Mar 13 - 1 Kings 4-7
1 Kings
1Now king Solomon was reigning over all of Israel2And these were the leaders that he had: Azariah, the son of Zadok, the priest3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, the scribes; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, the keeper of records4Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, over the army; and Zadok, and Abiathar, priests5Azariah, the son of Nathan, over those who were assisting the king; Zabud, the son of Nathan, the priest, the friend of the king6and Ahishar, first ruler of the house; and Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the tribute7And Solomon had twelve commanders over all of Israel, who offered yearly provisions for the king and his house. For each was ministering the necessities, by each month of the year8And these are their names: Benhur, on mount Ephraim9Bendeker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon, and in Beth-hanan10Benhesed, in Arubboth: his was Socoh and the entire land of Hepher11Benabinadab, to whom was all of Naphath-Dor, who had Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, as wife12Baana, the son of Ahilud, who was reigning in Taanach, and Megiddo, and all of Bethshean, which is beside Zarethan and below Jezreel, from Bethshean as far as Abelmeholah, opposite Jokmeam13Bengeber, in Ramoth Gilead, who had the town of Jair, the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; the same was first in the entire region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls that had bronze bars14Ahinadab, the son of Iddo, who was first in Mahanaim15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali, and he also had Basemath, the daughter of Solomon, in marriage16Baana, the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Bealoth17Jehoshaphat, the son of Paruah, in Issachar18Shimei, the son of Ela, in Benjamin19Geber, the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan, over all who were in that land20Judah and Israel were innumerable, like the sand of the sea in multitude: eating and drinking, and rejoicing21Now Solomon had, in his dominion, all the kingdoms, from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt. And they offered gifts to him, and they served him all the days of his life22And the provisions of Solomon, for each day, were thirty cor of fine wheat flour, and sixty cor of meal23ten fattened oxen, and twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred rams, aside from the venison of stags, roe deer, and gazelles, and fattened poultry24For he had obtained the entire region which was beyond the river, from Tiphsah as far as Gaza, and all the kings of those regions. And he had peace on every side all around25And so, Judah and Israel were living without any fear, each one under his own vine and under his own fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, during all the days of Solomon26And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand riding horses27And the above-stated commanders of the king nourished these. And they also offered the necessities for the table of king Solomon, with immense diligence, each in his time28Also, they brought barley and straw for the horses and beasts of burden, to the place where the king was, just as it was appointed to them29And God gave wisdom to Solomon, and an exceedingly great prudence, and a spacious heart, like the sand which is on the shore of the sea30And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the East, and of the Egyptians31And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And he was renowned in all the nations on every side32Solomon also spoke three thousand parables. And his verses were one thousand and five33And he discoursed about trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon, to the hyssop which grows out from the wall. And he explained about beasts, and birds, and reptiles, and fish34And they came from all the peoples in order to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who were hearing about his wisdom
1Hiram, the king of Tyre, also sent his servants to Solomon. For he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father. Now Hiram had been a friend to David the entire time2Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying3"You know the will of my father David, and that he was not able to build a house to the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars that were imminent all around him, until the Lord set them under the steps of his feet4But now the Lord my God has given rest to me on all sides. And there is no adversary, nor occurrence of evil5For this reason, I intend to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying: ‘Your son, whom I will set in your place, upon your throne, he himself shall build a house to my name.6Therefore, order that your servants may cut down for me cedars from Lebanon. And let my servants be with your servants. Then I will give to you, for the wages of your servants, whatever you will ask. For you know that there is not a man among my people who knows how to cut wood as well as the Sidonians.7Therefore, when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and he said, "Blessed be the Lord God this day, who gave to David a very wise son over this numerous people!8And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: "I have heard the things that you would entrust to me. And I will do your whole will concerning the cedar trees and spruce trees9My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. And I will arrange them together as rafts on the sea, as far as the place that you will indicate to me. And I will land them there, and you will take them. And you shall offer to me what is necessary to give food to my house.10And so, Hiram gave to Solomon cedar trees and spruce trees, in accord with his whole will11Then Solomon offered to Hiram twenty thousand cor of wheat, as food for his house, and twenty cor of the purest oil. These things Solomon gave as a tribute to Hiram every year12And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he said to him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two struck a pact13And king Solomon chose workers from all of Israel, and the conscription was of thirty thousand men14And he sent them into Lebanon, ten thousand each month, in turns, so that for two months they were in their own houses. And Adoniram was over this type of conscription15And Solomon had seventy thousand of those who were carrying burdens, and eighty thousand of those who cut stones from the mountain16aside from the commanders who were over each work, in number three thousand and three hundred, who gave orders to the people and to those who were doing the work17And the king ordered them to bring great stones, precious stones, for the foundation of the temple, and to square them18And these were shaped by the stoneworkers of Solomon and the stoneworkers of Hiram. And the men of Gebal also prepared the wood and the stones in order to build the house
