Solomon’s Palace Complex 1 UDB They also built a palace for Solomon, but it required thirteen years to build it. BSB BSB: Solomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace.
2 UDB One of the buildings they built was a large ceremonial hall. It was called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was forty-six meters long, twenty-three meters wide, and fourteen meters high. It was supported by four rows of cedar pillars. There were cedar beams across each row. BSB BSB: He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams.
3 UDB The carpenters build a roof from cedar planks that were attached to beams. The carpenters made pillars to support the cedar beams. There were a total of forty-five pillars put in place, making fifteen pillars in each row to support the roof. BSB BSB: The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams, fifteen per row.
4 UDB On each of the two side walls there were three sets of windows facing each other. BSB BSB: There were three rows of high windows facing one another in three tiers.
5 UDB All the windows and doorways had rectangular frames. The windows along the long wall on one side faced the windows on the other side. BSB BSB: All the doorways had rectangular frames, with the openings facing one another in three tiers.
6 UDB They also built a long room with pillars; it was twenty-three meters long and fourteen meters wide. In front of it was a covered porch, the roof of which was supported by pillars. BSB BSB: Solomon made his colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front of it and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico.
7 UDB Then they made a building called the Hall of the Throne. It was also called the Hall of Justice. That was where Solomon decided about people's disputes. The entire floor was covered with cedar wood. BSB BSB: In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.
8 UDB In the courtyard behind the Hall of Judgment, they built a house for Solomon to live in that was made like the other buildings. They also built the same kind of house for his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt. BSB BSB: And the palace where Solomon would live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.
9 UDB All of these buildings and the walls around the palace courtyard were made from stones, from the foundations up to the eaves. The stones had been expensive for the workers to cut at the quarry, according to the sizes that were needed, and the sides of the stones were shaped and smoothed by cutting them with saws. BSB BSB: All these buildings were constructed with costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and out from the foundation to the eaves, and from the outside to the great courtyard.
10 UDB The foundations were also made from huge blocks of expensive stones that had been prepared at the quarry. Some of them were about three and three-quarters meters long and others were about four and four-fifths meters long. BSB BSB: The foundations were laid with large, costly stones, some ten cubits long and some eight cubits long.
11 UDB On top of the foundation stones were other expensive stones that had been cut according to the sizes they needed, as well as cedar beams. BSB BSB: Above these were costly stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.
12 UDB The palace courtyard, the inner courtyard in front of the temple, and the portico in front of the temple had walls made by putting down three layers of cut stones between each layer of cedar beams. BSB BSB: The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD.
The Pillars and Capitals (2 Chronicles 3:14–17)
13 UDB There was a man who lived in the city of Tyre whose name was Huram. He was a craftsman. His father had also lived in Tyre and had also been very skilled at making things from bronze, but Huram's father was no longer living. His mother was from the tribe of Naphtali. Huram was very wise and intelligent and was very skilled at making things from bronze. Solomon invited him to come to Jerusalem and supervise all the work of making things from bronze, and Huram agreed. BSB BSB: Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram from Tyre.
15 UDB He made two bronze pillars. Each one was eight and one-third meters tall and eight and one-half meters around. BSB BSB: He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.
16 UDB He also made two gleaming bronze tops to be put on top of the pillars. Each top was two and one-third meters tall. BSB BSB: He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits high.
17 UDB Then he made bronze networks of chains like wreaths to decorate the top of each pillar. There were seven of these networks at the top of each pillar. BSB BSB: For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork, seven for each capital.
18 UDB Huram also made bronze figures that resembled pomegranates. He put two rows of pomegranates over the top of each pillar. BSB BSB: Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital atop the pillars.
19 UDB The top over each pillar was shaped like a lily. Each lily leaf was one and four-fifths meters tall. BSB BSB: And the capitals atop the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high.
20 UDB These tops were placed on a bowl-shaped section, around which were two rows of two hundred figures of pomegranates around the top of each pillar. BSB BSB: On the capitals of both pillars, just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital.
21 UDB His helpers set up the pillars in front of the entrance of the temple. The pillar on the south side was named Jakin, and the pillar on the north side was named Boaz. BSB BSB: Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.
22 UDB The bronze tops that were shaped like lilies were placed on top of the pillars. So Huram and his helpers completed the work of making the bronze pillars. BSB BSB: And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed.
The Molten Sea (2 Chronicles 4:1–5)
23 UDB Huram also made a very large round bronze tank called "The Sea" that was made of metal and cast in a clay mold. It was two and one-third meters tall, four and three-fifths meters across, and thirteen and three-quarters meters around. BSB BSB: He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
24 UDB Around the outer edge of the rim of the "The Sea" were two rows of figures that resembled gourds that were made of bronze. But the gourds were not cast separately. They were cast in the same mold as the rest of the tank. For each meter of length around the rim of the tank there were about eighteen gourds. BSB BSB: Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
25 UDB Huram also cast twelve bronze statues of oxen. He placed them to face outward. He placed three of them to face north, three to face west, three to face south, and three to face east. His helpers put the large bronze tank known as "The Sea" so that it sat on the backs of the statues of the oxen. BSB BSB: The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center.
26 UDB The sides of the tank were eight centimeters thick. The rim was like the rim of a cup. It curved outward, like the petals of a lily. When the tank was full, it held about forty-four cubic meters of water. BSB BSB: It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.
