Salomon bygger sit eget paladskompleks
1Det tog Salomon 13 år at opføre sit eget paladskompleks.
2-3En af bygningerne kaldte han „Libanonskovhallen”. Den var 45 m lang, 22,5 m bred og 13,5 m høj. Den var bygget op omkring fire rækker cedertræssøjler. Loftkonstruktionen bestod af 3 gange 15 store tværbjælker af cedertræ, som hvilede på disse cedertræssøjler. Oven på tværbjælkerne var der lagt et bræddeloft bestående af cedertræsplanker.7,2-3 I vers 2 taler den masoretiske tekst (MT) om fire rækker søjler, mens nogle håndskrifter af Septuaginta taler om tre. Oversættelsen her bygger på MT og formoder, at der var fire rækker søjler, hvoraf de to yderste gav skelettet til ydermuren, som muligvis også var bygget af cedertræ. Vers 3 siger ordret: „Det—huset—blev dækket ovenfra med cedertræ ovenpå tværstykkerne/sidestykkerne, som var ovenpå søjlerne—45, 15 i rækken.” Teksten kunne fortolkes, som om der var 45 søjler i stedet for 45 tværbjælker, men det ville ikke passe med de fire søjlerækker. 4I hallens langsider var der vinduer, der sad over for hinanden i tre niveauer. 5I hver ende af hallen var der tre rektangulære døråbninger, der også sad over for hinanden.
6Han byggede også „Søjlehallen”. Den var 22,5 m lang og 13,5 m bred med en overdækket terrasse, hvis tag blev båret af en række søjler.
7Desuden byggede han „Domhuset”, hvor hans trone stod. Det var her, han afsagde dom i de forskellige retssager, der blev bragt til ham. Det var indvendigt beklædt med cedertræspaneler fra gulv til loft.
8Salomons private beboelseshuse lå bag Domhuset inden for den mur, som omgav hele paladskomplekset. Det hus, han lod opføre til den egyptiske prinsesse, han havde giftet sig med, svarede i størrelse og udstyr til hans eget. 9Husene blev bygget af store, smukke sandsten, som var blevet hugget ud og savet til i bestemte mål. Disse sten blev brugt til husmurene, hele vejen fra nederst til øverst, og de blev også brugt til muren omkring paladsgården. 10Stenene til fundamentet var ekstra store, nogle var 4,5 m lange, andre 3,6 m. 11Oven på fundamentet blev der så bygget med de andre sten, der var tilhugget efter bestemte mål, samt med cedertræ. 12Muren omkring paladsets gård bestod af tre lag tilhugne sten med et lag cedertræsbjælker ovenpå, svarende til den mur, der omgav templet og forhallen foran templet.
Huram laver de øvrige ting til templet
13-14Kong Salomon sendte bud til Tyrus efter en kunsthåndværker og fik fat i en mand ved navn Huram,7,13-14 I den hebraiske tekst er navnet Hiram, mens det i 2.Krøn. 2,12 og 4,16 er Huram-Abi. Det er formodentlig den samme mand, der er tale om, og han må ikke forveksles med kong Hiram. som var ekspert i bronzestøbning. Han var søn af en enke fra Naftalis stamme, og hans far havde været en dygtig bronzesmed i Tyrus. Således kom Huram i arbejde hos kong Salomon.
15Han lavede to bronzesøjler,7,15 Eller: „kobbersøjler”. På hebraisk bruges det samme ord for kobber og bronze. 8,1 m i højden og 5,4 m i omkreds. 16Derefter formede han to søjlehoveder af bronze, der var 2,25 m høje. 17Hvert søjlehoved var dekoreret med syv rækker kædelignende bronzefletværk. 18Oven over dem anbragte han to rækker granatæbler i bronze. 19De øverste 1,8 m af søjlehovederne var bøjet udad som en liljeblomst. 20De to rækker granatæbler, 100 i hver række, var anbragt over den fortykkede kant forneden på søjlehovedet ved siden af fletværket. 21Disse to søjler blev placeret foran tempelindgangen. Søjlen mod syd blev kaldt Jakin, og søjlen mod nord blev kaldt Boaz. 22Dermed var søjlerne færdige.
23Han støbte også en stor, rund vandbeholder, 2,25 m dyb, 4,5 m i diameter og 13,5 m i omkreds. Den blev kaldt „bronzehavet”. 24På ydersiden lige under kanten hele vejen rundt lavede han to rækker græskarlignende udsmykninger med ca. 5 cm mellem hver, formet i ét med resten af bronzehavet. 25Beholderen stod på 12 bronzeokser, der vendte halerne mod hinanden, således at okserne tre og tre så i retning af de fire verdenshjørner. 26Beholderens tykkelse var en håndsbred, og kanten var bøjet udad som kanten på en kop eller som toppen af en liljeblomst. Den rummede ca. 44.000 liter vand.7,26 På hebraisk: 2000 bat, hvor en bat normalt anslås til ca. 22 liter.
