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Solomon's Palace

^1 (C1)Now Solomon built his own house (palace) ^(F1)in thirteen years, and he finished all of his house in that time.^2 (C1)He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was a hundred ^(F1)cubits (150 ft.), its width fifty cubits (75 ft.), and its height thirty cubits (45 ft.), upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.³ And it was covered with cedar as a roof on the supporting beams that were upon the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row.⁴ There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers.⁵ All the doorways and doorposts and windows had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

⁶ He also made ^(C1)the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits (75 ft.) and its width thirty cubits (45 ft.). There was a porch in front, and pillars and a ^(C2)threshold in front of them.

⁷ He made the hall for the ^(C1)throne where he was to judge, the Hall of Judgment; ^(C2)it was paneled with cedar from one floor to another floor.

⁸ His house where he was to live, the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar workmanship. ^(C1)Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, ^(C2)whom he had married.

⁹ All these were of expensive stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great courtyard.

¹⁰ The foundation was of expensive stones, large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.¹¹ And above the foundation were expensive stones, stones cut according to measure, and cedar.¹² So ^(C1)the great courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams like the inner courtyard of the house of the LORD, and ^(C2)the porch of the house.

Hiram's Work in the Temple

¹³ Now ^(C1)King Solomon sent word and brought ^(F1)Hiram a skilled craftsman from Tyre.^14 (C1)He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. ^(C2)Hiram was filled with wisdom, understanding, and skill for doing any kind of work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and ^(C3)did all his bronze work.

¹⁵ He cast ^(C1)the two pillars of bronze; the one pillar was ^(C2)eighteen cubits high, and a measuring line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of both.¹⁶ He also made two capitals (crowns) of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.¹⁷ There were nets of network (lattice-work) and twisted threads (wreaths) of chainwork for the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars, seven for one capital and seven for the other.¹⁸ So Hiram made the pillars in this manner, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and he did the same for the other capital.¹⁹ The capitals which were upon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work (design), four cubits.²⁰ The capitals were on the two pillars and also above and close to the rounded projection which was beside the network. There were two hundred ^(C1)pomegranates in rows around both capitals.^21 (C1)Hiram set up the pillars at the ^(C2)porch of the temple; he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin (may he establish), and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz (in it is strength).²² On the tops of the pillars was lily work (design). So the work of the pillars was finished.

²³ Now ^(C1)he made the Sea (basin) of ^(C2)cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, five cubits high and thirty cubits in circumference. ^(VR1)24 Under its brim were ^(C1)gourds ^(C2)encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast in one piece with it.^25 (C1)It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three west, three south, and three east; the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts pointed inward.²⁶ It was a hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand ^(F1)baths.

^27 (C1)Then Hiram made ten bronze stands for smaller basins; the length of each stand was four cubits, its width was four cubits and its height was three cubits.²⁸ This was the design of the stands: they had borders between the frames.²⁹ On the borders between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the frames there was a pedestal above. Beneath the lions and oxen were borders of hanging work.³⁰ Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports for a basin. Beneath the basin were cast supports with borders at each side.³¹ Its opening inside the crown at the top measured a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half. Also on its opening were carvings, and their borders were square, not round.³² Underneath the borders were four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.³³ The wheels were made like a chariot wheel: their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast.³⁴ Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; the supports were part of the stand itself.³⁵ On the top of the stand there was a circular piece half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its supports and borders were part of it.³⁶ And on the surface of its supports and its borders Hiram engraved cherubim, lions, and palm-shaped decorations, according to the available space for each, with borders all around.^37 (C1)He made the ten stands like this: they all had one casting, one measure, and one form.

³⁸ Then ^(C1)he made ten basins of bronze; each basin held forty baths and was four cubits, and there was one basin on each of the ten stands.³⁹ Then he placed the bases, five on the right or south side of the house and five on the left or north side; and he set the Sea of cast metal on the right side of the house toward the southeast.

⁴⁰ Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished all the work which he did for King Solomon on the house of the LORD:⁴¹ the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the ^(C1)two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars;⁴² and the ^(C1)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;⁴³ the ten stands and the ten basins on the stands;^44 (C1)one Sea (basin), and the twelve oxen under the Sea;^45 (C1)the pails, the shovels, and the bowls; all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were of polished bronze.^46 (C1)In the plain of the Jordan River the king cast them, in the clay ground between ^(C2)Succoth and ^(C3)Zarethan.⁴⁷ Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because there were so many; ^(C1)the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

⁴⁸ Solomon made all the other furniture which was in the house of the LORD: the incense ^(C1)altar of gold; the table of gold on which was the ^(C2)bread of the Presence;⁴⁹ the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary); with ^(C1)the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold;⁵⁰ the cups, snuffers, bowls, spoons, ^(C1)firepans—of pure gold; and the hinges of gold both for the doors of the inner house, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the house, the main room the Holy Place.

^51 (C1)So all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was completed. ^(C2)Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the utensils—and he put them in the treasuries of the LORD'S house.