Beginning
Building the Temple
6 Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred and eightieth year(A) after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.[a](B) 2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord(C) was 27 metres[b] long, 9 metres[c] wide, and 13.5 metres[d] high.(D) 3 The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was 9 metres long extending across the temple’s width, and 4.5 metres deep[e] in front of the temple.(E) 4 He also made windows with bevelled frames[f] for the temple.(F)
5 He then built a chambered structure[g] along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary.(G) And he made side chambers[h] all round.(H) 6 The lowest chamber was 2.25 metres[i] wide, the middle was 2.7 metres[j] wide, and the third was 3.15 metres[k] wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all round the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. 7 The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.(I)
8 The door for the lowest[l] side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They[m] went up a stairway[n] to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third. 9 When he finished building the temple,(J) he panelled it with boards and planks of cedar. 10 He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams;(K) each storey was 2.25 metres high.
11 The word of the Lord came to Solomon:(L) 12 ‘As for this temple you are building – if you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep all my commands by walking in them,(M) I will fulfil my promise to you, which I made to your father David.(N) 13 I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people Israel.’(O)
14 When Solomon finished building the temple,[o](P) 15 he panelled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.(Q) 16 Then he lined nine metres of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling,[p] and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.(R) 17 The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place,[q] was eighteen metres[r] long. 18 The cedar panelling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds(S) and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar;(T) not a stone could be seen.
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(U) inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant(V) there. 20 The interior of the sanctuary was nine metres long, nine metres wide, and nine metres high; he overlaid it with pure gold.(W) He also overlaid the cedar altar. 21 Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung[s] gold chains(X) across the front of the inner sanctuary(Y) and overlaid it with gold. 22 So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar(Z) that belongs to the inner sanctuary.
23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim(AA) 4.5 metres[t] high out of olive wood. 24 One wing of the first cherub was 2.25 metres long, and the other wing was 2.25 metres long. The wingspan was 4.5 metres from tip to tip. 25 The second cherub also was 4.5 metres; both cherubim had the same size and shape. 26 The first cherub’s height was 4.5 metres and so was the second cherub’s. 27 Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other[u] wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.(AB) 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings – cherubim,(AC) palm trees, and flower blossoms – in the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries.
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors.(AD) The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.[v] 32 The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees. 33 In the same way, he made four-sided[w] olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance. 34 The two doors(AE) were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving. 36 He built the inner courtyard(AF) with three rows of dressed stone(AG) and a row of trimmed cedar beams.
37 The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv. 38 In his eleventh year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month,[x] the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification.(AH) So he built it in seven years.(AI)
Solomon’s Palace Complex
7 Solomon completed his entire palace complex after thirteen years of construction.(AJ) 2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon.(AK) It was forty-five metres[y] long, twenty-three metres[z] wide, and thirteen and a half metres[aa] high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. 3 It was panelled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on forty-five pillars, fifteen per row. 4 There were three rows of window frames, facing each other[ab] in three tiers.[ac](AL) 5 All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other[ad] in three tiers. 6 He made the hall of pillars twenty-three metres long and thirteen and a half metres wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars[ae] was in front of them. 7 He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge(AM) – the Hall of Judgement. It was panelled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[af] 8 Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife.[ag](AN)
9 All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawn with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was made of large, costly stones, 3.6 and 4.5 metres[ah] long. 11 Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. 12 Round the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.(AO)
13 King Solomon sent for Hiram[ai](AP) and brought him from Tyre. 14 He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze craftsman. Hiram had great skill,(AQ) understanding, and knowledge to do every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.(AR)
The Bronze Pillars
15 He cast two bronze pillars,(AS) each 8 metres[aj] high and 5.4 metres[ak] in circumference.[al](AT) 16 He also made two capitals(AU) of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 2.25 metres[am] was the height of the first capital, and 2.25 metres was also the height of the second capital. 17 The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths[an] made of chainwork – seven for the first capital and seven for the second.
18 He made the pillars with two encircling rows of pomegranates on the one grating to cover the capital on top; he did the same for the second capital. 19 And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, 1.8 metres[ao] high. 20 The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and two hundred pomegranates(AV) were in rows encircling each[ap] capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the portico(AW) of the sanctuary: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin;[aq] then he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz.[ar](AX) 22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed.(AY)
The Basin
23 He made the cast metal basin,[as](AZ) 4.5 metres[at] from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 2.25 metres high and 13.5 metres in circumference. 24 Ornamental gourds(BA) encircled it below the brim, ten every 45 centimetres,[au] completely encircling the basin.(BB) The gourds were cast in two rows when the basin was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen,(BC) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The basin was on top of them and all their hindquarters were towards the centre. 26 The basin was 8 centimetres[av] thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom. It held forty-four thousand litres.[aw]
The Bronze Water Carts
27 Then he made ten bronze water carts.[ax](BD) Each water cart was 1.8 metres long, 1.8 metres wide, and 1.35 metres[ay] high. 28 This was the design of the carts: They had frames; the frames were between the cross-pieces, 29 and on the frames between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim.(BE) On the cross-pieces there was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging[az] work. 30 Each cart(BF) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. Underneath the four corners of the basin were cast supports, each next to a wreath. 31 And the water cart’s opening inside the crown on top was 45 centimetres[ba] wide. The opening was round, made as a pedestal 70 centimetres[bb] wide. On it were carvings, but their frames were square, not round. 32 There were four wheels under the frames, and the wheel axles were part of the water cart; each wheel was 70 centimetres[bc] tall. 33 The wheels’ design was similar to that of chariot wheels: their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. 34 Four supports were at the four corners of each water cart; each support was one piece with the water cart. 35 At the top of the cart was a band 25 centimetres[bd] high encircling it; also, at the top of the cart, its braces and its frames were one piece with it. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees(BG) on the plates of its braces and on its frames, wherever each had space, with encircling wreaths. 37 In this way he made the ten water carts using the same casting, dimensions, and shape for all of them.
Bronze Basins and Other Utensils
38 Then he made ten bronze basins(BH) – each basin held 880 litres[be] and each was 1.8 metres wide – one basin for each of the ten water carts. 39 He set five water carts on the right side of the temple and five on the left side. He put the basin near the right side of the temple towards the southeast.(BI) 40 Then Hiram made(BJ) the basins, the shovels, and the sprinkling basins.
Completion of the Bronze Works
So Hiram finished all the work that he was doing for King Solomon on the Lord’s temple: 41 two pillars;(BK) bowls for the capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars;(BL) 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars(BM)); 43 the ten water carts;(BN) the ten basins on the water carts;(BO) 44 the basin;(BP) the twelve oxen underneath the basin;(BQ) 45 and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling basins.(BR) All the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon at the Lord’s temple were made of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay moulds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth(BS) and Zarethan.(BT) 47 Solomon left all the utensils unweighed because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.(BU)
Completion of the Gold Furnishings
48 Solomon also made all the equipment in the Lord’s temple: the gold altar; the gold table that the Bread of the Presence was placed on;(BV) 49 the pure gold lampstands in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left;(BW) the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs; 50 the pure gold ceremonial bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles,[bf] and firepans;(BX) and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the most holy place) and for the doors of the temple sanctuary.
51 So all the work King Solomon did in the Lord’s temple was completed.(BY) Then Solomon brought in the consecrated things of his father David(BZ) – the silver, the gold, and the utensils – and put them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.(CA)
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