27Derpå lavede han ti rulleborde af bronze, 1,8 m lange, 1,8 m brede og 1,35 m høje. 28Bordene var konstrueret med sidepaneler, som var sat fast på de fire ben i hjørnerne. 29Sidepanelerne var dekoreret med løver, okser og keruber. Både over og under løverne og okserne var der dekorationer formet som kranse, der hang nedad. 30Alle disse borde havde fire bronzehjul med bronzeaksler. I hvert side var der en lodret stang, som ragede lidt op, så det tilhørende vandfad kunne blive holdt på plads oven på bordet. Også disse støttestænger var af bronze, og de var dekoreret med kranselignende ornamenter. 31På oversiden af hvert rullebord var der en cirkulær fordybning som et underlag til støtte for vandfadet. Den var 45 cm dyb med en støttehylde nedenunder på ekstra 22,5 cm. Der var også dekorationer ved kanten af denne fordybning. Sidepanelerne var dog firkantede, ikke runde.
32De fire hjul sad under sidepanelerne og havde en diameter på 67 cm. Hjulakslerne gik igennem de fire hjørneben. 33Hjulene lignede almindelige vognhjul, men både aksler, eger, fælge og nav var støbt i metal. 34I hvert hjørne var der et håndtag, som var ud i ét stykke med resten af bordet. 35Ved overkanten af bordet var der en bort på en halv alens bredde, der gik hele vejen rundt.7,35 En del af disse vers er temmelig uforståelige. 36Keruber, løver, palmetræer og kransedekorationer smykkede det hele, hvor der var plads. 37Alle ti rulleborde var fuldstændig ens, idet de blev støbt ved brug af de samme forme.
38Derefter lavede han ti store vandfade af bronze og placerede dem i den dertil indrettede fordybning i rullebordene. Hvert fad var 1,8 m i diameter og rummede knap 900 liter vand.7,38 På hebraisk: 40 bat. 39De ti rulleborde med tilhørende vandfade blev placeret i templets forgård, fem på templets sydside og fem på nordsiden. Bronzehavet blev placeret ved templets sydøstlige hjørne.
40Endelig lavede Huram diverse redskaber såsom askebakker, skovle og stænkeskåle. Derefter var han færdig med inventaret til Herrens hus og havde således fuldført den opgave, kong Salomon havde givet ham. 41-42Det følgende er en liste over de ting, Huram lavede:
De to søjler; de to liljeformede søjlehoveder med tilhørende fletværk og de 400 granatæbler; 43de ti rulleborde med de ti store vandfade; 44bronzehavet og dets fundament bestående af 12 okser; 45-46askebakkerne, skovlene og stænkeskålene.
Alle disse genstande var lavet af blankpoleret bronze og støbt i lerforme i Jordandalen mellem Sukkot og Zaretan. 47Totalvægten af den bronze, der blev brugt til Hurams arbejde, vides ikke; der gik simpelt hen så meget bronze til, at Salomon opgav at veje det.
48Salomon fik al inventaret til brug inde i selve templet belagt med rent guld—både redskaberne, røgelsesalteret, bordet til de hellige brød, 49de ti lysestager (fem stager ved hver langvæg i tempelrummet uden for det allerhelligste rum), alle blomsterdekorationerne, lamperne, vægetængerne, 50baljerne, vægesaksene, stænkeskålene, fadene og bakkerne til gløder. Både hængslerne til dørene ind til det allerhelligste rum og dørene ved templets hovedindgang blev belagt med guld.
51Da Herrens hus stod færdigt, tog kong Salomon de gaver af sølv og guld og andre kostbarheder, som hans far havde givet til Herren, og han placerede det hele i skatkammeret i Herrens hus.
Solomon builds his palace
1It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. 2He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,7:2 That is, about 45 metres long, 23 metres wide and 14 metres high with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns – forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
6He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.7:6 That is, about 23 metres long and 14 metres wide In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.
7He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor 8And 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.
9All 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. 10The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits7:10 That is, about 4.5 metres; also in verse 23 and some eight.7:10 That is, about 3.6 metres 11Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses 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
13King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45 14whose 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, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.
15He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.7:15 That is, about 8.1 metres high and 5.4 metres in circumference 16He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits7:16 That is, about 2.3 metres; also in verse 23 high. 17A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18He made pomegranates in two rows7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates He did the same for each capital. 19The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits7:19 That is, about 1.8 metres; also in verse 38 high. 20On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. 21He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes. and the one to the north Boaz.7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength. 22The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.
23He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits7:23 That is, about 14 metres to measure round it. 24Below the rim, gourds encircled it – ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.
25The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were towards the centre. 26It was a handbreadth7:26 That is, about 7.5 centimetres in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.7:26 That is, about 44,000 litres; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
27He also made ten movable stands of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.7:27 That is, about 1.8 metres long and wide and 1.4 metres high 28This is how the stands were made: they had side panels attached to uprights. 29On 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. 30Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit7:31 That is, about 45 centimetres deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.7:31 That is, about 68 centimetres; also in verse 32 Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32The 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. 33The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.
34Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit7:35 That is, about 23 centimetres deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same moulds and were identical in size and shape.
38He then made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths7:38 That is, about 880 litres and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39He 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 south-east corner of the temple. 40He also made the pots7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins and shovels and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:
41the 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;
42the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);
43the ten stands with their ten basins;
44the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;
45the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.
All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46The king had them cast in clay moulds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan. 47Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.
48Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:
the golden altar;
the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence;
49the lampstands 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;
50the pure gold dishes, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers;
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.
51When 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 – the silver and gold and the furnishings – and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.
