1 Kings 5:13-8:66

New American Standard Bible

Conscription of Laborers

¹³ Now ^(A)King Solomon ^[a]conscripted forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ Then he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts; they were in Lebanon for a month, and two months at home. And ^(B)Adoniram was in charge of the forced laborers. ¹⁵ Now ^(C)Solomon had seventy thousand porters, and eighty thousand stonemasons in the mountains, ^16 (D)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were in charge of the ^[b]project and ruled over the people who were doing the work. ¹⁷ Then ^(E)the king issued orders, and they quarried large stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. ¹⁸ So Solomon’s builders and ^[c]Hiram’s builders and ^(F)the Gebalites ^[d]cut the stones, and they prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

The Building of the Temple

6 ^(G)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, that is, the second month, that he ^[e]began to build the house of the Lord. ² And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord was ^[f]sixty cubits in its length, and twenty cubits in its width, and its height was thirty cubits. ³ The porch in front of the main room of the house was ^[g]twenty cubits in ^[h]length, ^[i]corresponding to the width of the house, and its width along the front of the house was ten cubits. ⁴ Also for the house ^(H)he made windows with artistic frames. ^5 (I)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the main room and the ^[j](J)inner sanctuary; so he made ^(K)side chambers all around. ⁶ The lowest story was ^[k]five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he ^[l]made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not ^[m]be inserted into the walls of the house.

^7 (L)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone finished at the quarry, and neither hammer, nor axe, nor any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built.

⁸ The doorway for the ^[n]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by a winding staircase to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. ⁹ So ^(M)he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and ^[o]planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He also built the stories against the whole house, each ^[p]five cubits high; and they ^[q]were attached to the house with timbers of cedar.

¹¹ Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, ¹² “As for this house which you are building, ^(N)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will fulfill My word with you which I spoke to David your father. ¹³ And ^(O)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and ^(P)will not abandon My people Israel.”

^14 (Q)So Solomon built the house and finished it. ¹⁵ He ^(R)built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ^[r]ceiling he paneled the walls on the inside with wood, and he paneled the floor of the house with boards of juniper. ^16 (S)He also built ^[s]twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ^[t]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, as ^(T)the Most Holy Place. ¹⁷ The house, that is, the main room in front of the inner sanctuary, was ^[u]forty cubits long. ¹⁸ There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of ^(U)gourds and open flowers; everything was cedar, there was no stone visible. ¹⁹ Then he prepared an inner sanctuary inside the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. ^20 [v]The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also paneled the altar with cedar. ²¹ So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he extended chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. ²² He overlaid the entire house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also ^(V)the entire altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

^23 (W)And in the inner sanctuary he made two ^[w]cherubim of olive wood, each ^[x]ten cubits high. ²⁴ The one wing of the first cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the first cherub was five cubits; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. ²⁵ The second cherub was ten cubits; both of the cherubim were of the same measurement and the same form. ²⁶ The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. ²⁷ He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and ^(X)the wings of the cherubim spread out so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. And their wings were touching ^[y]end to ^[z]end in the center of the house. ²⁸ He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹ Then he carved all the surrounding walls of the house with engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, for the inner and outer sanctuaries. ³⁰ And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.

³¹ And for the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts. ³² So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he overlaid the cherubim and the palm trees with gold.

³³ So too he made for the entrance of the main room four-sided doorposts of olive wood, ³⁴ and ^(Y)two doors of juniper wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two ^[aa]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. ³⁵ He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work. ³⁶ And ^(Z)he built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

^37 (AA)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. ³⁸ And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, that is, the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and in accordance with all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

Solomon’s Palace

7 Now ^(AB)Solomon built his own house over the course of thirteen years, and he finished all of his house. ^2 (AC)He built the house of the timber from Lebanon; its length was ^[ab]a hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. ³ And it was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. ⁴ There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window at three ^[ac]intervals. ⁵ And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window at three ^[ad]intervals.

⁶ Then he made ^(AD)the hall of pillars; its length was ^[ae]fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, and a porch was in front of them and pillars and a ^(AE)threshold in front of them.

⁷ And he made the hall of the ^(AF)throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and ^(AG)it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

⁸ And his house where he was to live, the other courtyard inward from the hall, was of this same workmanship. ^(AH)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, ^(AI)whom Solomon had married.

⁹ All of these were made of valuable stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the ^[af]coping, and from the outside to the large courtyard.

¹⁰ And the foundation was of valuable stones, large stones, stones of ^[ag]ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. ¹¹ And above were valuable stones, cut according to measure, and cedar. ¹² So ^(AJ)the large courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams as well as the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, and ^(AK)the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

¹³ Now ^(AL)King Solomon sent word and had Hiram brought from Tyre. ^14 (AM)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan in bronze; and ^(AN)he was filled with wisdom, skill, and knowledge for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and ^(AO)performed all his work.

