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 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters 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 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters 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 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23 and some eight.7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters 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 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters 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 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; 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 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; 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 45 feet or about 14 meters to measure around 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 toward the center. 26It was a handbreadth7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters 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 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; 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 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 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 18 inches or about 45 centimeters deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; 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 9 inches or about 23 centimeters 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 molds and were identical in size and shape.
38He then made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters 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 southeast 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 molds 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 basins, 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.
所羅門的王宮
1所羅門用了十三年的時間為自己興建王宮。 2他建造的黎巴嫩林宮長四十五米，寬二十二米半，高十三米半，有四行香柏木柱，柱子支撐著香柏木橫梁。 3每一行木柱有十五根，共四十五根。殿頂鋪香柏木板。 4宮殿有三排窗戶，窗與窗相對； 5宮殿的門框和窗戶都是方形的，三排窗戶彼此相對。
6他又建了一座有柱子的廊子，長二十二米半，寬十三米半，前面還有帶柱子的門廊和篷子。 7此外，他又建造了一個判案的公堂。堂內從地板到天花板都鋪上了香柏木。 8所羅門的寢宮就在公堂後面的院內，建築樣式和公堂相同。所羅門又為所娶的法老之女造了一座與公堂相同的宮室。
9這些宮殿，從根基到牆頂，從外院到內殿用的都是上等的石頭，按規格裡外用鋸切割整齊。 10根基用的是非常珍貴的石頭，它們的體積巨大，有些甚至是長達三米半至四米半的巨石， 11上面是按照規格鑿好的上等石頭以及香柏木。 12大院周圍的牆由三層鑿好的石頭和一層香柏木建成，正如耶和華殿的內院和殿廊的牆。
戶蘭造聖殿的器具
13所羅門王派人從泰爾把戶蘭召來。 14戶蘭是拿弗他利支派一個寡婦的兒子，父親是泰爾的銅匠。戶蘭聰明伶俐，技術高超，擅長製造各種銅器。他前來朝見所羅門王，領命負責一切銅器工程。
15他鑄造了兩根銅柱，每根高八米，周長五米四， 16然後用銅鑄造了兩個高兩米二的柱冠，安在柱頂上。 17每一個柱冠上裝飾著七條鏈子織成的網， 18網周圍環繞著兩行石榴，用來遮蓋柱冠。 19門廊的柱冠高一米八，形狀像百合花。 20在每個柱冠靠近網子鼓起來的地方圍著兩行石榴，共二百個。 21他把兩根柱子立在殿廊前，南邊那根稱為雅斤，北邊那根稱為波阿斯。 22柱冠的形狀像百合花。這樣，銅柱就造成了。
23他又鑄了一個圓形銅海，高兩米二，直徑四米半，周長十三米半。 24銅海邊緣下面有兩圈野瓜圖案，每米有二十個野瓜，是跟銅海一起鑄造的。 25有十二頭銅牛馱著銅海，三頭向北，三頭向西，三頭向南，三頭向東。銅海安在牛上，牛尾向內。 26銅海厚八釐米，邊如杯邊，又如百合花，容量是四萬四千升。 27戶蘭用銅造了十個盆座，每個長一米八，寬一米八，高一米三。 28盆座四面裝上鑲板，鑲板固定在框架上。 29鑲板和框架上刻著獅子、牛和基路伯天使，獅子和牛的上面和下面雕刻著花環。 30每一個盆座都有四個銅輪和銅軸，盆放在有四個支腳鑄成的盆架上，盆架周圍有花環圖案。 31盆座的開口呈圓形，深四十五釐米，直徑七十釐米，開口周圍有雕刻。鑲板是方形的，不是圓形的， 32下面有四個七十釐米高的輪子，輪軸固定在盆座上。 33輪子的樣式像戰車的輪子，軸、輞、輻、轂都是鑄成的。 34每個盆座的四角都有支腳，支腳和盆座鑄成一體。 35盆座上有一個高二十三釐米的圓架，上面的支架和鑲板與盆座鑄成一體。 36支架和鑲板都刻上基路伯天使、獅子和棕樹的圖案，周圍有花環圖案。 37十個盆座的鑄法、大小和形狀相同。 38他又用銅製造了十個盆，盆徑一米八，容量八百八十升。十個銅盆分別放在十個盆座上。 39殿門左右各放五個盆座。銅海放在殿的東南角。
40戶蘭又造了鍋、鏟和碗。他為所羅門王完成了耶和華殿的一切工作。 41他所製造的有兩根柱子，兩個碗狀的柱冠，兩個裝飾柱冠的網子， 42四百個安在網子上的石榴，每個網子上兩行石榴，用來裝飾碗狀的柱冠； 43十個盆座及盆座上的十個盆； 44銅海和銅海下面的十二頭銅牛； 45鍋、鏟、碗。這些都是戶蘭給所羅門王用磨亮的銅為耶和華的殿造的器具。 46這些都是照王的命令在疏割和撒拉但之間的約旦平原用泥模鑄成的。 47所羅門沒有稱過這些器具，因為太多，銅的重量無法統計。
48所羅門又為耶和華的殿造了以下器具：金壇和放供餅的金桌； 49至聖所前面的純金燈臺，左右各五個；燈臺上的金花、燈盞和燈剪； 50純金造的杯、燈剪、碗、碟和火鼎，以及至聖所和外殿入口的金門樞。
51所羅門王完成耶和華殿的一切工作後，就把他父親大衛獻給耶和華的金銀和器具都搬進耶和華殿的庫房。