1Then it happened that, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel departed from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, the house of the Lord began to be built2Now the house, which king Solomon was building to the Lord, was sixty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height3And a portico was before the temple, of twenty cubits in length, in accord with the measure of the width of the temple. And it had ten cubits of width before the face of the temple4And he made oblique windows in the temple5And upon the wall of the temple, he built panels on all sides, in the walls of the house around the temple and the oracle. And he made side chambers all around6The flooring on the bottom level held five cubits in width, and the middle floor was six cubits in width, and the third floor held seven cubits in width. Then he positioned beams on the house all around the outside, in such a way that they would not be fastened to the walls of the temple7Now the house, while it was being built, was made from cut and finished stones. And so, neither mallet, nor chisel, nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built8The door at the side of the middle section was to the right of the house. And they would ascend along winding stairs to the middle level, and from the middle level to the third level9And he built the house, and finished it. And he overlaid the house with boards of cedar10And he built a paneling over the entire house, five cubits in height, and he covered the house with cedar wood11And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying12"Concerning this house, which you are building: if you will walk in my precepts, and carry out my judgments, and keep all my commandments, advancing by them, I will confirm my word to you, which I spoke to your father David13And I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel, and I will not forsake my people Israel.14And so, Solomon built the house, and finished it15And he built the walls of the house, on the interior, with panels of cedar, from the floor of the house, to the top of the walls, and even to the ceiling. He covered it with cedar wood on the interior. And he overlaid the floor of the house with panels of spruce16And he built panels of cedar, of twenty cubits, at the back part of the temple, from the floor even to the top. And he made the inner house of the oracle as the Holy of Holies17And the temple itself, before the doors of the oracle, was forty cubits18And the entire house was clothed with cedar on the interior, having its turnings and junctures artfully wrought, with carvings projecting outward. Everything was clothed with panels of cedar. And no stone at all was able to be seen in the wall19Now he made the oracle in the middle of the house, in the inner part, so that he might station the ark of the covenant of the Lord there20And the oracle held twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height. And he covered and clothed it with the purest gold. Then, too, he clothed the altar in cedar21Also, the house before the oracle, he covered with the purest gold, and he fastened the plates with nails of gold22And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold. Moreover, the entire altar of the oracle he overlaid with gold23And he made in the oracle two cherubim from wood of the olive tree, of ten cubits in height24One wing of a cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of a cherub was five cubits, that is, having ten cubits from the summit of one wing even to the summit of the other wing25Likewise, the second cherub was ten cubits. And the measure was equal and the work was one, in the two cherubim26that is, one cherub had a height of ten cubits, and similarly the second cherub27And he stationed the cherubim in the middle of the inner temple. And the cherubim extended their wings, and the wing of the one was touching the wall, and the wing of the second cherub was touching the other wall. But the other wings, in the middle of the temple, were touching each another28He also overlaid the cherubim with gold29And all the walls of the temple all around he engraved with diverse carvings and turnings. And he made in them cherubim, and palm trees, and various images, as if these were projecting out, and going forth from, the wall30Then, too, the floor of the house he overlaid with gold within and without31And at the entrance of the oracle, he made little doors, from wood of the olive tree, with posts of five corners32And there were two doors, from wood of the olive tree. And he carved upon them pictures of cherubim, and images of palm trees, and very prominent figures. And he overlaid these with gold. And he covered the cherubim, as well as the palm trees and the other things, with gold33And he made, at the entrance of the temple, posts from wood of the olive tree, with four corners34and two doors, from wood of the spruce tree, on the other side. And each door was double, and so it opened by folding upon itself35And he carved cherubim, and palm trees, and very prominent engravings. And he covered everything with gold plates, worked to be perfectly square36And he built the inner atrium with three rows of polished stones, and one row of cedar wood37In the fourth year, the house of the Lord was founded, in the month of Ziv38And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was perfected in all its works and in all its equipment. And he built it for seven years
1Now Solomon built his own house for thirteen years, and he brought it to perfection2And he built the house from the forest of Lebanon: one hundred cubits in length, and fifty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height, with four walkways between columns of cedar. For he had hewn the cedar trees into columns3And he clothed the entire vaulted room with panels of cedar. And it was supported by forty-five columns. Now one row held fifteen columns4each positioned opposite another5and looking toward one another, with equal spacing between the columns. And above the columns there were square beams equal in all things6And he made a portico of columns, fifty cubits in length and thirty cubits in width, and another portico, facing the greater portico, with columns and with crossbeams upon the columns7He also made the portico of the throne, in which is the tribunal. And he overlaid it with cedar wood, from the floor even to the summit8And in the midst of the portico, there was a small house, where he would sit in judgment, similar in workmanship. He also made a house for the daughter of Pharaoh (whom Solomon had taken as wife) of the same work and type as this portico9All was of precious stones, which had been sawed by a particular standard and measure, as much