2 Chronicles 1-4

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

1 Solomon son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

² Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses.

³ And Solomon and all the assembly [a united nation] with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the Tent of Meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there [where the Canaanites had habitually worshiped].

⁴ But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place which David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

⁵ Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought [the Lord].

⁶ Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord at the Tent of Meeting and offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it.

⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, Ask what I shall give you.

⁸ And Solomon said to God, You have shown great mercy and loving-kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.

⁹ Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

¹⁰ Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this Your people who are so great?

¹¹ God replied to Solomon, Because this was in your heart and you have not asked for riches, possessions, honor, and glory, or the life of your foes, or even for long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may rule and judge My people over whom I have made you king,

¹² Wisdom and knowledge are granted you. And I will give you riches, possessions, honor, and glory, such as none of the kings had before you, and none after you shall have their equal.

¹³ Then Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

¹⁴ Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he placed in the cities [suited for the use] of chariots and with the king at Jerusalem.

¹⁵ And the king made silver and gold in Jerusalem as common as stones, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamores of the lowland.

¹⁶ Solomon’s horses were brought out of Egypt; the king’s merchants received them in droves, ^[a]each drove at a price.

¹⁷ They imported from Egypt a chariot for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; so they brought out horses for all the Hittite and Syrian kings as export agents.

2 Solomon determined to build a temple for the ^[b]Name of the Lord and a royal capitol.

² And Solomon counted out 70,000 men to bear burdens, 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hill country, and 3,600 overseers.

³ And Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying, As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build himself a house in which to dwell, even so deal with me.

⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God, dedicated to Him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before Him, for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

⁵ The house which I am to build is great, for our God is greater than all gods.

⁶ But who is able to build Him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain Him? Who am I to build Him a house, except as a place to burn incense in worship before Him?

⁷ Now therefore, send a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue colors, who is a trained engraver, to work with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

⁸ Send me also from Lebanon cedar, cypress, and algum timber, for I know your servants can skillfully cut timber in Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants,

⁹ To prepare for me timber in abundance, for the house I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

¹⁰ And I will give to your servants who cut timber 20,000 measures of crushed wheat and also of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine and also of oil.

¹¹ Then Hiram king of Tyre replied in writing sent to Solomon, Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.

¹² Hiram said also, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Who made heaven and earth, Who has given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, who should build a house for the Lord and a royal palace as his capitol.

¹³ Now I have sent a skilled man, endued with understanding, even Huram-abi, my trusted counselor,

¹⁴ The son of a woman of the daughters of ^[c]Dan; his father was a man of Tyre. He is a trained worker in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood; in purple, blue, and crimson colors, and in fine linen; and also to engrave any type of engraving and to carry out any design given him, with your skilled men and those of my lord, David your father.

¹⁵ Now therefore, the wheat, barley, oil, and wine of which my lord has spoken, let him send them to his servants,

¹⁶ And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so you may take it up to Jerusalem.

¹⁷ Then Solomon took a census of all the aliens in the land of Israel, like the census of them which his father David had taken. They were found to be 153,600.

¹⁸ And he assigned 70,000 of them to be burden bearers, 80,000 to work in the mountain quarries, and 3,600 as overseers to direct the people’s work.

3 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David his father, in the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.^(A)

² And Solomon began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

³ Now these are the measurements for the foundations which Solomon laid for the house of God. The length in cubits by the former measure was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

⁴ The porch or vestibule across the front of the house was the same length as the house’s breadth, twenty cubits, and the ^[d]height 120 cubits. He overlaid it inside with pure gold.

⁵ And the greater house (the Holy Place) he lined with cypress and overlaid it with fine gold and made palm trees and chains on it.

⁶ And he adorned the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

⁷ He lined the house (the Holy Place), its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and engraved cherubim on the walls.

⁸ He made the Most Holy Place, its length equaling the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits; he overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold.

⁹ The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he lined the upper chambers with gold.

¹⁰ And in the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of image work, and they were overlaid with gold.

¹¹ And the wings of the cherubim [combined] extended twenty cubits: one wing of one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, and its other wing of five cubits touched the other cherub’s wing.

¹² And of the other cherub one wing of five cubits touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also five cubits, joined the wing of the first cherub.

¹³ The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits; the cherubim stood on their feet, their faces toward the Holy Place.

¹⁴ And he made the veil [between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place] of blue, purple, and crimson colors, and fine linen, and embroidered cherubim on it.

¹⁵ Before the house he made two pillars, 35 cubits high, with a capital on the top of each which was five cubits.

¹⁶ He made chains like a necklace and put them on the heads of the pillars, and he made 100 pomegranates and put them on the chains.

¹⁷ He erected the pillars before the temple, one on the right, the other on the left, and called the one on the right Jachin [he shall establish] and the one on the left Boaz [in it is strength].

4 Also Solomon made an altar of bronze, its top twenty by twenty cubits and its height ten cubits.

² Also he made a round Sea of molten metal, ten cubits from brim to brim and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured around it.

³ Under it were figures of oxen encircling it, ten to a cubit. The oxen were in two rows, cast in one piece with it.

⁴ It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking north, three west, three south, three east; and the Sea rested upon them, and all their hind parts were inward.

⁵ Its thickness was a handbreadth; its brim was like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held 3,000 baths (measures).

⁶ He made also ten lavers in which to wash and put five on the right (south) side and five on the left (north). Such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.

⁷ And he made ten golden lampstands as directed and set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left.

⁸ He made also ten tables and placed them in the temple, five each on the right and left sides, and 100 basins of gold.

⁹ Moreover, he made the priests’ court, and the great court and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze.

¹⁰ And he set the Sea at the southeast corner of the house.

¹¹ And Huram made the pots, shovels, and basins. So Huram finished the work of God’s house that he did for King Solomon:

¹² The two pillars; the bowls; the capitals on top of the two pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals on top of the pillars;

¹³ And 400 pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals upon the pillars.

¹⁴ He made also bases or stands and lavers upon the bases;

¹⁵ One Sea and the twelve oxen under it;

¹⁶ The pots, shovels, and fleshhooks, and all their equipment Huram his trusted counselor made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord.

¹⁷ In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.

¹⁸ Solomon made all these things in such great numbers that the weight of the bronze was not computed.

¹⁹ And Solomon made all the vessels for the house of God: the golden altar also; and the tables for the showbread (the bread of the Presence);

²⁰ And the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn before the inner sanctuary (the Holy of Holies) as directed;

²¹ The flowers, lamps, and tongs, of purest gold;

²² The snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and firepans, of pure gold; and for the temple entry, the inner doors for the Most Holy Place and the doors of the Holy Place were of gold.