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2 Chronicles 2-7
New International Version

Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

2 [a]Solomon gave orders to build a temple(B) for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(C) 2 He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.(D)

3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram[b](E) king of Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs(F) as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4 Now I am about to build a temple(G) for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense(H) before him, for setting out the consecrated bread(I) regularly, and for making burnt offerings(J) every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths,(K) at the New Moons(L) and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

5 “The temple I am going to build will be great,(M) because our God is greater than all other gods.(N) 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?(O) Who then am I(P) to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers,(Q) whom my father David provided.

8 “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum[c] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9 to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors[d] of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors[e] of barley, twenty thousand baths[f] of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.(R)”

11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:

“Because the Lord loves(S) his people, he has made you their king.”

12 And Hiram added:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!(T) He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 “I am sending you Huram-Abi,(U) a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from Dan(V) and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained(W) to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue(X) and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.

15 “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil(Y) and wine he promised, 16 and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa.(Z) You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreigners(AA) residing in Israel, after the census(AB) his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned(AC) 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

Solomon Builds the Temple(AD)

3 Then Solomon began to build(AE) the temple of the Lord(AF) in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah[g](AG) the Jebusite, the place provided by David. 2 He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.(AH)

3 The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide[h](AI) (using the cubit of the old standard). 4 The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits[i] long across the width of the building and twenty[j] cubits high.

He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5 He paneled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree(AJ) and chain designs. 6 He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. 7 He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim(AK) on the walls.

8 He built the Most Holy Place,(AL) its length corresponding to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents[k] of fine gold. 9 The gold nails(AM) weighed fifty shekels.[l] He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.

10 For the Most Holy Place he made a pair(AN) of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. 11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits[m] long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim(AO) extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.[n]

14 He made the curtain(AP) of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim(AQ) worked into it.

15 For the front of the temple he made two pillars,(AR) which together were thirty-five cubits[o] long, each with a capital(AS) five cubits high. 16 He made interwoven chains[p](AT) and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates(AU) and attached them to the chains. 17 He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin[q] and the one to the north Boaz.[r]

The Temple’s Furnishings(AV)

4 He made a bronze altar(AW) twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.[s] 2 He made the Sea(AX) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits[t] high. It took a line of thirty cubits[u] to measure around it. 3 Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it—ten to a cubit.[v] The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

4 The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east.(AY) The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 5 It was a handbreadth[w] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.[x]

6 He then made ten basins(AZ) for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings(BA) were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.

7 He made ten gold lampstands(BB) according to the specifications(BC) for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

8 He made ten tables(BD) and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls.(BE)

9 He made the courtyard(BF) of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. 10 He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

11 And Huram also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished(BG) the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God:

12 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;

13 the 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);

14 the stands(BH) with their basins;

15 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

16 the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles.

All the objects that Huram-Abi(BI) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of polished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth(BJ) and Zarethan.[y] 18 All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze(BK) could not be calculated.

19 Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God’s temple:

the golden altar;

the tables(BL) on which was the bread of the Presence;

20 the lampstands(BM) of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;

21 the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold);

22 the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(BN) and censers;(BO) and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.

5 When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished,(BP) he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(BQ)—the silver and gold and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

The Ark Brought to the Temple(BR)

2 Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(BS) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 3 And all the Israelites(BT) came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.

4 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5 and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priests(BU) carried them up; 6 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

7 The priests then brought the ark(BV) of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim(BW) spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9 These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 10 There was nothing in the ark except(BX) the two tablets(BY) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.(BZ) 12 All the Levites who were musicians(CA)—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.(CB) 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(CC)

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud,(CD) 14 and the priests could not perform(CE) their service because of the cloud,(CF) for the glory(CG) of the Lord filled the temple of God.

6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(CH) 2 I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.(CI)”

3 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. 4 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, 5 ‘Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem(CJ) for my Name(CK) to be there, and I have chosen David(CL) to rule my people Israel.’

