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Forsooth Solomon builded his own house in thirteen years, and brought it till to perfection, or (a) perfect end (or unto completion).

He builded an house (made) of the forest, (or out of the wood,) of Lebanon, of an hundred cubits of length, and of fifty cubits of breadth, and of thirty cubits of height; and he builded four alleys betwixt the pillars of cedars (and he built four rows of cedar pillars); for he had hewn down [the] trees of cedars into pillars.

And he clothed all the chamber(s) with walls of cedar; the which chamber was sustained, or borne up, with five and forty pillars. And one order had fifteen pillars, set against themselves together, (And he covered all the walls of the chambers, or of the rooms, with cedar; and the roof was sustained, or borne up, by forty-five pillars. And each row had fifteen pillars, set in line with each other,)

and beholding themselves each even against (the) other by even space betwixt the pillars; (and there were three rows of windows, one row on each floor, each window in line with the one above, or below;)

and on the pillars were foursquare posts, even in all things. (and the pillars were square posts, even in all things.)

And he made a porch of pillars of fifty cubits of length, and of thirty cubits of breadth; and he made another porch in the face of the greater porch; and he made (the) pillars, and [the] pommels on the pillars. (And he made a colonnade of pillars which was fifty cubits in length, and thirty cubits in breadth; and he made another colonnade in front of the greater colonnade; and so he made the pillars, and the capitals on the pillars.)

Also he made a porch of the king’s seat, in which the seat of doom was; and he covered it with wood of cedar, from the pavement unto the highness. (And he made a hall for the king’s throne, in which was the throne of judgement; and he covered all the hall with cedar wood, from the floor to the ceiling.)

And a little house, in which he sat to deem, was in the middle porch, by like work. Also Solomon made an house to the daughter of Pharaoh, whom he had wedded, by such work, by what manner work he made and this porch. (And his own house, where he would live, had another hall within a colonnade, by like work. And Solomon made a house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had wedded, in the same manner of work with which he had made this hall.)

He made all things of precious stones, that were sawed at a rule and measure, both within and withoutforth, from the foundament unto the highness of [the] walls (from the foundation to the top of the walls), and within and till to the great street, either court(yard).

10 And the foundaments were of precious stones, great stones of ten, either of eight cubits; (And the foundations were made out of precious stones, great stones of eight or ten cubits;)

11 and precious stones hewn of even measure were above; in like manner and of cedar. (and above were precious stones, hewn, or cut, of equal measure; and cedar, in like manner.)

12 And the greater court, either void space, was round, of three orders of hewn stones, and of one order of hewn cedar beams; also and in the inner large street of the house of the Lord, and in the porch of the house of the Lord. (And the great courtyard all around had three rows of hewn stones, and one row of hewn cedar beams; as did the inner courtyard of the House of the Lord, and the vestibule of the House of the Lord.)

13 Also king Solomon sent, and brought from Tyre, Hiram[a], (And King Solomon sent for, and brought there Hiram from Tyre,)

14 the son of a woman widow (the son of a widow woman), of the lineage of Naphtali, of the father of a man of Tyre, a craftsman of brass, and full of wisdom, and understanding, and doctrine, or teaching, to make all work of brass. And when he had come to king Solomon, he made all his work.

15 And he made two pillars of brass, one pillar of eighteen cubits of height; and a line of twelve cubits compassed ever either pillar. (And he made two bronze pillars, each pillar eighteen cubits in height; and it took a cord twelve cubits long to go all around either pillar.)

16 Also he made two pommels, molten of brass, which were set on the heads of the pillars; one pommel of five cubits of height, and the tother pommel of five cubits of height; (And he cast two bronze capitals, which were set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits in height;)

17 and by the manner of a net, and of chains knit together to themselves, by wonderful work. Ever either pommel of the pillars was molten; seven works like nets of orders were in one pommel, and seven works like nets in the tother pommel. (and they were decorated with networks of chains knit together. Each capital for the pillars was cast; and seven rows of networks were on each capital.)

18 And he made perfectly the pillars, and two orders about all the works like nets, that those should cover the pommels, which were upon the highness of [the] pomegranates; in the same manner he did also to the second pommel. (And he finished the pillars, with two rows of pomegranates, all around the tops of the pillars, above the networks; he did this in the same manner for each of the capitals.)

19 And the pommels, that were upon the heads of the pillars in the porch, were made as by work of lily, of four cubits; (And the capitals, that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule, were shaped like lilies, four cubits in height;)

20 and again other pommels in the highness of [the] pillars above, by the measure of the pillar, set against the works like nets; and two hundred orders of pomegranates were in the compass of the second pommel. (and on the capitals, on the tops of the two bronze pillars, above the networks, were two hundred pomegranates in two rows, around each capital.)