within as without, from the foundation even to the summit of the walls, and outside even to the great atrium10Now the foundations were of precious stones: great stones of eight or ten cubits11And above these, there were precious stones, of equal measure, which had been cut in a manner similar to boards of cedar12And the great atrium was round, with three rows of cut stones and one row of cut cedar, even as it also was in the interior atrium of the house of the Lord, and in the portico of the house13And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram of Tyre14the son of a widowed woman, from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was a Tyrian, an artisan in brass, and full of wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge in order to form every work of brass. And when he had gone to king Solomon, he wrought all his work15And he cast two columns of brass. Each column was eighteen cubits in height, and a line of twelve cubits encompassed both columns16Also, he made two heads of molten brass, which would be set upon the tops of the columns: one head was five cubits in height, and the other head was five cubits in height17And there was something like a network of chains, woven together in a wonderful manner. Both heads of the columns were cast, and seven rows of little nets traversed one head, and seven little nets were on the other head18And he finished the columns with two rows all around each network, so that these covered the heads, which were at the top, with pomegranates. And he did in like manner to the second head19Now the heads that were at the top of the columns, in the portico of four cubits, had been fabricated with a work of lilies20And again, there were other heads at the tops of the columns above, in accord with the measure of the column opposite the netting. And there were two hundred of the pomegranates, in rows around the second head21And he stationed the two columns in the portico of the temple. And when he had stationed the column on the right, he called its name Jachin. Similarly, he erected the second column, and he called its name Boaz22And above the tops of the columns, he set a work in the manner of lilies. And the work of the columns was perfected23He also made a molten sea, of ten cubits from brim to brim, rounded on all sides. Its height was five cubits, and a thin rope of thirty cubits wrapped it all around24And a sculpted work under the brim encircled it for ten cubits going around the sea. There were two rows cast of striated sculptures25And it was standing upon twelve oxen, of which three were looking toward the north, and three toward the west, and three toward the south, and three toward the east. And the sea above was over them. And their posteriors were entirely hidden within26And the basin was the thickness of three twelfths. And its brim was like the brim of a chalice, or like the outturned petal of a lily. It contained two thousand baths27And he made ten bases of brass: each base was four cubits in length, and four cubits in width, and three cubits in height28And the work itself of the bases was engraved; and there were sculptures between the junctures29And between the little crowns and the edges, there were lions, and oxen, and cherubim; and similarly in the junctures above. And under the lions and oxen were something like bands of brass hanging down30And each base had four wheels, with axels of brass. And at the four sides were something like little arms, under the cast basin, facing away from one another31Also, the mouth of the interior of the basin was at the top of the head. And what was visible outside was of one cubit all around, and altogether it had one cubit and a half. Now at the corners of the columns were diverse engravings. And the spaces between the columns were square, not round32And the four wheels, which were at the four corners of the base, were joined to one another under the base. The height of one wheel held one cubit and a half33Now these were the kind of wheels such as are often made for a chariot. And their axels, and spokes, and tires, and centers were all cast34And the four little arms, which were at each corner of a base, were cast and joined together as part of the base itself35And at the summit of the base, there was a round stand of one half cubit, fabricated so that the basin could be placed upon it, having its engravings, and various sculptures of its own36He also engraved those plates, which were of brass. And at the corners were cherubim, and lions, and palm trees, standing out, as if in the likeness of a man, so that they seemed not to be engraved, but placed adjacent on all sides37In this manner, he made ten bases with the same casting and measure, and very similar engravings38He also made ten hand basins of brass. One hand basin contained four baths, and was of four cubits. And each basin he set upon a base, which is ten bases39And he stationed the ten bases, five to the right side of the temple, and five to the left. And the sea he placed to the right side of the temple, opposite the east, toward the south40Then Hiram made cooking pots, and trays, and small hooks. And he completed all the work of king Solomon in the temple of the Lord41the two columns, and the two cords of the heads over the tops of the columns, and the two networks which covered the two cords that were above the tops of the columns42and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two turnings of pomegranates for each network, in order to cover the cords of the heads, which were above the tops of the columns43and the ten bases, and the ten basins on the bases44and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea45and the cooking pots, and the trays, and the small hooks. All of the items that Hiram made for king Solomon, for the house of the Lord, were of golden brass46In the open regions near the Jordan, the king cast these, in the clay soil between Succoth and Zarethan47And Solomon positioned all the items. But because of its exceedingly great amount, the brass was not weighed48And Solomon made all the furniture for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, upon which the bread of the presence would be placed49and the gold lampstands, five to the right, and five to the left, opposite the oracle, of pure gold; and likenesses of lily blossoms, with lamps above them, of gold; and gold tongs50and water pots, and little forks, and bowls, and little mortars, and censers, of the purest gold; and the hinges of the doors, for the interior house of the Holy of Holies and for the doors of the house of the temple, which were of gold51And Solomon perfected all the work that he was doing in the house of the Lord. And he brought in the things that his father David had sanctified: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels. And he stored these in the treasuries of the house of the Lord