7 “My father David had it in his heart(CM) to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 9 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’

10 “The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenant(CN) of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(CO)(CP)

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Now he had made a bronze platform,(CQ) five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high,[z] and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down(CR) before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 14 He said:

“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you(CS) in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love(CT) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 15 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised(CU) and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

16 “Now, Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail(CV) to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law,(CW) as you have done.’ 17 And now, Lord, the God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.

18 “But will God really dwell(CX) on earth with humans? The heavens,(CY) even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes(CZ) be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name(DA) there. May you hear(DB) the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.(DC)

22 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath(DD) and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning(DE) the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.

24 “When your people Israel have been defeated(DF) by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.

26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(DG) because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 27 then hear from heaven and forgive(DH) the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

28 “When famine(DI) or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 29 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— 30 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive,(DJ) and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart),(DK) 31 so that they will fear you(DL) and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.

32 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come(DM) from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand(DN) and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner(DO) asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

34 “When your people go to war against their enemies,(DP) wherever you send them, and when they pray(DQ) to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin(DR)—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive(DS) to a land far away or near; 37 and if they have a change of heart(DT) in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive(DU) your people, who have sinned against you.

40 “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive(DV) to the prayers offered in this place.

41 “Now arise,(DW) Lord God, and come to your resting place,(DX)
    you and the ark of your might.
May your priests,(DY) Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
    may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.(DZ)
42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one.(EA)
    Remember the great love(EB) promised to David your servant.”

The Dedication of the Temple(EC)

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire(ED) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled(EE) the temple.(EF) 2 The priests could not enter(EG) the temple of the Lord because the glory(EH) of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(EI)

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites(EJ) with the Lord’s musical instruments,(EK) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

7 Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat(EL) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

8 So Solomon observed the festival(EM) at that time for seven days, and all Israel(EN) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(EO) to the Wadi of Egypt.(EP) 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated(EQ) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival(ER) for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(ES)

11 When Solomon had finished(ET) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared(EU) to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(EV) this place for myself(EW) as a temple for sacrifices.

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(EX) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(EY) will humble(EZ) themselves and pray and seek my face(FA) and turn(FB) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(FC) from heaven, and I will forgive(FD) their sin and will heal(FE) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(FF) 16 I have chosen(FG) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(FH) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(FI) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(FJ) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(FK) to rule over Israel.’(FL)

19 “But if you[aa] turn away(FM) and forsake(FN) the decrees and commands I have given you[ab] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(FO) Israel from my land,(FP) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(FQ) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[ac] who pass by will be appalled(FR) and say,(FS) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(FT)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:18, and 2:2-18 is numbered 2:1-17.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verses 11 and 12
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:8 Probably a variant of almug
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,200 metric tons of wheat
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,000 tons or about 2,700 metric tons of barley
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
  7. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah
  8. 2 Chronicles 3:3 That is, about 90 feet long and 30 feet wide or about 27 meters long and 9 meters wide
  9. 2 Chronicles 3:4 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 8, 11 and 13
  10. 2 Chronicles 3:4 Some Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew and a hundred and twenty
  11. 2 Chronicles 3:8 That is, about 23 tons or about 21 metric tons
  12. 2 Chronicles 3:9 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  13. 2 Chronicles 3:11 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 15
  14. 2 Chronicles 3:13 Or facing inward
  15. 2 Chronicles 3:15 That is, about 53 feet or about 16 meters
  16. 2 Chronicles 3:16 Or possibly made chains in the inner sanctuary; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  17. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  18. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  19. 2 Chronicles 4:1 That is, about 30 feet long and wide and 15 feet high or about 9 meters long and wide and 4.5 meters high
  20. 2 Chronicles 4:2 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
  21. 2 Chronicles 4:2 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  22. 2 Chronicles 4:3 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  23. 2 Chronicles 4:5 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  24. 2 Chronicles 4:5 That is, about 18,000 gallons or about 66,000 liters
  25. 2 Chronicles 4:17 Hebrew Zeredatha, a variant of Zarethan
  26. 2 Chronicles 6:13 That is, about 7 1/2 feet long and wide and 4 1/2 feet high or about 2.3 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  27. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  28. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  29. 2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all
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2 Chronicles 2-7
Contemporary English Version

