The Daily Audio Bible

Objects for Worship

4 Then he made a brass altar. It was ten steps long, and ten steps wide, and three times taller than a man. ² He melted brass and made a pool. It was round, and five long steps from one side to the other. It was as tall as a man can raise his hand. And it took fifteen steps to walk around it. ³ There were objects that looked like oxen under the pool and all around it, (ten long steps around it). The oxen were in two rows, and were made of one piece. ⁴ The pool was put on the twelve oxen. Three had their faces toward the north, three toward the west, three toward the south, and three toward the east. The pool was put on top of them. All their tails were toward the center. ⁵ The brass of the pool was as thick as a hand is wide. Its round top was made like the top of a cup, like a lily flower. It could hold 22,000 bottles of water. ⁶ He made ten pots in which to wash. He put five on the right side and five on the left side. They were to wash what was used for the burnt gifts. But the pool was for the religious leaders to wash in.

⁷ Then he made ten gold lamp-stands, as was shown in the plan. He put them in the house of God, five on the right side and five on the left. ⁸ He made ten tables and put them in the house of God. Five were on the right side and five on the left. And he made 100 deep dishes out of gold. ⁹ Then he made the open space of the religious leaders, the large open space, and the doors for the open space. And he covered their doors with brass. ¹⁰ He set the pool at the south-east corner of the house.

¹¹ Then Huram made the pails, the tools for digging, and the pots. So Huram finished the work of God’s house that he did for King Solomon. ¹² He finished making the two pillars, the pots, and the two pieces on top of the pillars. He finished the two networks to cover the two pots of the pieces on top of the pillars. ¹³ He finished the 400 pomegranates for the two networks. There were two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two pots of the pieces on top of the pillars. ¹⁴ He made the stands and he made the pots on the stands. ¹⁵ He made the one pool with the twelve oxen under it. ¹⁶ Huram-abi made the pails, the tools for digging, the meat-hooks, and all their objects. He made them of shining brass for King Solomon for the house of the Lord. ¹⁷ The king had them made on the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸ Solomon made so many of these objects that the weight of the brass could not be known.

¹⁹ Solomon made all the things that were in the house of God. He made the gold altar, and the tables for the holy bread. ²⁰ He made the lamp-stands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn in front of the most holy place in the way given. ²¹ He made the flowers, the lamps and their objects of pure gold. ²² He made the things to put out the lamps, the pots and the fire-holders of pure gold. And he made the front of the house, its inside doors for the most holy place, and the doors of the holy place, all of gold.

5 So all the work that Solomon did for the Lord’s house was finished. He brought in the things that his father David had set apart, the silver and the gold and all the objects. He put them in the store-rooms of the house of God.

The Special Box Brought into the House of God

² Then Solomon gathered to Jerusalem the leaders of Israel, and all the heads of the families, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the sons of Israel. He called them together to bring up the special box with the Law of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. ³ All the men of Israel gathered together in front of the king at the special supper in the seventh month. ⁴ All the leaders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the special box of God. ⁵ They brought up the special box of God, the meeting tent, and all the holy objects that were in the tent. The religious leaders and the Levites brought them up. ⁶ Then King Solomon and all the people of Israel who were with him were in front of the special box of God. There they gave on the altar in worship so many sheep and oxen that they could not be numbered. ⁷ The religious leaders brought the special box of the Lord to its place. They brought it into the most holy place in the house, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the special box of God. They made a covering over the special box and its long pieces of wood used for carrying. ⁹ The pieces of wood for the special box of God were so long that their ends could be seen in front of the holy place. But they could not be seen outside. They are there to this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the special box of God except the two stone writings which Moses put there at Horeb. It was there that the Lord made an agreement with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

¹¹ Then the religious leaders came out of the holy place. All the religious leaders who were there had set themselves apart, without thinking of how they were divided. ¹² All the Levite singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and brothers, were dressed in fine linen. They stood east of the altar, with timbrels and different kinds of harps. With them were 120 religious leaders sounding horns. ¹³ Those who sounded the horns and the singers made themselves heard as with one voice, praising and thanking the Lord. They sang in a loud voice, with horns, and timbrels, and other objects for making music. They praised the Lord, saying, “He is good. For His loving-kindness lasts forever.” Then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ The religious leaders could not stand to do their work because of the cloud. For the shining-greatness of the Lord filled the house of God.

