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Preparing to Build the Temple(A)
5 Hiram, the king of Tyre, had always been David’s friend. When Hiram heard that Solomon had been ·made [L anointed] king in ·David’s [L his father’s] place, he sent his ·messengers [ambassadors; servants] to Solomon. 2 Solomon sent this message back to King Hiram: 3 “You ·remember [L know] my father David had to fight many wars with ·the countries around [enemies surrounding] him, so he was never able to build a ·temple for worshiping [L house for the name of] the Lord his God. David was waiting until the Lord ·allowed him to defeat all his enemies [L put them under the soles of his feet]. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me ·peace [rest] on all sides of my country. I have no enemies now, and no ·danger threatens my people [adversity; calamity; misfortune].
5 “The Lord ·promised [L told] my father David, ‘I will ·make your son king after you [L put your son on the throne in your place], and he will build ·a temple for worshiping me [L the house/temple for my name].’ Now, I plan to build ·that temple for worshiping [L a house for the name of] the Lord my God. 6 So ·send your men [command them] to cut down cedar trees for me from Lebanon. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay them whatever wages you decide. We don’t have anyone who can cut down ·trees [timber] as well as the people of Sidon.”
7 When Hiram heard what Solomon asked, he ·was very happy [rejoiced greatly]. He said, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord today! He has given David a wise son to rule over this great ·nation [people]!” 8 Then Hiram sent back this message to Solomon: “I ·received [heard] the message you sent, and I will ·give you [supply] all the cedar and ·pine trees [cypress; juniper] you ·want [need]. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. There I will ·tie them together [L make them into rafts] and ·float them along the shore [go by sea] to the place you choose. Then I will separate the logs there, and you can take them away. ·In return it is my wish that you give [And you shall meet my needs/desire by providing] food to ·all those who live with me [L my household].” 10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much cedar and ·pine [cypress; juniper] as he wanted. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram about ·one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels [L twenty thousand cors] of wheat each year ·to feed the people who lived with him [L for his household]. Solomon also gave him ·about one hundred fifteen thousand gallons [L twenty cors] of pure olive oil every year.
12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; these two kings made a ·treaty between themselves [covenant; alliance].
13 King Solomon ·forced [conscripted] thirty thousand men of Israel to help in this work. 14 He sent ·a group [shifts; relays] of ten thousand men each month to Lebanon. Each group worked in Lebanon one month, then went home for two months. A man named Adoniram was in ·charge [charge of the forced labor/or this labor force]. 15 Solomon ·forced [had] eighty thousand men to work in the hill country, cutting stone, and he had seventy thousand ·men to carry the stones [common laborers]. 16 There were also thirty-three hundred ·men who directed the workers [foremen; overseers]. 17 King Solomon commanded them to cut large blocks of ·fine [costly; high-quality] stone to ·be used for the foundation of the Temple [lay the foundation of the house with dressed/cut stone]. 18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders and the ·men from Byblos [L Gebalites; C Gebal was a Phoenician city the Greeks called Byblos] carved the stones and prepared the stones and the ·logs [timber] for building the ·Temple [L house].
Solomon Builds the Temple(B)
6 Solomon began to build the ·Temple [L house of the Lord] four hundred eighty years after the people of Israel ·had left [L came out of the land of] Egypt. This was during the fourth year of King Solomon’s ·rule [reign] over Israel. It was the second month, the month of Ziv [C midspring]. 2 The ·Temple [L house that Solomon built for the Lord] was ·ninety feet [L sixty cubits] long, ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] wide, and ·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] high. 3 The ·porch [entry room; portico; vestibule] in front of the ·main room [main hall; nave] of the ·Temple [L house] was ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits] deep and ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] wide. This room ·ran along [projected from] the front of the ·Temple [L house] itself. Its width was equal to that of the ·Temple [L house]. 4 The ·Temple [L house] also had ·windows that opened and closed [narrow, recessed windows]. 5 Solomon also built ·some [a complex of] side ·rooms [chambers] against the walls of the ·main room [main hall; nave] and the inner room of the ·Temple [L house]. He built rooms all around. 6 The rooms on the bottom floor were ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] wide. Those on the middle floor were ·nine feet [L six cubits] wide, and the rooms above them were ·ten and one-half feet [L seven cubits] wide. The ·Temple [L house] wall that formed the side of each room ·was thinner than the wall in the room below [had offset ledges]. These rooms were pushed against the ·Temple wall [L house], but they did not have their ·main [support] beams built into this wall.