Solomon Asks Hiram To Help Build the Temple

(1 Kings 5.1-12)

2 Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself. 2 He assigned 70,000 men to carry building supplies and 80,000 to cut stone from the hills. And he chose 3,600 men to supervise these workers.

3 Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre:

Years ago, when my father David was building his palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will you send me supplies? 4 I am building a temple where the Lord my God will be worshiped. Sweet-smelling incense will be burned there, and sacred bread will be offered to him. Worshipers will offer sacrifices to the Lord every morning and evening, every Sabbath, and on the first day of each month, as well as during all our religious festivals. These things will be done for all time, just as the Lord has commanded.

5 This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 (A) No one can ever build a temple large enough for God—even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.

7 Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.

8 I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them, 9 because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple. 10 I will pay your woodcutters 2,000 tons of wheat, the same amount of barley, 400,000 liters of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.

11 Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon:

I know that the Lord must love his people, because he has chosen you to be their king. 12 Praise the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 I am sending Huram Abi to you. He is wise and very skillful. 14 His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen. And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow. He can help your workers and those hired by your father King David.

15 Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised to pay my workers. 16 I will tell them to start cutting down trees in Lebanon. They will cut as many as you need, then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa. Your workers can take them to Jerusalem from there.

Solomon's Work Force

17 Solomon counted all the foreigners who were living in Israel, just as his father David had done when he was king, and the total was 153,600. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to carry building supplies and 80,000 of them to cut stone from the hills. He chose 3,600 others to supervise the workers and to make sure the work was completed.

The Temple Is Built

(1 Kings 6.1-38)

3 1-2 (B) Solomon's workers began building the temple in Jerusalem on the second day of the second month,[a] four years after Solomon had become king of Israel. It was built on Mount Moriah where the Lord had appeared to David at the threshing place that had belonged to Araunah[b] from Jebus.

3 The inside of the temple was 27 meters long and 9 meters wide, according to the older standards.[c] 4 Across the front of the temple was a porch 9 meters wide and 9 meters[d] high. The inside walls of the porch were covered with pure gold.

5 Solomon had the inside walls of the temple's main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains. 6 He used precious stones to decorate the temple, and he used gold imported from Parvaim[e] 7 to decorate the ceiling beams, the doors, the door frames, and the walls. Solomon also told the workers to carve designs of winged creatures into the walls.

8 (C) The most holy place was nine meters square, and its walls were covered with over 20 tons of fine gold. 9 Five hundred and seventy grams of gold was used to cover the heads of the nails. The walls of the small storage rooms were also covered with gold.[f]

10 (D) Solomon had two statues of winged creatures[g] made to put in the most holy place, and he covered them with gold. 11-13 Each creature had two wings and was four and a half meters from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing. Solomon set them next to each other in the most holy place, facing the doorway. Their wings were spread out and reached all the way across the nine-meter room.

14 (E) A curtain[h] was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with designs of winged creatures.

The Two Columns

(1 Kings 7.15-22)

15 Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was 16 meters tall and had a cap on top that was over 2 meters high. 16 The top of each column was decorated with designs that looked like chains[i] and with 100 carvings of pomegranates.[j] 17 Solomon had one of the columns placed on the south side of the temple's entrance; it was called Jachin.[k] The other one was placed on the north side of the entrance; it was called Boaz.[l]

The Furnishings for the Temple

(1 Kings 7.23-51)

4 (F) Solomon had a bronze altar made that was nine meters square and four and a half meters high. 2 He also gave orders to make a large metal bowl called the Sea. It was 4.5 meters across, just over two meters deep, and 13.5 meters around. 3 Its outer edge was decorated with two rows of carvings of bulls, ten bulls to about every 45 centimeters, all made from the same piece of metal as the bowl. 4 The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls, with three bulls facing outward in each of four directions. 5 The sides of the bowl were 75 millimeters thick, and its rim was in the shape of a cup that curved outward like flower petals. The bowl held about 60,000 liters.