Solomon’s Words to the People

6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would live in the thick cloud. ² I have built a great house for You. It is a place for You to live in forever.” ³ Then the king turned around and prayed that good would come to all the people of Israel, while all the people of Israel stood.

⁴ Solomon said, “Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of Israel. He spoke with His mouth to my father David. And He has kept His promises with His hands, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I chose no city among all the families of Israel in which to build a house for My name. I did not choose any man to be a leader over My people Israel. ⁶ But I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there. And I have chosen David to rule My people Israel.’ ⁷ Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. ⁹ But you will not build the house. Your son who will be born to you will build the house for My name.’ ¹⁰ Now the Lord has kept His promise which He made. For I have taken the place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. And I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹ There I have put the special box with the Law of the Lord which He gave to the people of Israel.”

7 Christian brothers, I am sure you understand what I am going to say. You know all about the Law. The Law has power over a man as long as he lives. ² A married woman is joined by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if he dies, she is free from the law that joined her to him. ³ If she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is sinning by not being faithful in marriage. If her husband dies, she is free from the law that joined her to him. After that she can marry someone else. She does not sin if she marries another man.

⁴ My Christian brothers, that is the way it is with you. You were under the power of the Law. But now you are dead to it because you are joined to another. You are joined to Christ Who was raised from the dead. This is so we may be what God wants us to be. Our lives are to give fruit for Him. ⁵ When we lived to please our bodies, those sinful desires were pulling at us all the time. We always wanted to do what the Law said not to do. Living that kind of life brings death, ⁶ but now we are free from the Law. We are dead to sin that once held us in its power. No longer do we follow the Law which is the old way. We now follow the new way, the way of the Spirit.

⁷ Then what are we saying? Is the Law sinful? No, not at all! But it was the Law that showed me what sin is. I did not know it was sin to follow wrong desires, but the Law said, “You must not follow wrong desires.” ⁸ The Law made me know how much I was sinning. It showed me how I had a desire for all kinds of things. For without the Law, sin is dead. ⁹ I was once alive. That was when I did not know what the Law said I had to do. Then I found that I had broken the Law. I knew I was a sinner. Death was mine because of the Law. ¹⁰ The Law was supposed to give me new life. Instead, it gave me death. ¹¹ Sin found a way to trap me by working through the Law. Then sin killed me by using the Law.

¹² The Law is holy. Each one of the Laws is holy and right and good. ¹³ Then does it mean that the Law, which is good, brought death to me? No, not at all! It was sin that did it. Sin brought death to me by the Law that is good. In that way, sin was shown to be what it is. So because of the Law, sin becomes much more sinful.

Prayer for Help in Time of Trouble

17 Hear what is right, O Lord. Listen to my cry. Hear my prayer, for it does not come from lying lips. ² May You decide in my favor. May Your eyes see what is right. ³ You have tested my heart. You have visited me during the night. You have tested me and have found nothing wrong. I have decided that my mouth will not sin. ⁴ As for the actions of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept myself from the paths of those who want to hurt others. ⁵ My steps have followed Your paths. My feet have not turned from them.

⁶ I have called to You, O God, for You will answer me. Listen to me and hear my words. ⁷ Show Your great loving-kindness. You save by Your right hand the people that come to You for help from those who hate them. ⁸ Keep me safe as You would Your own eye. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings, ⁹ from the sinful who fight against me, those who would kill me and are all around me. ¹⁰ They have closed their fat hearts to pity. And their mouths speak with pride. ¹¹ They have followed our every step and are all around us. They are watching for a way to bring us down to the ground. ¹² He is like a hungry lion, like a young lion hiding and waiting.

¹³ Rise up, O Lord. Stand against him. Bring him down. Save me from the sinful with Your sword. ¹⁴ O Lord, save me by Your hand from such men. Their riches are in this life. Their stomach is filled with what you have stored for them. Their children are filled. Let them leave some for their babies. ¹⁵ As for me, I will see Your face in what is right and good. I will be happy to see You when I awake.

²² What is desired in a man is his kindness, and it is better to be a poor man than a liar.

²³ The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will sleep well, and will not be touched by sin.