7 The stones used to build the ·Temple [L house] were ·prepared [finished; shaped] at the quarry. So there was no noise of hammers, axes, or any other iron tools at the ·Temple [L house].
8 The entrance to the lower rooms beside the ·Temple [L house] was on the south side. From there, [winding] stairs went up to the second-floor rooms. And from there, stairs went on to the third-floor rooms. 9 Solomon put a ·roof [ceiling] made from beams and cedar boards on the ·Temple [L house]. So he finished building the Temple [L house] 10 as well as the bottom floor that was beside the ·Temple [L house]. This bottom floor was ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] high and was attached to the ·Temple [L house] by cedar beams.
11 The ·Lord said [L word of the Lord came] to Solomon: 12 “If you ·obey [follow; walk in] all my laws and commands, I will ·do for you [fulfill] what I promised your father David. 13 I will ·live [dwell; make my home] among the Israelites in this Temple, and I will never ·leave [abandon; forsake] my people Israel.”
14 So Solomon finished building the ·Temple [L house]. 15 The inside walls were ·covered [paneled] from floor to ceiling with cedar boards. The floor was made from ·pine [cypress; juniper] boards. 16 A room ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] long was built in the back part of the ·Temple [L house]. This room, called the ·Most Holy Place [T Holy of Holies], was an inner ·room [L sanctuary] ·separated from the rest of the Temple by [or paneled with] cedar boards which reached from floor to ·ceiling [rafters]. 17 The ·main room [main hall; nave], the one in front of ·the Most Holy Place [L it], was ·sixty feet [L forty cubits] long. 18 Everything inside the ·Temple [L house] was covered with cedar, which was carved with pictures of flowers and ·plants [open flowers]. A person could not see the stones of the wall, only the cedar.
19 Solomon prepared the inner ·room [sanctuary] ·at the back of [within] the ·Temple [L house] to keep the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord. 20 This inner ·room [sanctuary] was ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] long, ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] wide, and ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] high. 21 He covered this ·room [sanctuary] with pure gold, and he also covered the altar of cedar. 22 So all the inside of the ·Temple [L house], as well as the altar of the ·Most Holy Place [L inner sanctuary], was covered with gold.
23 Solomon made two ·creatures [cherubim; C particularly powerful spiritual beings] from olive wood and placed them in the ·Most Holy Place [L inner sanctuary]. ·Each creature [L The cherub] was ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits] tall 24 and had two wings. Each wing was ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] long, so it was ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits] from the end of one wing to the end of the other. 25 ·The creatures [L The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim] were the same size and shape; 26 each was ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits] tall. 27 These ·creatures [L cherubim; 6:23] were put beside each other in the ·Most Holy Place [L inner house] with their wings spread out. One creature’s wing touched one wall, and the other creature’s wing touched the other wall with their wings touching each other in the middle of the room. 28 These two creatures were ·covered [overlaid] with gold.
29 All the walls around the ·Temple [L house] were carved with ·pictures [engravings] of ·creatures with wings [cherubim; 6:23], as well as palm trees and open flowers. ·This was true for both the main room and the inner room [L …both the inner and the outer (rooms)]. 30 The floors of both rooms were ·covered [overlaid] with gold.