6 (G) He also made ten small bowls and put five on each side of the large bowl. The small bowls were used to wash the animals that were burned on the altar as sacrifices, and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.

7 (H) Ten gold lampstands were also made according to the plans. Solomon placed these lampstands inside the temple, five on each side of the main room. 8 (I) He also made ten tables and placed them in the main room, five on each side. And he made 100 small gold sprinkling bowls.

9 Solomon gave orders to build two courtyards: a smaller one that only priests could use and a larger one. The doors to these courtyards were covered with bronze. 10 The large bowl called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the temple.

11 Huram made shovels, sprinkling bowls, and pans for hot ashes. Here is a list of the other furnishings he made for God's temple: 12 two columns, two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of these columns, two chain designs on the caps, 13 400 pomegranates[m] in two rows for the chain designs, 14 the stands and the small bowls, 15 the large bowl and the twelve bulls that held it up, 16 pans for hot ashes, as well as shovels and meat forks.

Huram made all these things out of polished bronze 17 by pouring melted bronze into the clay molds he had set up near the Jordan River, between Succoth and Zeredah.

18 There were so many bronze furnishings that no one ever knew how much bronze it took to make them.

19 Solomon also gave orders to make the following temple furnishings out of gold: the altar, the tables that held the sacred loaves of bread,[n] 20 the lampstands and the lamps that burned in front of the most holy place, 21 flower designs, lamps and tongs, 22 lamp snuffers, small sprinkling bowls, ladles, fire pans, and the doors to the most holy place and the main room of the temple.

5 (J) After the Lord's temple was finished, Solomon put in its storage rooms everything that his father David had dedicated to the Lord, including the gold and silver, and the objects used in worship.

Solomon Brings the Sacred Chest to the Temple

(1 Kings 8.1-13)

2-3 (K) The sacred chest had been kept on Mount Zion, also known as the city of David. But Solomon decided to have the chest moved to the temple while everyone was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters during the seventh month.[o]

Solomon called together all the important leaders of Israel. 4-5 Then the priests and the Levites picked up the sacred chest, the sacred tent, and the objects used for worship, and they carried them to the temple. 6 Solomon and a crowd of people stood in front of the chest and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted.

7 The priests carried the chest into the most holy place and put it under the winged creatures, 8 whose wings covered both the chest and the poles used for carrying it. 9 The poles were so long that they could be seen from just outside the most holy place, but not from anywhere else. And they stayed there from then on.

10 (L) The only things kept in the chest were the two flat stones Moses had put there when the Lord made his agreement with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai,[p] after bringing them out of Egypt.

11-13 (M) The priests of every group had gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean and acceptable to the Lord. The Levite musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, were wearing robes of fine linen. They were standing on the east side of the altar, playing cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. One hundred and twenty priests were with these musicians, and they were blowing trumpets.

They were praising the Lord by playing music and singing:

“The Lord is good,
    and his love never ends.”

Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the holy place. 14 The Lord's glory was in that cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work.

6 Solomon prayed:

“Our Lord, you said that you
    would live in a dark cloud.
2 Now I've built a glorious temple
    where you can live forever.”

Solomon Speaks to the People

(1 Kings 8.14-21)

3 Solomon turned toward the people standing there. Then he blessed them 4-6 (N) and said:

Praise the Lord God of Israel! He brought his people out of Egypt long ago and later kept his promise to make my father David the king of Israel. The Lord also promised him that Jerusalem would be the city where his temple will be built, and now that promise has come true.

