2 Chronicles 4:1-10

Contemporary English Version

The Furnishings for the Temple

(1 Kings 7.23-51)

4 ^(A) Solomon had a bronze altar made that was nine meters square and four and a half meters high. ² He also gave orders to make a large metal bowl called the Sea. It was 4.5 meters across, just over two meters deep, and 13.5 meters around. ³ Its outer edge was decorated with two rows of carvings of bulls, ten bulls to about every 45 centimeters, all made from the same piece of metal as the bowl. ⁴ The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls, with three bulls facing outward in each of four directions. ⁵ The sides of the bowl were 75 millimeters thick, and its rim was in the shape of a cup that curved outward like flower petals. The bowl held about 60,000 liters.

^6 (B) He also made ten small bowls and put five on each side of the large bowl. The small bowls were used to wash the animals that were burned on the altar as sacrifices, and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.

^7 (C) Ten gold lampstands were also made according to the plans. Solomon placed these lampstands inside the temple, five on each side of the main room. ^8 (D) He also made ten tables and placed them in the main room, five on each side. And he made 100 small gold sprinkling bowls.

⁹ Solomon gave orders to build two courtyards: a smaller one that only priests could use and a larger one. The doors to these courtyards were covered with bronze. ¹⁰ The large bowl called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the temple.