31 Doors made from olive wood were placed at the entrance to the ·Most Holy Place [L inner sanctuary]. These doors had five-sided ·frames [doorposts]. 32 ·Creatures with wings [Cherubim; 6:23], as well as palm trees and open flowers, were also carved on the two olive wood doors that were ·covered [overlaid] with gold. The ·creatures [cherubim; 6:23] and the palm trees on the doors were ·covered [overlaid] with gold as well. 33 At the entrance to the ·main room [main hall; nave] there ·was a square door frame [were four-sided doorposts] made of olive wood. 34 Two doors were made from ·pine [cypress; juniper]. Each door had two parts so the doors ·folded [turned on pivots]. 35 The doors were ·covered with pictures of creatures with wings [L carved with cherubim; 6:23], as well as palm trees and open flowers. All of the carvings were covered with gold, which was evenly ·spread [hammered; applied] over them.
36 The inner courtyard was enclosed by walls, which were made of three rows of ·cut [finished; dressed] stones ·and one [for each] row of cedar ·boards [beams].
37 ·Work began on [L The foundation was laid of] the ·Temple [L house of the Lord] in Ziv, the second month, during the fourth ·year Solomon was king over Israel [L year]. 38 The ·Temple [L house] was finished during the eleventh ·year he was king [L year], in the eighth month, the month of Bul. It was ·built exactly as it was planned [L finished according to all its parts and according to all its plans]. Solomon had spent seven years building it.
Stephen’s Speech
7 The high priest said to Stephen, “Are these ·things [charges] true?”
2 Stephen answered, “Brothers [L Men, brothers] and fathers, listen to me. ·Our glorious God [The God of glory] appeared to Abraham, our ·ancestor [patriarch; L father], in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran [C a city in Syria where Abraham resided before reaching the Promised Land; Gen. 11:31]. 3 God said to Abraham, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the land I will show you [Gen. 12:1].’ 4 So Abraham left the ·country [land] of Chaldea [C another name for southern Mesopotamia, the location of Ur] and went to live in Haran. After Abraham’s father [C Terah] died, God sent him to this place where you now live. 5 God did not give Abraham ·any of this land [L an inheritance in it], not even a ·foot of it [L a foot’s length]. But God promised that he would give this land to him [L as a possession] and his ·descendants [L seed; Gen. 12:2], even before Abraham had a child. 6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your ·descendants [L seed] will be ·strangers [foreigners; resident aliens] in a ·land they don’t own [foreign land; land belonging to others; C Egypt]. The people there will make them slaves and will ·mistreat [oppress] them for four hundred years. 7 But I will ·punish [judge] the nation where they are slaves. Then ·your descendants [L they] will leave that land and will worship me in this place [Gen. 15:13–14; Ex. 3:12].’ 8 God made an ·agreement [covenant; C a treaty-like relationship] with Abraham, the sign of which was circumcision [Gen. 17:9–14]. And so when Abraham ·had his son [became the father of; T begat] Isaac, Abraham circumcised him when he was eight days old. Isaac ·also circumcised his son Jacob [or became the father of Jacob], and Jacob ·did the same for his sons, [or became the father of] the twelve ·ancestors of our people [patriarchs; C the twelve sons of Jacob who were the “fathers” of the twelve tribes of Israel].
9 “·Jacob’s sons [L The patriarchs] became jealous of Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and ·saved [rescued; delivered] him from all his ·troubles [afflictions]. God gave Joseph ·wisdom to gain the favor of [L favor and wisdom before] Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The king made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of ·all the people in his palace [L his whole household].
11 “Then all the land of Egypt and Canaan experienced a famine, and the people suffered very much. ·Jacob’s sons, our ancestors, [L Our fathers] could not find anything to eat. 12 But when Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent ·his sons [L our fathers] there. This was their first trip to Egypt [Gen. 42]. 13 When they went there a second time [Gen. 43—45], Joseph ·told his brothers who he was [made himself known to his brothers], and ·the king [L Pharaoh] learned about Joseph’s family. 14 Then Joseph sent messengers to ·invite [summon; call] Jacob, his father, to come to Egypt along with all his relatives (seventy-five persons altogether). 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and ·his sons [L our fathers] died. 16 Later their bodies were moved to Shechem and put in a grave there. (It was the same grave Abraham had bought for a sum of ·money [L silver] from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.) [C Stephen combines two accounts, Abraham’s purchase of a field in Hebron (Gen. 23:3–20) and Jacob’s purchase of a field in Shechem (Josh. 24:32).]
