Solomon's Other Buildings

1But Solomon was building his own house for thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

2He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length of it was a hundred cubits, and the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.

3And it was covered with cedar above the beams, that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row.

4And there were windows in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

5And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6And he made a porch of pillars; the length of it was fifty cubits, and the breadth of it thirty cubits: and the porch was in front of them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were in front of them.

7Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.

8And his house where he dwelt had another court inside the porch, which was of like workmanship. Solomon made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken as his wife, like unto this porch.

9All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of cut stones, sawed with saws, inside and out, even from the foundation unto the eaves, and also on the outside toward the great court.

10And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.

11And above were costly stones, after the measures of cut stones, and cedars.

12And the great court round about was with three rows of cut stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.

Hiram of Tyre

13And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of Tyre.

14He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in bronze. And he came to king Solomon, and did all his work.

15For he cast two pillars of bronze, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each.

16And he made two capitals of molten bronze, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits:

17And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital.

18And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the capitals that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other capital.

19And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.

20And the capitals upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the rounded projection which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other capital.

21And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.

22And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

The Temple Furnishings

23And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and its height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

24And under the brim of it round about there were knobs compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knobs were cast in two rows, when it was cast.

25It 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 hind parts were inward.

26And it was a handbreadth thick, and the brim thereof was shaped like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

27And he made ten stands of bronze; four cubits was the length of one stand, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.

28And the work of the stands was on this manner: they had panels, and the panels were between the frames:

29And on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim: and upon the frames there was a pedestal above: and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths made of hammered work.

30And every stand had four bronze wheels, and axles of bronze: and the four corners thereof had supports: under the laver were molten supports, at the side of every wreath.

31And the mouth of it within the capital and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round like the shape of a pedestal, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were engravings with their panels, foursquare, not round.

32And under the panels were four wheels; and the axles of the wheels were joined to the stand: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.

33And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axles, and their rims, and their hubs, and their spokes, were all molten.

34And there were four supports to the four corners of each stand: and the supports were of one piece with the stand itself.

35And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high: and on the top of the stand the frames thereof and the panels thereof were all one piece.

36For on the plates of the frames thereof, and on the panels thereof, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each one, and wreaths round about.

37After this manner he made the ten stands: all of them were of the same casting, of the same measure, and the same shape.

38Then made he ten lavers of bronze: each laver contained forty baths: and each laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten stands was one laver.

39And he put five stands on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house toward the southeast.

40And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished doing all the work that he made for king Solomon for the house of the LORD:

41The two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars;

42And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars;

43And the ten stands, and ten lavers on the stands;

44And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;

45And the pots, and the shovels, and the basins: and all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of bright bronze.

46In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

47And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were very many: neither was the weight of the bronze measured.

48And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, on which was the showbread,

49And the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the inner sanctuary, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,

50And the bowls, and the wick trimmers, and the basins, and the ladles, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room, the most holy place, and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the furnishings, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.