl. He placed the other five on the north side. The things used for the burnt offerings were rinsed in the smaller bowls. But the priests used the huge bowl for washing.
7 Solomon made ten gold lampstands. He followed the pattern the Lord had given him. He placed the lampstands in the temple. He put five of them on the south side. He put the other five on the north side.
8 He made ten tables. He placed them in the temple. He put five of them on the south side. He put the other five on the north side. He also made 100 gold sprinkling bowls.
9 He made the courtyard of the priests. He also made the large courtyard. He made doors for it. He covered the doors with bronze. 10 He placed the huge bowl on the south side of the courtyard. He put it at the southeast corner.
11 And Huram also made the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finished the work he had started for King Solomon. Here’s what he made for God’s temple.
12 He made the two pillars.
He made the two tops for the pillars. The tops were shaped like bowls.
He made the two sets of chains that were linked together. They decorated the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars.
13 He made the 400 pomegranates for the two sets of chains. There were two rows of pomegranates for each chain. They decorated the bowl-shaped tops of the pillars.
14 He made the stands and their bowls.
15 He made the huge bowl. He made the 12 bulls that were under it.
16 He made the pots, shovels and meat forks. He also made all the things used with them.
Huram-Abi made all these objects for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple. He made them out of bronze. Then he shined them up. 17 The king had them made in clay molds. It was done on the plains of the Jordan River between Sukkoth and Zarethan. 18 Solomon made huge numbers of these things. There were too many of them to weigh. In fact, it was impossible to add up the weight of all the bronze.
19 Solomon also made all the objects that were in God’s temple.
He made the golden altar.
He made the tables for the holy bread.
20 He made the pure gold lampstands and their lamps. The lamps burned in front of the Most Holy Room, just as the law required.
21 He made the gold flowers. He made the gold lamps and tongs. They were made out of solid gold.
22 He made the wick cutters, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and shallow cups for burning incense. All of them were made out of pure gold. He made the gold doors of the temple. They were the inner doors to the Most Holy Room and the doors of the main hall.
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