17 “The promise God made to Abraham [Gen. 15:12–16] was soon to come true, and the number of people in Egypt ·grew large [L increased/flourished and multiplied]. 18 Then ·a new [L another] king, who ·did not know who Joseph was [or did not think Joseph was important], ·began to rule Egypt [L arose; Ex. 1:8]. 19 This king ·tricked [exploited; dealt treacherously with] our ·people [L race] and was cruel to our ·ancestors [L fathers], forcing them to ·leave [L expose; abandon] their babies outside to die [C such abandonment was a common ancient method of population control]. 20 At this time Moses was born, and he was ·very beautiful [beautiful before/to God; or of high status in God’s eyes]. For three months Moses was cared for in his father’s house. 21 When ·they put Moses outside [L he was abandoned/exposed; C when Moses’ mother “exposed” Moses to the elements, she was actually hiding him; Ex. 2:3–4], ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] daughter adopted him and raised him as if he were her own son. 22 ·The Egyptians taught Moses everything they knew [L So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians], and he was a powerful man in ·what he said and did [L his words and actions].
23 “When Moses was about forty years old, ·he thought it would be good [L it rose up in his heart] to visit his own ·people [relatives; L brothers (and sisters)], the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel. 24 Moses saw an Egyptian ·mistreating [wronging] one of his people, so he defended the ·Israelite [L oppressed man] and ·punished the Egyptian by killing him [L avenged him by striking down the Egyptian; Ex. 2:11–12]. 25 Moses ·thought [assumed] his own ·people [relatives; L brothers (and sisters)] would understand that God was using him to save them, but they did not. 26 The next day when Moses saw two men of Israel fighting, he tried to ·make peace between [reconcile] them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you ·hurting [wronging] each other?’ 27 The man who was ·hurting [wronging] ·the other [L his neighbor] pushed Moses away and said, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge? 28 ·Are you going [or Do you want] to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday [Ex. 2:14]?’ 29 When Moses heard him say this, he ·left Egypt [L fled] and went to live in the land of Midian [C a land without distinct borders centered in northwestern Arabia] where he was a ·stranger [foreigner; resident alien; Ex. 2:15–25]. While Moses lived in Midian, he had two sons.
All Good Things Come from God
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of Solomon.
127 If the Lord doesn’t build the house,
the builders are working ·for nothing [in vain; without purpose].
If the Lord doesn’t guard the city,
the guards are watching ·for nothing [in vain; without purpose].
2 It is ·no use [in vain; without purpose] for you to get up early
and stay up late,
·working for a living [L eating the bread of hardship/pain].
The Lord ·gives sleep to those he loves [or provides for those he loves while they sleep].
3 Children are ·a gift [an inheritance] from the Lord;
·babies [L the fruit of the womb] are a reward.
4 Children ·who are born to a young man [L of one’s youth]
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior [C they help in the challenges and conflicts of life].
5 ·Happy [Blessed] is the man
who has his ·bag [quiver] full of ·arrows [L them].
They will not be ·defeated [L humiliated]
when they ·fight [L speak to] their enemies at the city gate [C the central place of commerce and government].
28 A ·useless [perverse] person causes ·trouble [conflicts],
and a gossip ruins close friendships.
29 ·Cruel [Violent] people ·trick [entice] their neighbors
and ·lead them to do wrong [L make them walk on a path that is not good].
30 Someone who winks their eye is planning ·evil [perverse things],
and the one who ·grins [L purses/narrows their lips] is ·planning something wrong [concealing evil].
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