4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. [1]
5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.
6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, except only to burn sacrifice before him? [2]
7 Send me now therefore a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that hath skill to engrave with the skilful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. [3]
8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, [4]
9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful. [5]
10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.
12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that may build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom. [6]
13 And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father’s,
14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to engrave any manner of engraving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord David thy father.
15 Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send to his servants:
16 And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou mayest convey it to Jerusalem. [7] [8]
17 And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering which David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred. [9]
18 And he set seventy thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people to work.
CHAP. 3.
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared to David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. [10] [11]
2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3 Now these are the things in which Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. [12]
4 And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
5 And the greater house he panelled with fir wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set on it palm trees and chains.
6 And he adorned the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. [13]
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls of it, and the doors of it, with gold; and engraved cherubim on the walls.
8 And he made the most holy house, the length of which was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth of it twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work, and overlaid them with gold. [14]
11 And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
12 And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. [15]
14 And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim on it. [16]
15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. [17]
16 And he made chains, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
17 And he erected the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz. [18] [19]
CHAP. 4.
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length of it, and twenty cubits the breadth of it, and ten cubits the height of it.
2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape, and five cubits the height of it; and a line of thirty cubits around it. [20]
3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which surrounded it: ten in a cubit, surrounding the sea. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
4 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their back parts were inward.
5 And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths. [21]
6 He made
- ↑ sweet...: Heb. incense of spices
- ↑ is able: Heb. hath retained, or, obtained strength
- ↑ to grave: Heb. to grave gravings
- ↑ algum: also called, almuggim
- ↑ wonderful...: Heb. great and wonderful
- ↑ endued...: Heb. knowing prudence and understanding
- ↑ as much...: Heb according to all thy need
- ↑ Joppa: Heb. Japho
- ↑ the strangers: Heb. the men the strangers
- ↑ where...: or, which was seen of David his father
- ↑ Ornan: also called, Araunah
- ↑ instructed: Heb. founded
- ↑ garnished: Heb. covered
- ↑ image...: or, (as some think) of moveable work
- ↑ inward: or, toward the house
- ↑ wrought: Heb. caused to ascend
- ↑ high: Heb. long
- ↑ Jachin: that is, He shall establish
- ↑ Boaz: that is, In it is strength
- ↑ from...: Heb. from his brim to his brim
- ↑ with flowers...: or, like a lilyflower