¹⁵ He fashioned ^(AP)the two pillars of bronze; ^[ah](AQ)eighteen cubits was the height of ^[ai]each pillar, and a line of ^[aj]twelve cubits ^[ak]measured the circumference of both. ¹⁶ He also made two capitals of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was ^[al]five cubits and the height of the other capital was ^[am]five cubits. ¹⁷ There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. ¹⁸ So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one lattice to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. ¹⁹ The capitals which were on the tops of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. ²⁰ So there were capitals on the two pillars, also above and close to the ^[an]rounded projection which was beside the lattice; and ^(AR)the pomegranates totaled two hundred in rows around ^[ao]both capitals. ^21 (AS)And he set up the pillars at the ^(AT)porch of the ^[ap]main room: he set up the right pillar and named it ^[aq]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it ^[ar]Boaz. ²² On the top of the pillars was the lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

^23 (AU)He also he made the ^[as]Sea of ^(AV)cast metal ^[at]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits, and ^[au]it was ^[av]thirty cubits in circumference. ²⁴ Under its brim ^(AW)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, ^(AX)completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast ^[aw]with the rest. ^25 (AY)It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. ²⁶ And it was a ^[ax]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold ^[ay]two thousand baths.

²⁷ Then ^(AZ)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was ^[az]four cubits, its width four cubits, and its height was three cubits. ²⁸ This was the design of the stands: they had borders, that is, borders between the crossbars, ²⁹ and on the borders which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the crossbars there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. ³⁰ Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. ³¹ And its opening inside the crown at the top was a ^[ba]cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and on its opening also there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. ³² The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. ³³ The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. ³⁴ Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. ³⁵ And on the top of the stand there was a circular form ^[bb]half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its ^[bc]stays and its borders were part of it. ³⁶ And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders cherubim, lions, and palm trees, as there was clear space on each, with wreaths all around. ^37 (BA)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had the ^[bd]same casting, ^[be]same measure, and ^[bf]same form.

^38 (BB)And he made ten basins of bronze, ^[bg]each holding ^[bh]forty baths; each basin was ^[bi]four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. ³⁹ Then he placed the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the ^[bj]Sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.

⁴⁰ Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the Lord: ⁴¹ the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the ^(BC)two pillars, and the two lattices to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; ⁴² and the ^(BD)four hundred pomegranates for the two lattices, two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; ⁴³ and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; ⁴⁴ and ^(BE)the one ^[bk]Sea and the twelve oxen under the Sea; ⁴⁵ and ^(BF)the buckets, the shovels, and the bowls; indeed, all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lord were of polished bronze. ^46 (BG)The king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between ^(BH)Succoth and ^(BI)Zarethan. ⁴⁷ However, Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; ^(BJ)the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

⁴⁸ Solomon also made all the furniture that was in the house of the Lord: ^(BK)the golden altar and the golden table on which was set the ^(BL)bread of the Presence; ⁴⁹ and the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary; and ^(BM)the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; ⁵⁰ also the cups, the ^[bl]shears, the bowls, the ladles, and the ^(BN)firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the house, that is, for the main room, of gold.

^51 (BO)So all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the Lord was finished. And ^(BP)Solomon brought in the offerings vowed by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

8 ^(BQ)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all ^(BR)the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, ^(BS)to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from ^(BT)the city of David, that is, Zion. ² So all the men of Israel assembled themselves before King Solomon at ^(BU)the feast, in the month Ethanim, that is, the seventh month. ³ Then all the elders of Israel came, and ^(BV)the priests took up the ark. ⁴ And they brought up the ark of the Lord, ^(BW)the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁵ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were gathered together to him, ^(BX)were with him before the ark, sacrificing ^[bm]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. ⁶ Then ^(BY)the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord ^(BZ)to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, ^(CA)under the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its carrying poles from above. ⁸ But ^(CB)the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. ^9 (CC)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where ^(CD)the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ And it happened that when the priests came from the holy place, ^(CE)the cloud filled the house of the Lord, ¹¹ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Addresses the People

^12 (CF)Then Solomon said,

¹⁴ Then the king ^[bn]turned around and ^(CJ)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ¹⁵ He said, “^(CK)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(CL)who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and fulfilled it with His hands, saying, ¹⁶ ‘^(CM)Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house so that ^(CN)My name would be there, but ^(CO)I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ ^17 (CP)Now it was ^[bo]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was ^[bp]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was ^[bq]in your heart. ^19 (CQ)Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who ^[br]will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’ ²⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for ^(CR)I have risen in place of my father David and I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord ^[bs]promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ²¹ And there I have set a place for the ark, ^(CS)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

