Solomon's palace is built

1Solomon's palace took thirteen years to build.

2-3Forest Hall was the largest room in the palace. It was forty-four metres long, twenty-two metres wide, and thirteen and a half metres high, and was lined with cedar from Lebanon. It had four rows of cedar pillars, fifteen in a row, and they held up forty-five cedar beams. The ceiling was covered with cedar. 4Three rows of windows on each side faced each other, 5and there were three doors on each side near the front of the hall.

6Pillar Hall was twenty-two metres long and thirteen and a half metres wide. A covered porch supported by pillars went all the way across the front of the hall.

7Solomon's throne was in Justice Hall, where he judged cases. This hall was completely lined with cedar.

8The section of the palace where Solomon lived was behind Justice Hall and looked exactly like it. He had a similar place built for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.7.8: 1 K 3.1.

9From the foundation all the way to the top, these buildings and the courtyard were made out of the best stones7.9 From…best stones: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. carefully cut to size, then smoothed on every side with saws. 10The foundation stones were huge, good stones—some of them four and a half metres long and others three and a half metres long. 11The cedar beams and other stones that had been cut to size were on top of these foundation stones. 12The walls around the palace courtyard were made out of three layers of cut stones with one layer of cedar beams, just like the front porch and the inner courtyard of the temple.

Hiram makes the bronze furnishings

(2 Chronicles 3.15-17; 4.1-10)

13-14Hiram was a skilled bronze worker from the city of Tyre.7.13,14 Hiram…city of Tyre: This is not the same person as “King Hiram of Tyre” (see 5.1). His father was now dead, but he also had been a bronze worker from Tyre, and his mother was from the tribe of Naphtali.

King Solomon asked Hiram to come to Jerusalem and make the bronze furnishings to use for worship in the LORD's temple, and he agreed to do it.

15Hiram made two bronze columns eight metres tall and almost two metres across. 16For the top of each column, he also made a bronze cap just over two metres high. 17The caps were decorated with seven rows of designs that looked like chains,7.17 seven rows…chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 18with two rows of designs that looked like pomegranates.7.18 pomegranates: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18. A pomegranate is a bright red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.

19The caps for the columns of the porch were almost two metres high and were shaped like lilies.7.19 lilies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 19.

20The chain designs on the caps were just above the rounded tops of the two columns, and there were two hundred pomegranates in rows around each cap. 21Hiram placed the two columns on each side of the main door of the temple. The column on the south side was called Jachin,7.21 Jachin: Or “He makes secure.” and the one on the north was called Boaz.7.21 Boaz: Or “He is strong.”

22The lily-shaped caps were on top of the columns.

This completed the work on the columns.

23Hiram also made a large bowl called the Sea. It was just over two metres deep, about four and a half metres across, and thirteen and a half metres around. 24Two rows of bronze gourds were around the outer edge of the bowl, ten gourds to about every forty-five centimetres. 25The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls with three bulls facing outwards in each of four directions. 26The sides of the bowl were seventy-five millimetres thick, and its rim was like a cup that curved outwards like flower petals. The bowl held about forty thousand litres.

27Hiram made ten moveable bronze stands, each one over a metre high, almost two metres long, and almost two metres wide. 28-29The sides were made with panels attached to frames decorated with flower designs. The panels themselves were decorated with figures of lions, bulls, and winged creatures. 30-31Each stand had four bronze wheels and axles and a round frame sixty-eight centimetres across, held up by four supports forty-five centimetres high. A small bowl rested in the frame. The supports were decorated with flower designs, and the frame with carvings.

The side panels of the stands were square, 32and the wheels and axles were underneath them. The wheels were about sixty-eight centimetres high 33and looked like chariot wheels. The axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were made out of bronze.

34-35Around the top of each stand was a twenty-two-centimetre strip, and there were four braces7.34,35 braces: Or “handles”. attached to the corners of each stand. The panels and the supports were attached to the stands, 36and the stands were decorated with flower designs and figures of lions, palm trees, and winged creatures. 37Hiram made the ten bronze stands from the same mould, so they were exactly the same size and shape.

38Hiram also made ten small bronze bowls, one for each stand. The bowls were almost two metres across and could hold about eight hundred litres.7.38: Ex 30.17-21.

39He put five stands on the south side of the temple, five stands on the north side, and the large bowl at the south-east corner of the temple.

40Hiram made pans for hot ashes, and also shovels and sprinkling bowls.

A list of everything inside the temple

(2 Chronicles 4.11—5.1)

This is a list of the bronze items that Hiram made for the LORD's temple: 41two columns; two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of the columns; two chain designs on the caps; 42four hundred pomegranates7.42 pomegranates: See the note at 7.18. for the chain designs; 43ten moveable stands; ten small bowls for the stands; 44a large bowl; twelve bulls that held up the bowl; 45pans for hot ashes, and also shovels and sprinkling bowls.

Hiram made these bronze things for Solomon 46near the River Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan by pouring melted bronze into clay moulds.

47There were so many bronze things that Solomon never bothered to weigh them, and no one ever knew how much bronze was used.

48Solomon gave orders to make the following temple furnishings out of gold: the altar; the table that held the sacred loaves of bread;7.48 sacred loaves of bread: This bread was offered to the LORD and was a symbol of the LORD's presence in the temple. It was put out on a special table, and was replaced with fresh bread each week (see Leviticus 24.5-9).7.48: a Ex 30.1-3; b Ex 25.23-30. 49ten lampstands that went in front of the most holy place; flower designs; lamps and tongs;7.49: Ex 25.31-40. 50cups, lamp snuffers, and small sprinkling bowls; dishes for incense; fire pans; and the hinges for the doors to the most holy place and the main room of the temple.

51After the LORD's temple was finished, Solomon put into its storage rooms everything that his father David had dedicated to the LORD, including the gold and the silver.7.51: 2 S 8.11; 1 Ch 18.11.