7 When my father wanted to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 8 the Lord said, “It's good that you want to build a temple where I can be worshiped. 9 But you're not the one to do it. Your son will build the temple to honor me.”

10 The Lord has done what he promised. I am now the king of Israel, and I've built a temple for the Lord our God. 11 I've also put the sacred chest in the temple. And in that chest are the two flat stones on which is written the solemn agreement the Lord made with our ancestors when he rescued them from Egypt.

Solomon Prays at the Temple

(1 Kings 8.22-53)

12-13 Earlier, Solomon had a bronze platform made that was about two meters square and over a meter high, and he put it in the center of the outer courtyard near the altar. Solomon stood on the platform facing the altar with everyone standing behind him. Then he lifted his arms toward heaven; he knelt down 14 and prayed:

Lord God of Israel, no other god in heaven or on earth is like you!

You never forget the agreement you made with your people, and you are loyal to anyone who faithfully obeys your teachings. 15 My father David was your servant, and today you have kept every promise you made to him.

16 (O) You promised that someone from his family would always be king of Israel, if they do their best to obey you, just as he did. 17 Please keep this promise you made to your servant David. 18 (P) There's not enough room in all of heaven for you, Lord God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple I have built? 19 But I ask you to answer my prayer. 20 (Q) This is the temple where you have chosen to be worshiped. Please watch over it day and night and listen when I turn toward it and pray. 21 I am your servant, and the people of Israel belong to you, and so whenever any of us look toward this temple and pray, answer from your home in heaven and forgive our sins.

22 Suppose someone accuses a person of a crime, and the accused has to stand in front of the altar in your temple and say, “I swear I am innocent!” 23 Listen from heaven and decide who is right. Then punish the guilty person and let the innocent one go free.

24 Suppose your people Israel sin against you, and then an enemy defeats them. If they come to this temple and beg for forgiveness, 25 listen from your home in heaven. Forgive them and bring them back to the land you gave their ancestors.

26 Suppose your people sin against you, and you punish them by holding back the rain. If they stop sinning and turn toward this temple to pray in your name, 27 listen from your home in heaven and forgive them. The people of Israel are your servants, so teach them to live right. And send rain on the land you promised them forever.

28 Sometimes the crops may dry up or rot or be eaten by locusts[q] or grasshoppers, and your people will be starving. Sometimes enemies may surround their towns, or your people will become sick with deadly diseases. 29 Please listen when anyone in Israel truly feels sorry and sincerely prays with arms lifted toward your temple. 30 You know what is in everyone's heart. So from your home in heaven answer their prayers, according to what they do and what is in their hearts. 31 Then your people will worship you and obey you for as long as they live in the land you gave their ancestors.

32 Foreigners will hear about you and your mighty power, and some of them will come to live among your people Israel. If any of them pray toward this temple, 33 listen from your home in heaven and answer their prayers. Then everyone on earth will worship you, just as your own people Israel do, and they will know that I have built this temple in your honor.

34 Sometimes you will order your people to attack their enemies. Then your people will turn toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, and they will pray to you. 35 Answer their prayers from heaven and give them victory.

36 Everyone sins. But when your people sin against you, suppose you get angry enough to let their enemies drag them away to foreign countries. 37-39 Later, they may feel sorry for what they did and ask your forgiveness. Answer them when they pray toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, here in this land you gave their ancestors. From your home in heaven, listen to their sincere prayers and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

40 Lord God, hear us when we pray in this temple. 41 (R) Come to your new home, where we have already placed the sacred chest, which is the symbol of your strength. I pray that when the priests announce your power to save people, those who are faithful to you will celebrate what you've done for them. 42 Always remember the love you had for your servant David,[r] so that you will not reject your chosen kings.

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

(1 Kings 8.62-66)

7 (S) As soon as Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burned up the offerings. The Lord's dazzling glory then filled the temple, 2 and the priests could not go in.

3 (T) When the crowd of people saw the fire and the Lord's glory, they knelt down and worshiped the Lord. They prayed:

“The Lord is good,
    and his love never ends.”