The Prayer of Dedication

²² Then ^(CT)Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and he ^(CU)spread out his hands toward heaven. ²³ And he said, “Lord, God of Israel, ^(CV)there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, ^(CW)keeping the covenant and showing faithfulness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, ²⁴ You who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You ^[bt]promised him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. ²⁵ Now then, Lord, God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have ^[bu]promised him, saying, ‘^[bv](CX)You shall not be deprived of a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful about their way, to walk before Me as you have walked.’ ²⁶ Now then, God of Israel, let Your words, please, be confirmed, ^(CY)which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

²⁷ “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, ^(CZ)heaven and the ^[bw]highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! ²⁸ Nevertheless, turn Your attention to the ^(DA)prayer of Your servant and to his plea, Lord, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today, ^29 (DB)so that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward ^(DC)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant will pray toward this place. ³⁰ And ^(DD)listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, ^(DE)when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and ^(DF)forgive!

³¹ “^(DG)If a person sins against his neighbor and is compelled to take an oath of innocence, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, ³² then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, ^(DH)condemning the wicked by ^[bx]bringing his way on his own head, and acquitting the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

³³ “^(DI)When Your people Israel are ^[by]defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, ^(DJ)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and implore Your ^[bz]favor in this house, ³⁴ then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave their fathers.

³⁵ “^(DK)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and praise Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them, ³⁶ then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel; ^(DL)indeed, teach them the good way in which they are to walk. And ^(DM)provide rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

³⁷ “^(DN)If there is a famine in the land, if there is a plague, if there is ^[ca]blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy harasses them in the land of their ^[cb]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, ³⁸ whatever prayer or plea ^[cc]is offered by any person or by all Your people Israel, ^[cd]each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his ^[ce]hands toward this house; ³⁹ then hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive and act, and give to each in accordance with all his ways, ^(DO)whose heart You know—for ^(DP)You alone know the hearts of all ^[cf]mankind— ⁴⁰ so that they will ^[cg]fear You all the days that they live on the ^[ch]land which You have given to our fathers.

⁴¹ “Also regarding the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account of Your name ⁴² (for they will hear of Your great name ^(DQ)and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, ⁴³ hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and act in accordance with all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order ^(DR)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to ^[ci]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that ^[cj]this house which I have built is called by Your name.

⁴⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against ^[ck]their enemy, by whatever way You send them, and ^(DS)they pray to the Lord ^[cl]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, ⁴⁵ then hear in heaven their prayer and their pleading, and maintain their cause.

⁴⁶ “When they sin against You (for ^(DT)there is no person who does not sin) and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that ^[cm]they take them away captive ^(DU)to the land of the enemy, distant or near; ^47 (DV)if they ^[cn]take it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and implore Your ^[co]favor in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘^(DW)We have sinned and done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; ^48 (DX)if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and ^(DY)pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; ⁴⁹ then hear their prayer and their pleading in heaven, Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, ⁵⁰ and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their wrongdoings which they have committed against You, and ^(DZ)make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, so that they will have compassion on them ⁵¹ (^(EA)for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought out of Egypt, ^(EB)from the midst of the iron furnace), ^52 (EC)so that Your eyes may be open to the pleading of Your servant and to the pleading of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. ⁵³ For You have singled them out from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, ^(ED)just as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord ^[cp]God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

^54 (EE)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and plea to the Lord, ^(EF)he stood up from the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his ^[cq]hands spread toward heaven. ⁵⁵ And he stood and ^(EG)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel ^(EH)in accordance with everything that He ^[cr]promised; ^(EI)not one word has ^[cs]failed of all His good ^[ct]promise, which He ^[cu]promised through Moses His servant. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; ^(EJ)may He not leave us nor forsake us, ⁵⁸ so that ^(EK)He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the ^[cv]favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, ^[cw]as each day requires, ⁶⁰ so ^(EL)that all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(EM)the Lord is God; there is no one else. ^61 (EN)Your hearts therefore shall be ^[cx]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

^62 (EO)Then the king and all Israel with him ^(EP)offered sacrifice before the Lord. ⁶³ And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. ^(EQ)So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. ⁶⁴ On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house of the Lord, because there he ^[cy]offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; for ^(ER)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

⁶⁵ So ^(ES)Solomon held the ^[cz]feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly ^(ET)from the entrance of Hamath ^(EU)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, that is, fourteen days. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day he dismissed the people, and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had ^[da]shown to David His servant, and to Israel His people.