7
宮殿の建設
1それからソロモン王は、十三年かかって宮殿を完成させました。 2宮殿の一室に「レバノンの森の間」と呼ばれる、長さ百キュビト（四十四メートル）、幅五十キュビト（二十二メートル）、高さ三十キュビト（十三・二メートル）の大広間がありました。天井には大きなレバノン杉のはりが、四列の杉材の柱の上に渡してありました。 3-4三方の壁には、一列に五つずつ三列からなる計四十五の窓がありました。 5どの扉も枠も、四角形の木でできていました。
6ほかに「柱の間」と呼ばれる、長さ五十キュビト、幅三十キュビトの部屋がありました。その部屋には、ひさしのついた玄関がありました。
7それから、王が訴訟を聞くための、「玉座の間」とも「裁きの間」とも呼ばれる部屋がありました。ここは、床から天井まで、部屋全体を杉材で張り巡らしてありました。
8この部屋のうしろにある庭を取り囲むようにして、同じく杉材を張り巡らした、王の住まいがありました。またソロモンは、妻としたエジプト王の娘のために、自分のと同じ大きさの住まいを、宮殿の中に建てました。
9建物はすべて寸法どおりに切りそろえられた、大きく高価な石で造られました。 10土台の石は八キュビトから十キュビトもありました。 11塀に使った大きな石も寸法どおりに切られ、その上にレバノン杉の角材を重ねました。 12大庭の周囲の塀にも、三段の大きな切り石を使い、神殿の内庭や玄関のように、その上にレバノン杉の角材を重ねました。
神殿の器具の製作
13ソロモンは、ヒラムという青銅細工の熟練工をツロから呼び寄せました。 14彼の父親はツロの鋳造師でしたが、母親がナフタリ族の未亡人だったので、ユダヤ人の血が半分混じっていたのです。このヒラムが、王が求めるあらゆる仕事を行いました。
15彼は、高さ十八キュビト、周囲十二キュビトで、中が空洞の二本の青銅の柱を鋳造しました。 16-22柱の上に、青銅で鋳造した柱頭が載せられました。それはゆりの花の形をしていて、二つとも高さ五キュビトでした。その柱頭は、青銅の鎖で編んだ七組の格子細工の網と、網の上を二段に取り巻く四百個の青銅のざくろで飾られていました。ヒラムはこの二本の柱を、神殿の入口に立てました。右側の柱はヤキン（「設立する」の意）、左側の柱はボアズ（「力とともに」の意）という名をつけました。
23次にヒラムは、高さ十キュビト、直径五キュビト、円周三十キュビトという青銅の大洗盤を鋳造しました。 24その縁の下には、回りを取り巻くように、一キュビト（四十四センチメートル）おきに二列の飾り模様がありました。洗盤を鋳造した時に鋳込んだものです。 25この大洗盤は、三頭ずつ組になって、それぞれ後部を内側にして東西南北を向いた、十二頭の青銅の牛の上に載せられていました。 26洗盤の縁は杯の縁のような形をしていて、厚さは一手幅（七・五センチメートル）あり、容量は二千バテ（約四十六キロリットル）でした。
27-30彼はまた、四個の車輪で移動できる、十六平方メートル、高さ三キュビトの台を十個作りました。それぞれには、正方形の板が枠にはめこまれた台があり、その板の上にライオン、牛、ケルビムの飾りが彫ってあります。ライオンと牛の上下にある枠の表面は花模様で飾ってあります。どの台にも四個の青銅の車輪と青銅の軸がついていて、台の四隅には表面を花模様で飾った、四本の支柱が立っています。 31この台の上に、口の丸い洗盤が一キュビト出ています。洗盤の深さは一キュビト半で、花模様細工があしらってあります。枠の鏡板は正方形で、円形ではありません。 32台には四個の車輪が取りつけてありますが、車輪はどれも高さ一キュビト半で、それぞれ軸にはめてあります。 33車輪は戦車の車輪と同じ作りで、車軸や台の部品はみな、青銅で鋳造されていました。 34台の四隅にはそれぞれ支柱があり、四本とも台に固定されていました。 35台の先端を高さ半キュビトの丸い帯輪が取り巻いていて、帯輪は台の取っ手に固定されていました。このように、全部の部品が台に固定されていました。 36帯輪の縁には、ケルビム、ライオン、なつめやしの木が花模様に囲まれて彫られていました。 37全部で十個の台は、どれも同じ鋳型で、同じ大きさ、同じ形に作られました。
38それから、青銅の洗盤を十個作り、台の上に置きました。どの洗盤も直径は四キュビトで、容積は四十バテ（九百二十リットル）ありました。 39五個の洗盤は神殿の右側に、他の五個は左側に置きました。また大洗盤は、神殿の右手に当たる東南の隅に置きました。
40さらにヒラムは、灰つぼと十能と鉢を作りました。
こうして彼は、神殿のためにソロモン王が注文したすべての仕事を完成したのです。
41-46ヒラムが作ったものを書き出してみましょう。
二本の柱――二本の柱の頂に載せる柱頭。柱頭を覆う格子網――格子網に二段に並べられた四百個のざくろ。洗盤と、それを載せて移動できる台、おのおの十個。大洗盤と、それを支える十二頭の牛。灰つぼ。十能。鉢。
これらのものはみな青銅製で、スコテとツァレタンとの間のヨルダン川の低地で鋳造されました。 47総重量は、あまりにも重いため、ついに量らずじまいでした。
48神殿で使う器具や調度はみな、純金で作りました。その中には、祭壇、供えのパンを載せる机、 49至聖所に向かい右側に五つ、左側に五つの燭台、花模様、ともしび皿、火ばし、 50杯、芯切りばさみ、鉢、さじ、火皿、至聖所に通じる扉の蝶つがい、神殿の入口の扉の蝶つがいがありました。以上はみな純金製です。
51神殿の工事が完成した時、ソロモン王は神殿の宝物倉に、父ダビデが主にささげるために取っておいた金、銀、そのほか各種の器具を納めました。
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.