21 And he set the two pillars in the porch of the temple; and when he had set the right half pillar, he called it by name Jachin, that is, steadfast; in like manner he raised up the second pillar, and he called the name thereof Boaz, that is, strength. (And he placed the two pillars in the vestibule of the Temple; and when he had raised up the right-hand pillar, he named it Jachin, that is, Steadfast; and in like manner he raised up the left-hand pillar, and he named it Boaz, that is, Strength.)

22 And he set upon the heads of the pillars a work by the manner of a lily; and (so) the work of the pillars was made perfect. (And on the very top of the pillars was lily work; and so the work of the pillars was finished, or completed.)

23 Also he made a molten sea, that is, a washing vessel for priests, round in compass, of ten cubits from brink to brink; the highness thereof was of five cubits; and a cord of thirty cubits went about it by compass. (And he cast the bronze Sea, that is, a washing vessel for the priests, and it was ten cubits across from brim to brim; its highness was five cubits; and it took a cord thirty cubits long to go all around it.)

24 And the engraving under the brink compassed it, and compassed the sea by ten cubits/and it came about the sea by ten cubits; twain orders of gravings containing some stories were molten (two rows of knops, or of gourds, were cast together, and joined with the Sea),

25 and (it) stood upon twelve oxen; of which oxen three beheld to the north, and three to the west, and three to the south, and three to the east; and the sea was above upon those oxen, of which all the hinder things were hid within.

26 And the thickness of the sea was of four fingers, or a palm, and the brink thereof was as the brink of a cup (and its brim was like the brim of a cup), and as the leaf of a lily crooked again; the sea contained two thousand baths, that is, three thousand metretes.

27 And he made ten brazen foundaments, each foundament of four cubits of length, and of four cubits of breadth, and of three cubits of highness.

28 And that work of the foundaments was raised betwixt; and gravings were between the jointures.

29 And between the little crowns and the circles were lions, oxen, and cherubims; and in the jointures in like manner above; and under the lions and the oxen were as reins of bridles of brass hanging down (and under the lions and the oxen were like reins of bridles made of bronze hanging down, or spiral work).

30 And by each foundament were four wheels, and brazen axletrees; and by (the) four parts were as little shoulderings under the washing vessel, the shoulderings, that is, short pillars to sustain the washing vessel, molten, and beholding against themselves together (the short pillars were cast, and they were placed opposite each other).

31 And the mouth of the washing vessel within was in the highness of the head, and that, that appeared withoutforth, was of one cubit, and it was all-round, and had altogether one cubit and an half; and diverse gravings were in the corners of [the] pillars (and diverse engravings were on the corners of the pillars), and the middle pillar between was square, not round.

32 And the four wheels, which were by [the] four corners of the foundament, cleaved together to themselves under the foundament; one wheel had one cubit and an half of height.

33 And the wheels were such, which manner wheels be wont to be made in a chariot; and the axletrees, and the nave-stocks, and the spokes, and [the] felloes/and the dowels of those wheels, all things were molten. (And the wheels were such, as be wont to be made for a chariot; and the axle-rods, and the nave-stocks, and the spokes, and the felloes/and the dowels for those wheels, all of these things were cast.)

34 For also the four little shoulderings, by all the corners of one foundament, were joined together, and [were] molten of that foundament, that is, were molten together with that foundament (that is, were cast together with that foundation), and made one body.

35 And in the highness of the foundament was a roundness, of one cubit and an half, so made craftily, that the washing vessel might be set above, having his portrayings, and diverse gravings of itself. (And at the top of the foundation was a circular band, one and a half cubits in height, skillfully made, so that the washing vessel could be put above, having portrayings, and diverse engravings, upon it.)

36 Also he graved in those walls, that were of brass, and in the corners, cherubims, and lions, and palms, as by the likeness of a man standing, that those seemed not graven, but put to by compass. (And he engraved on their bronze walls, and on their corners, cherubim, and lions, and palms, like the likeness of a man standing there, wherever there was an empty space, with spiral work all around it.)

37 By this manner he made ten foundaments, by one melting out, and one measure, and like engraving.

38 Also he made ten washing vessels of brass; one washing vessel took, (or held,) forty baths, and it was of four cubits; and he put each washing vessel by itself by each foundament by itself, that is, ten (and he put one washing vessel by itself on one foundation by itself, that is, ten altogether).

39 And he made ten foundaments, five at the right half of the temple, and five at the left half; and he set the sea at the right half of the temple, against the east, at the south. (And he put ten foundations, five on the right side of the Temple, and five on the left side; and he put the Sea on the right side of the Temple, at the southeast corner.)