The Ten Bronze Stands 27 UDB Huram also made ten bronze carts. Each was one and four-fifths meters long, one and four-fifths meters wide, and one and one-third meters tall. BSB BSB: In addition, he made ten movable stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.
28 UDB On the sides of the carts there were panels set in frames. BSB BSB: This was the design of the stands: They had side panels attached to uprights,
29 UDB On those panels were bronze figures of lions, oxen, and winged creatures. Below and above the lions and oxen there were decorations of bronze wreaths. BSB BSB: and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work.
30 UDB Each cart had four bronze wheels and two axles made of bronze. At the top corners of each cart were bronze supports to hold up a basin. On these supports were also decorations of bronze wreaths. BSB BSB: Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side.
31 UDB On top of each cart, under each basin, was a frame that resembled a circular collar. The top of each circular frame was forty-six centimeters above the top of the cart, and the bottom of it was twenty-three centimeters below the top of the cart. There were also engravings within square panels. BSB BSB: The opening to each stand inside the crown at the top was one cubit deep, with a round opening like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide. And around its opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square, not round.
32 UDB The wheels were sixty-nine centimeters high. They were below the panels. The wheels were connected to axles that had been cast in the same mold as the rest of the cart. BSB BSB: There were four wheels under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand; each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter.
33 UDB The wheels of the carts were like the wheels of chariots. The axles, the rims, the spokes, and the hubs were all cast from bronze. BSB BSB: The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.
34 UDB At the top corners of each cart there were handles. These were molded into the cart itself. BSB BSB: Each stand had four handles, one for each corner, projecting from the stand.
35 UDB There was a bronze band of twenty-three centimeters around the top of each cart. There were braces attached to the corners of each cart. The bands and the braces were cast in the same mold as the rest of the cart. BSB BSB: At the top of each stand was a circular band half a cubit high. The supports and panels were cast as a unit with the top of the stand.
36 UDB The braces and the panels on the sides of the carts were also decorated with figures of winged creatures, lions, and palm trees, whenever there was space for them, and there were bronze wreaths all around them. BSB BSB: He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around.
37 UDB That is how Huram made the ten carts. They were all cast in the same mold, so they were all alike. They all were the same size and had the same shape. BSB BSB: In this way he made the ten stands, each with the same casting, dimensions, and shape.
The Ten Bronze Basins (2 Chronicles 4:6–8)
38 UDB Huram also made ten bronze basins, one basin for each of the ten stands. Each basin was almost two meters across and held 880 liters of water. BSB BSB: He also made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin for each of the ten stands.
39 UDB Huram placed five of the carts on the right side of the temple and five on the left side of the temple. He put the large tank known as "The Sea" on the corner that was toward the east and the south. BSB BSB: He set five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north, and he put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.
Completion of the Bronze Works (2 Chronicles 4:11–18)
40 UDB Huram also made pots, shovels for carrying ashes, and bowls for carrying the blood of the animals that would be sacrificed. He completed all the work that King Solomon requested him to do for the temple. This is a list of the bronze things he made: BSB BSB: Additionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the LORD:
41 UDB the two pillars, the two tops to be put on top of the pillars, the two wreaths of chains to decorate the tops of the pillars, BSB BSB: the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;
42 UDB the four hundred figures of pomegranates in four rows with one hundred in each row—two of these rows were placed over the head of each pillar, BSB BSB: the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
43 UDB the ten carts, the ten basins, BSB BSB: the ten stands; the ten basins on the stands;
44 UDB the big tank known as "The Sea," the twelve statues of oxen on whose backs the tank was placed, BSB BSB: the Sea; the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;
45 UDB the pots, shovels for the ashes of the altar, and bowls. Huram and his workers made all these things for King Solomon and put them outside the temple. They were all made of bronze that the workmen polished for it to gleam brightly. BSB BSB: and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. All the articles that Huram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were made of burnished bronze.
46 UDB They made them by pouring melted bronze into the clay molds that Huram had set up near the Jordan River valley, between the cities of Sukkoth and Zarethan. BSB BSB: The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.
47 UDB Solomon did not tell his workers to weigh those bronze objects, because there were many items. So no one ever knew what they weighed. BSB BSB: Solomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.
Completion of the Gold Furnishings (2 Chronicles 4:19–22)
48 UDB Solomon's workers also made all the gold items for the temple of Yahweh: the altar, the table where the bread of the presence was kept before God, BSB BSB: Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;
49 UDB the ten lampstands that were put in front of the very holy place—five on the south side and five on the north side, the decorations that resembled flowers, the lamps, the tongs to grasp the hot coals, BSB BSB: the lampstands of pure gold in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on the left; the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;
50 UDB the cups, the gold lamp wick snuffers, the small lamp bowls, the dishes for incense, the pans for carrying the hot coals, and the sockets for the doors at the entrance to the very holy place and for the doors at the entrance to the main room of the temple. Those things were all made of gold. BSB BSB: the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers; and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Place) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple.
51 UDB So Solomon's workers finished all the work for the temple. Then they placed in the temple storerooms all the things that his father David had dedicated to Yahweh—all the silver and gold and the other valuable items. BSB BSB: So all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed. Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.