4-5 Solomon and the people dedicated the temple to the Lord by sacrificing 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. 6 Everybody stood up during the ceremony. The priests were in their assigned places, blowing their trumpets. And the Levites faced them, playing the musical instruments that David had made for them to use when they praised the Lord for his never-ending love.

7 On that same day, Solomon dedicated the courtyard in front of the temple and got it ready to be used for worship. The bronze altar he had made was too small, so he used the courtyard to offer sacrifices to please the Lord[s] and grain sacrifices, and also to send up in smoke the fat from the other offerings.

8 For 7 days, Solomon and the crowd celebrated the Festival of Shelters, and people came from as far away as the Egyptian Gorge in the south and Lebo-Hamath in the north. 9 Then on the next day, everyone came together for worship. They had celebrated a total of 14 days, 7 days for the dedication of the altar and 7 more days for the festival. 10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month,[t] Solomon sent everyone home. They left very happy because of all the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon, and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon Again

(1 Kings 9.1-9)

11 The Lord's temple and Solomon's palace were now finished. In fact, everything Solomon had planned to do was completed.

12 Some time later, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said:

I heard your prayer, and I have chosen this temple as the place where sacrifices will be offered to me.

13 Suppose I hold back the rain or send locusts[u] to eat the crops or make my people suffer with deadly diseases. 14 If my own people will humbly pray and turn back to me and stop sinning, then I will answer them from heaven. I will forgive them and make their land fertile once again. 15 I will hear the prayers made in this temple, 16 because it belongs to me, and this is where I will be worshiped forever. I will never stop watching over it.

17 Your father David obeyed me, and now, Solomon, you must do the same. Obey my laws and teachings, 18 (U) and I will keep my solemn promise to him that someone from your family will always be king of Israel.

19 But if you or any of the people of Israel disobey my laws or start worshiping foreign gods, 20 I will pull you out of this land I gave you. I will desert this temple where I said I would be worshiped, so that people everywhere will think it is only a joke and will make fun of it. 21 This temple is now magnificent. But when these things happen, everyone who walks by it will be shocked and will ask, “Why did the Lord do such a terrible thing to his people and to this temple?” 22 Then they will answer, “It was because the people of Israel rejected the Lord their God, who rescued their ancestors from Egypt, and they started worshiping other gods.”

Footnotes

  1. 3.1,2 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
  2. 3.1,2 Araunah: The Hebrew text has “Ornan,” another spelling of the name (see 2 Samuel 24.18-25; 1 Chronicles 21.18—22.1).
  3. 3.3 according to the older standards: There were possibly two different standards of measurement during Israel's history.
  4. 3.4 9 meters: Some manuscripts of two ancient translations; Hebrew “54 meters.”
  5. 3.6 Parvaim: An unknown place.
  6. 3.9 The walls … gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. 3.10 statues of winged creatures: These were symbols of the Lord's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18-22).
  8. 3.14 A curtain: To separate the most holy place from the main room of the temple.
  9. 3.16 designs that looked like chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  10. 3.16 pomegranates: A pomegranate is a small red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.
  11. 3.17 Jachin: Or “He (God) makes secure.”
  12. 3.17 Boaz: Or “He (God) is strong.”
  13. 4.13 pomegranates: See the note at 3.16.
  14. 4.19 sacred loaves of bread: This bread was offered to the Lord and was a symbol of the Lord's presence in the temple. It was put out on special tables, and was replaced with fresh bread every week (see Leviticus 24.5-9).
  15. 5.2,3 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
  16. 5.10 Sinai: Hebrew “Horeb.”
  17. 6.28 locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to crops.
  18. 6.42 the love you had for your servant David: Or “how loyal your servant David was to you.”
  19. 7.7 sacrifices to please the Lord: See the note at 1.6.
  20. 7.10 seventh month: See the note at 5.2,3.
  21. 7.13 locusts: See the note at 6.28.
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