40 Also Hiram made cauldrons, and pans, and wine vessels; and he made perfectly all the work of king Solomon in the temple of the Lord. (And Hiram made cauldrons, and pans, and basins; and so he finished all the work for King Solomon for the Temple of the Lord.)

41 He made (the) two pillars, and (the) two cords of the pommels, that is, (the) circles compassing the pommels, at the manner of cords, upon the pommels of the pillars, and (the) two works like nets, that those should cover the two cords, that were upon the heads of the pillars. (He made the two pillars, and the two bowl-shaped capitals, that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two networks, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals, that were on the tops of the pillars.)

42 And he made pomegranates four hundred in two works like nets; and two orders of pomegranates in each work like a net, to cover the cords of the pommels, that were on the heads of [the] pillars. (And he made four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; and there were two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the bowl-shaped capitals, that were on the tops of the pillars.)

43 And he made [the] ten foundaments, and [the] ten washing vessels on the foundaments;

44 and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;

45 and cauldrons, and pans, and wine vessels. All the vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon in the house of the Lord, were of latten. (and the cauldrons, and pans, and basins. All the vessels, which Hiram made for King Solomon for the House of the Lord, were cast in bronze.)

46 And the king melted out those vessels in the field country of Jordan (And the king had those vessels cast in the field country of Jordan), in [the] clay land, betwixt Succoth and Zarthan.

47 And Solomon setted all the vessels (in their places); but for the great multitude, no weight was of the brass. (And Solomon put all the vessels in their places; and because of their great multitude, the weight of the bronze could not be reckoned.)

48 And Solomon made all the vessels in the house of the Lord; soothly he made the golden altar, that is, the altar of incense, that was within the temple, and the golden board, upon which the loaves of setting forth were set; (And Solomon made all the vessels for the House of the Lord; yea, he made the gold altar, that is, the altar of incense, that was within the Temple, and the gold table, on which the loaves of setting forth, or the loaves of proposition, were placed;)

49 and he made of most pure gold (the) golden candlesticks, five at the right half, and five at the left half, against God’s answering place; and he made as the flowers of a lily, and (the) golden lanterns above, and (the) golden tongs; (and he made the candlesticks out of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left side, that stood in front of the Inner Temple, that is, the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies; and he made the lily flowers, and the lanterns, and the tongs out of pure gold;)

50 and pots, and hooks, and vials, and mortars, and censers of purest gold; and the hinges of the doors of the inner house of the holy of holy things, and of the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold. (and the pots, and hooks, and basins, and spoons, and censers out of pure gold; and the hinges for the doors of the Inner Temple, that is, the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the Temple itself, were also made out of gold.)

51 And Solomon performed all the work, that he made in the house of the Lord; and he brought in the things, which David, his father, had hallowed; silver, and gold, and vessels; and he kept those in the treasures of the house of the Lord. (And so Solomon finished all the work that he had ordained for the House of the Lord; and he brought in the things, which his father David had dedicated; the silver, and the gold, and the vessels; and he kept them all in the treasuries of the House of the Lord.)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:13 Also known as ‘Huram’.

Solomon Builds His Palace

It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(A) He built the Palace(B) of the Forest of Lebanon(C) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[a] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[b]

He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.[c] In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(D) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[d](E) And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.(F)

All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits[e] and some eight.[f] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(G) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

The Temple’s Furnishings(H)(I)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[g](J) 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,(K) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(L) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(M) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[h] 16 He also made two capitals(N) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[i] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows[j] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[k] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[l] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(O) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n](P) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(Q) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(R) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(S) of thirty cubits[o] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(T) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[p] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[q]

27 He also made ten movable stands(U) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[r] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(V) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[s] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[t] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[u] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38 He then made ten bronze basins,(W) each holding forty baths[v] and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. 40 He also made the pots[w] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(X)

So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41 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;

42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals(Y) on top of the pillars);

43 the ten stands with their ten basins;

44 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45 the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.(Z)

All these objects that Huram(AA) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain(AB) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(AC) and Zarethan.(AD) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(AE) because there were so many;(AF) the weight of the bronze(AG) was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all(AH) the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table(AI) on which was the bread of the Presence;(AJ)

49 the lampstands(AK) of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(AL) and censers;(AM)

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

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

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 That is, about 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  2. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  3. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  4. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  5. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  6. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  7. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  8. 1 Kings 7:15 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  9. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  10. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  11. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  12. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  13. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  14. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  15. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  16. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  17. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  18. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  19. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  20. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  21. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  22. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  23. 1 Kings 7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins