Bible in 90 Days

24 ^1-2 The priests (the descendants of Aaron) were placed into two divisions named after Aaron’s sons, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Nadab and Abihu were also sons of Aaron, but they died before their father did and had no children; so only Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on. ³ David consulted with Zadok, who represented the Eleazar clan, and with Ahimelech, who represented the Ithamar clan; then he divided Aaron’s descendants into many groups to serve at various times. ⁴ Eleazar’s descendants were divided into sixteen groups and Ithamar’s into eight (for there was more leadership ability among the descendants of Eleazar).

⁵ All tasks were assigned to the various groups by coin-toss^[a] so that there would be no preference, for there were many famous men and high officials of the Temple in each division. ⁶ Shemaiah, a Levite and the son of Nethanel, acted as recording secretary and wrote down the names and assignments in the presence of the king and of these leaders: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priests and Levites. Two groups from the division of Eleazar and one from the division of Ithamar were assigned to each task.

^7-18 The work was assigned (by coin-toss) in this order:

¹⁹ Each group carried out the Temple duties as originally assigned by God through their ancestor Aaron.

²⁰ These were the other descendants of Levi: Amram; his descendant Shubael; and Shubael’s descendant Jehdeiah; ²¹ the Rehabiah group, led by his oldest son Isshiah; ²² the Izhar group, consisting of Shelamoth and his descendant Jahath. ²³ The Hebron group: Jeriah, Hebron’s oldest son; Amariah, his second son; Jahaziel, his third son; Jekameam, his fourth son.

^24-25 The Uzziel group was led by his son Micah and his grandsons Shamir and Isshiah, and by Isshiah’s son Zechariah.

^26-27 The Merari group was led by his sons: Mahli and Mushi. (Jaaziah’s group, led by his son Beno, included his brothers Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.) ²⁸ Mahli’s descendants were Eleazar, who had no sons, ²⁹ and Kish, among whose sons was Jerahmeel. ³⁰ The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

These were the descendants of Levi in their various clans. ³¹ Like the descendants of Aaron, they were assigned to their duties by coin-toss without distinction as to age or rank. It was done in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priests and the Levites.

25 David and the officials of the Tabernacle then appointed men to prophesy to the accompaniment of zithers, harps, and cymbals. These men were from the groups of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Here is a list of their names and their work:

² Under the leadership of Asaph, the king’s private prophet, were his sons Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah.

³ Under Jeduthun, who led in giving thanks and praising the Lord (while accompanied by the zither), were his six sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah.

^4-5 Under the direction of Heman, the king’s private chaplain, were his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Geddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. (For God had honored him with fourteen sons and three daughters.) ^6-7 Their music ministry included the playing of cymbals, harps, and zithers; all were under the direction of their father as they performed this ministry in the Tabernacle.

Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. They and their families were all trained in singing praises to the Lord; each one—288 of them in all—was a master musician. ⁸ The singers were appointed to their particular term of service by coin-toss, without regard to age or reputation.

26 The Temple guards were from the Asaph division of the Korah clan. The captain of the guard was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore.

^2-3 His sergeants were his sons: Zechariah (the oldest), Jediael (the second), Zebadiah (the third), Jathniel (the fourth), Elam (the fifth), Jehohanan (the sixth), Eliehoenai (the seventh).

^4-5 The sons of Obed-edom were also appointed as Temple guards: Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), Peullethai (the eighth). What a blessing God gave him with all those sons!

^6-7 Shemaiah’s sons were all outstanding men and had positions of great authority in their clan. Their names were: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad.

Their brave brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were also very able men.

⁸ All of these sons and grandsons of Obed-edom—all sixty-two of them—were outstanding men who were particularly well qualified for their work. ⁹ Meshelemiah’s eighteen sons and brothers, too, were real leaders. ¹⁰ Hosah, one of the Merari group, appointed Shimri as the leader among his sons, though he was not the oldest. ¹¹ The names of some of his other sons were: Hilkiah, the second; Tebaliah, the third; Zechariah, the fourth. Hosah’s sons and brothers numbered thirteen in all.

¹² The divisions of the Temple guards were named after the leaders. Like the other Levites, they were responsible to minister at the Temple. ¹³ They were assigned guard duty at the various gates without regard to the reputation of their families, for it was all done by coin-toss. ^14-15 The responsibility of the east gate went to Shelemiah and his group; of the north gate to his son Zechariah, a man of unusual wisdom; of the south gate to Obed-edom and his group (his sons were given charge of the storehouses); ¹⁶ of the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road, to Shuppim and Hosah. ¹⁷ Six guards were assigned daily to the east gate, four to the north gate, four to the south gate, and two to each of the storehouses. ¹⁸ Six guards were assigned each day to the west gate, four to the upper road, and two to the nearby areas. ¹⁹ The Temple guards were chosen from the clans of Korah and Merari.

^20-22 Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were given the care of the gifts brought to the Lord and placed in the Temple treasury. These men of the Ladan subclan from the clan of Gershom included Zetham and Joel, the sons of Jehieli. ^23-24 Shebuel, son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, was the chief officer of the treasury. He was in charge of the divisions named after Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁵ The line of descendants from Eliezer went through Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomoth. ²⁶ Shelomoth and his brothers were appointed to care for the gifts given to the Lord by King David and the other leaders of the nation such as the officers and generals of the army. ²⁷ For these men dedicated their war loot to support the operating expenses of the Temple. ²⁸ Shelomoth and his brothers were also responsible for the care of the items dedicated to the Lord by Samuel the prophet, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, Joab the son of Zeruiah, and anyone else of distinction^[b] who brought gifts to the Lord.

²⁹ Chenaniah and his sons (from the subclan of Izhar) were appointed public administrators and judges. ³⁰ Hashabiah and 1,700 of his clansmen from Hebron, all outstanding men, were placed in charge of the territory of Israel west of the Jordan River; they were responsible for the religious affairs and public administration of that area. ^31-32 Twenty-seven hundred outstanding men of the clan of the Hebronites, under the supervision of Jerijah, were appointed to control the religious and public affairs of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These men, all of whom had excellent qualifications, were appointed on the basis of their ancestry and ability at Jazer in Gilead in the fortieth year of King David’s reign.

27 The Israeli army was divided into twelve regiments, each with 24,000 troops, including officers and administrative staff. These units were called up for active duty one month each year. Here is the list of the units and their regimental commanders:

^2-3 The commander of the First Division was Jashobeam. He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the first month of each year.

⁴ The commander of the Second Division was Dodai (a descendant of Ahohi). He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the second month of each year. Mikloth was his executive officer.

^5-6 The commander of the Third Division was Benaiah. His 24,000 men were on duty the third month of each year. (He was the son of Jehoiada the High Priest and was the chief of The Thirty, a group including the mightiest of David’s men.) His son Ammizabad succeeded him as division commander.

⁷ The commander of the Fourth Division was Asahel (the brother of Joab), who was later replaced by his son Zebadiah. He had 24,000 men on duty the fourth month of each year.

⁸ The commander of the Fifth Division was Shamuth from Izrah, with 24,000 men on duty the fifth month of each year.

⁹ The commander of the Sixth Division was Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; he had 24,000 men on duty the sixth month of each year.

¹⁰ The commander of the Seventh Division was Helez from Pelona in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty the seventh month of each year.

¹¹ The commander of the Eighth Division was Sibbecai of the Hushite subclan from Zerah, who had 24,000 men on duty the eighth month of each year.

¹² The commander of the Ninth Division was Abiezer (from Anathoth in the tribe of Benjamin), who commanded 24,000 troops during the ninth month of each year.

¹³ The commander of the Tenth Division was Maharai from Netophah in Zerah, with 24,000 men on duty the tenth month of each year.

¹⁴ The commander of the Eleventh Division was Benaiah from Pirathon in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty during the eleventh month of each year.

¹⁵ The commander of the Twelfth Division was Heldai from Netophah in the area of Othniel, who commanded 24,000 men on duty during the twelfth month of each year.

^16-22 The top political officers of the tribes of Israel were as follows:

²³ When David took his census, he didn’t include the twenty-year-olds or those younger, for the Lord had promised a population explosion for his people.^{[c] 24} Joab began the census, but he never finished it, for the anger of God broke out upon Israel; the final total was never put into the annals of King David.

²⁵ Azmaveth (son of Adiel) was the chief financial officer in charge of the palace treasuries, and Jonathan (son of Uzziah) was chief of the regional treasuries throughout the cities, villages, and fortresses of Israel.

²⁶ Ezri (son of Chelub) was manager of the laborers on the king’s estates. ²⁷ And Shimei from Ramath had the oversight of the king’s vineyards; and Zabdi from Shiphma was responsible for his wine production and storage. ²⁸ Baal-hanan from Gedera was responsible for the king’s olive yards and sycamore trees in the lowlands bordering Philistine territory, while Joash had charge of the supplies of olive oil.

²⁹ Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle on the plains of Sharon, and Shaphat (son of Adlai) had charge of those in the valleys. ³⁰ Obil, from the territory of Ishmael, had charge of the camels, and Jehdeiah from Meronoth had charge of the donkeys. ³¹ The sheep were under the care of Jaziz the Hagrite. These men were King David’s overseers.

³² The attendant to the king’s sons was Jonathan, David’s uncle, a wise counselor and an educated man.^[d] Jehiel (the son of Hachmoni) was their tutor.

³³ Ahithophel was the king’s official counselor, and Hushai the Archite was his personal advisor. ³⁴ Ahithophel was assisted by Jehoiada (the son of Benaiah) and by Abiathar. Joab was commander-in-chief of the Israeli army.

28 David now summoned all of his officials to Jerusalem—the political leaders, the commanders of the twelve army divisions, the other army officers, those in charge of his property and livestock, and all the other men of authority in his kingdom. ² He rose and stood before them and addressed them as follows:

“My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple in which the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord could rest—a place for our God to live in.^[e] I have now collected everything that is necessary for the building, ³ but God has told me, ‘You are not to build my temple, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’

⁴ “Nevertheless, the Lord God of Israel has chosen me from among all my father’s family to begin a dynasty that will rule Israel forever; he has chosen the tribe of Judah, and from among the families of Judah, my father’s family; and from among his sons, the Lord took pleasure in me and has made me king over all Israel. ⁵ And from among my sons—the Lord has given me many children—he has chosen Solomon to succeed me on the throne of his kingdom of Israel. ⁶ He has told me, ‘Your son Solomon shall build my Temple; for I have chosen him as my son and I will be his father. ⁷ And if he continues to obey my commandments and instructions as he has until now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’”

⁸ Then David turned to Solomon and said:^[f]

“Here before the leaders of Israel, the people of God, and in the sight of our God, I am instructing you to search out every commandment of the Lord so that you may continue to rule this good land and leave it to your children to rule forever. ⁹ Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your fathers. Worship and serve him with a clean heart and a willing mind, for the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every thought. If you seek him, you will find him; but if you forsake him, he will permanently throw you aside. ¹⁰ So be very careful, for the Lord has chosen you to build his holy Temple. Be strong and do as he commands.”

¹¹ Then David gave Solomon the blueprint of the Temple and its surroundings—the treasuries, the upstairs rooms, the inside rooms, and the sanctuary for the place of mercy. ¹² He also gave Solomon his plans for the outer court, the outside rooms, the Temple storage areas, and the treasuries for the gifts dedicated by famous persons. For the Holy Spirit had given David all these plans. ¹³ The king also passed on to Solomon the instructions concerning the work of the various groups of priests and Levites; and he gave specifications for each item in the Temple which was to be used for worship and sacrifice.

¹⁴ David weighed out enough gold and silver to make these various items, ¹⁵ as well as the specific amount of gold needed for the lampstands and lamps. He also weighed out enough silver for the silver candlesticks and lamps, each according to its use. ¹⁶ He weighed out the gold for the table on which the Bread of the Presence would be placed and for the other gold tables, and he weighed the silver for the silver tables. ¹⁷ Then he weighed out the gold for the solid gold hooks used in handling the sacrificial meat and for the basins, cups, and bowls of gold and silver. ¹⁸ Finally, he weighed out the refined gold for the altar of incense and for the gold Guardian Angels whose wings were stretched over the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

¹⁹ “Every part of this blueprint,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.” ²⁰ Then he continued, “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly. ²¹ And these various groups of priests and Levites will serve in the Temple. Others with skills of every kind will volunteer, and the army and the entire nation are at your command.”

29 Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said: “My son Solomon, whom God has chosen to be the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced, and the work ahead of him is enormous; for the temple he will build is not just another building—it is for the Lord God himself! ² Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building it—enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and marble. ³ And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of God, I am giving all of my own private treasures to aid in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected. ^4-5 These personal contributions consist of millions of dollars of gold from Ophir and huge amounts of silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings. It will also be used for the articles made of gold and silver and for the artistic decorations. Now then, who will follow my example? Who will give himself and all that he has to the Lord?”

^6-7 Then the clan leaders, the heads of the tribes, the army officers, and the administrative officers of the king pledged huge sums of gold, silver, and foreign currency, also 675 tons of bronze and 3,750 tons of iron. ⁸ They also contributed great amounts of jewelry, which were deposited at the Temple treasury with Jehiel (a descendant of Gershom). ⁹ Everyone was excited and happy for this opportunity of service, and King David was moved with deep joy.

¹⁰ While still in the presence of the whole assembly, David expressed his praises to the Lord: “O Lord God of our father Israel, praise your name for ever and ever! ¹¹ Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. ¹² Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength. ¹³ O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name, ¹⁴ but who am I and who are my people that we should be permitted to give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we only give you what is yours already! ¹⁵ For we are here for but a moment, strangers in the land as our fathers were before us; our days on earth are like a shadow, gone so soon, without a trace. ¹⁶ O Lord our God, all of this material that we have gathered to build a temple for your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you test men to see if they are good; for you enjoy good men. I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

¹⁸ “O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel! Make your people always want to obey you, and see to it that their love for you never changes. ¹⁹ Give my son Solomon a good heart toward God, so that he will want to obey you in the smallest detail and will look forward eagerly to finishing the building of your Temple, for which I have made all of these preparations.”

²⁰ Then David said to all the people, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And they did, bowing low before the Lord and the king.

²¹ The next day they brought a thousand young bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs as burnt offerings to the Lord; they also offered drink offerings and many other sacrifices on behalf of all Israel. ²² Then they feasted and drank before the Lord with great joy.

And again^[g] they crowned King David’s son Solomon as their king. They anointed him before the Lord as their leader, and they anointed Zadok as their priest. ²³ So God appointed Solomon to take the throne of his father David; and he prospered greatly, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ The national leaders, the army officers, and his brothers all pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. ²⁵ And the Lord gave him great popularity with all the people of Israel, and he amassed even greater wealth and honor than his father.

^26-27 David was king of the land of Israel for forty years; seven of them during his reign in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. ²⁸ He died at an old age, wealthy and honored; and his son Solomon reigned in his place. ²⁹ Detailed biographies of King David have been written in the history of Samuel the prophet, in the history written by Nathan the prophet, and in the history written by the prophet Gad. ³⁰ These accounts tell of his reign and of his might and all that happened to him and to Israel and to the kings of the nearby nations.

1 King David’s son Solomon was now the undisputed ruler of Israel, for the Lord his God had made him a powerful monarch. ^2-3 He summoned all the army officers and judges to Gibeon^[h] as well as all the political and religious leaders of Israel. He led them up the hill to the old Tabernacle constructed by Moses, the Lord’s assistant, while he was in the wilderness. ⁴ (There was a later Tabernacle in Jerusalem, built by King David for the Ark of God when he removed it from Kiriath-jearim.) ^5-6 The bronze altar made by Bezalel (son of Uri, son of Hur) still stood in front of the old Tabernacle, and now Solomon and those he had invited assembled themselves before it, as he sacrificed upon it 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord.

⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon and told him, “Ask me for anything, and I will give it to you!”

⁸ Solomon replied, “O God, you have been so kind and good to my father David, and now you have given me the kingdom— ⁹ this is all I want! For you have fulfilled your promise to David my father and have made me king over a nation as full of people as the earth is full of dust! ¹⁰ Now give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them properly, for who is able to govern by himself such a great nation as this one of yours?”

¹¹ God replied, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you haven’t asked for personal wealth and honor, and you haven’t asked me to curse your enemies, and you haven’t asked for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge to properly guide my people— ¹² yes, I am giving you the wisdom and knowledge you asked for! And I am also giving you riches, wealth, and honor such as no other king has ever had before you! And there will never again be so great a king in all the world!”

¹³ Solomon then left the Tabernacle, returned down the hill, and went back to Jerusalem to rule Israel. ¹⁴ He built up a huge force of 1,400 chariots and recruited 12,000 cavalry to guard the cities where the chariots were garaged, though some, of course, were stationed at Jerusalem near the king. ¹⁵ During Solomon’s reign, silver and gold were as plentiful in Jerusalem as rocks on the road! And expensive cedar lumber was used like common sycamore! ¹⁶ Solomon sent horse traders to Egypt to purchase entire herds at wholesale prices. ¹⁷ At that time Egyptian chariots sold for $400 each and horses for $100, delivered at Jerusalem. Many of these were then resold to the kings of the Hittites and Syria.

2 Solomon now decided that the time had come to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. ² This required a force of 70,000 laborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, and 3,600 foremen. ³ Solomon sent an ambassador to King Hiram at Tyre, requesting shipments of cedar lumber such as Hiram had supplied to David when he was building his palace.

⁴ “I am about to build a temple for the Lord my God,” Solomon told Hiram. “It will be a place where I can burn incense and sweet spices before God, and display the special sacrificial bread, and sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, and on the Sabbaths, and at the new moon celebration and other regular festivals of the Lord our God. For God wants Israel always to celebrate these special occasions. ⁵ It is going to be a wonderful temple because he is a great God, greater than any other. ⁶ But who can ever build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heaven would be beautiful enough! And who am I to be allowed to build a temple for God? But it will be a place to worship him.^[i]

⁷ “So send me skilled craftsmen—goldsmiths and silversmiths, brass and iron workers; and send me weavers to make purple, crimson, and blue cloth; and skilled engravers to work beside the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father David. ⁸ Also send me cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees from the forests of Lebanon, for your men are without equal as lumbermen, and I will send my men to help them. ⁹ An immense amount of lumber will be needed, for the temple I am going to build will be large and incredibly beautiful. ¹⁰ As to the financial arrangements, I will pay your men 20,000 sacks of crushed wheat, 20,000 barrels of barley, 20,000 barrels of wine, and 20,000 barrels of olive oil.”

¹¹ King Hiram replied to King Solomon: “It is because the Lord loves his people that he has made you their king! ¹² Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made the heavens and the earth and who has given to David such a wise, intelligent, and understanding son to build God’s Temple and a royal palace for himself.

¹³ “I am sending you a master craftsman—my famous Huramabi! He is a brilliant man, ¹⁴ the son of a Jewish woman from Dan in Israel; his father is from here in Tyre. He is a skillful goldsmith and silversmith, and also does exquisite work with brass and iron and knows all about stonework, carpentry, and weaving; and he is an expert in the dyeing of purple and blue linen and crimson cloth. He is an engraver besides, and an inventor! He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father. ¹⁵ So send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you mentioned, ¹⁶ and we will begin cutting wood from the Lebanon mountains, as much as you need, and bring it to you in log floats across the sea to Joppa, and from there you can take them inland to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ Solomon now took a census of all foreigners in the country (just as his father David had done) and found that there were 153,600 of them. ¹⁸ He indentured 70,000 as common laborers, 80,000 as loggers, and 3,600 as foremen.

3 Finally the actual construction of the Temple began. Its location was in Jerusalem at the top of Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to Solomon’s father, King David, and where the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite had been. David had selected it as the site for the Temple. ² The actual construction began on the seventeenth day of April in the fourth year of King Solomon’s reign.

³ The foundation was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide. ⁴ A covered porch ran along the entire thirty-foot width of the Temple, with the inner walls and ceiling overlaid with pure gold! The roof was 180 feet high.

⁵ The main part of the Temple was paneled with cypress wood, plated with pure gold, and engraved with palm trees and chains. ⁶ Beautiful jewels were inlaid into the walls to add to the beauty; the gold, by the way, was of the best, from Parvaim. ⁷ All the walls, beams, doors, and thresholds throughout the Temple were plated with gold, with Guardian Angels engraved on the walls.

⁸ Within the Temple, at one end, was the most sacred room—the Holy of Holies—thirty feet square. This too was overlaid with the finest gold, valued at millions of dollars. ⁹ Twenty-six-ounce gold nails were used. The upper rooms were also plated with pure gold.

¹⁰ Within the innermost room, the Holy of Holies, Solomon placed two sculptured statues of Guardian Angels and plated them with gold. ^11-13 They stood on the floor facing the outer room, with wings stretched wing tip to wing tip across the room, from wall to wall.^{[j] 14} Across the entrance to this room he placed a veil of blue and crimson finespun linen, decorated with Guardian Angels.

¹⁵ At the front of the Temple were two pillars 52-1/2 feet high, topped by a 7-1/2-foot capital flaring out to the roof. ¹⁶ He made chains^[k] and placed them on top of the pillars, with 100 pomegranates attached to the chains. ¹⁷ Then he set up the pillars at the front of the Temple, one on the right and the other on the left. And he gave them names: Jachin (the one on the right), and Boaz (the one on the left).

4 He also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high. ² Then he forged a huge round tank 15 feet across from rim to rim. The rim stood 7-1/2 feet above the floor, and was 45 feet around. ³ The tank was encircled at its base by two rows of gourd designs, cast as part of the tank. ⁴ The tank stood on twelve metal oxen facing outward; three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. ⁵ The walls of the tank were five inches thick, flaring out like the cup of a lily. It held 3,000 barrels of water.

⁶ He also constructed ten vats for water to wash the offerings, five to the right of the huge tank and five to the left. The priests used the tank, and not the vats, for their own washing.

⁷ Carefully following God’s instructions, he then cast ten gold lampstands and placed them in the Temple, five against each wall; ⁸ he also built ten tables and placed five against each wall on the right and left. And he molded 100 solid gold bowls. ⁹ Then he constructed a court for the priests, also the public court, and overlaid the doors of these courts with bronze. ¹⁰ The huge tank was in the southeast corner of the outer room of the Temple. ¹¹ Huramabi also made the necessary pots, shovels, and basins for use in connection with the sacrifices.

So at last he completed the work assigned to him by King Solomon:

This skillful craftsman, Huramabi, made all of the above-mentioned items for King Solomon using polished bronze. ^17-18 The king did the casting at the claybanks of the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah. Great quantities of bronze were used, too heavy to weigh.

¹⁹ Solomon commanded that all of the furnishings of the Temple—the utensils, the altar, and the table for the Bread of the Presence must be made of gold; ²⁰ also the lamps and lampstands, ²¹ the floral decorations, tongs, ²² lamp snuffers, basins, spoons, and firepans—all were made of solid gold. Even the doorway of the Temple, the main door, and the inner doors to the Holy of Holies were overlaid with gold.

5 So the Temple was finally finished. Then Solomon brought in the gifts dedicated to the Lord by his father, King David. They were stored in the Temple treasuries.

² Solomon now summoned to Jerusalem all of the leaders of Israel—the heads of the tribes and clans—for the ceremony of transferring the Ark from the Tabernacle in the^[l] City of David, also known as Zion, to its new home in the Temple. ³ This celebration took place in October at the annual Festival of Tabernacles. ^4-5 As the leaders of Israel watched, the Levites lifted the Ark and carried it out of the Tabernacle, along with all the other sacred vessels. ⁶ King Solomon and the others sacrificed sheep and oxen before the Ark in such numbers that no one tried to keep count!

^7-8 Then the priests carried the Ark into the inner room of the Temple—the Holy of Holies—and placed it beneath the wings of the Guardian Angels; their wings spread over the Ark and its carrying poles. ⁹ These carrying poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the outer room, but not from the outside doorway.

The Ark is still there at the time of this writing. ¹⁰ Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Mount Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were leaving Egypt.

^11-12 When the priests had undergone the purification rites for themselves, they all took part in the ceremonies without regard to their normal duties. And how the Levites were praising the Lord as the priests came out of the Holy of Holies! The singers were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers, dressed in finespun linen robes and standing at the east side of the altar. The choir was accompanied by 120 priests who were trumpeters, while others played the cymbals, lyres, and harps. ^13-14 The band and chorus united as one to praise and thank the Lord; their selections were interspersed with trumpet obbligatos, the clashing of cymbals, and the loud playing of other musical instruments—all praising and thanking the Lord. Their theme was “He is so good! His loving-kindness lasts forever!”

And at that moment the glory of the Lord, coming as a bright cloud, filled the Temple so that the priests could not continue their work.

6 ^1-2 This is the prayer prayed by Solomon on that occasion:

³ Then the king turned around to the people and they stood to receive his blessing:

⁴ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,” he said to them, “the God who talked personally to my father David and has now fulfilled the promise he made to him. For he told him, ^5-6 ‘I have never before, since bringing my people from the land of Egypt, chosen a city anywhere in Israel as the location of my Temple where my name will be glorified; and never before have I chosen a king for my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem as that city, and David as that king.’

⁷ “My father David wanted to build this Temple, ⁸ but the Lord said not to. It was good to have the desire, the Lord told him, ⁹ but he was not the one to build it: his son was chosen for that task. ¹⁰ And now the Lord has done what he promised, for I have become king in my father’s place, and I have built the Temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel ¹¹ and placed the Ark there. And in the Ark is the Covenant between the Lord and his people Israel.”

^12-13 As he spoke, Solomon was standing before the people on a platform in the center of the outer court, in front of the altar of the Lord. The platform was made of bronze, 7-1/2 feet square and 4-1/2 feet high. Now, as all the people watched, he knelt down, reached out his arms toward heaven, and prayed this prayer:

¹⁴ “O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You are the God who keeps his kind promises to all those who obey you and who are anxious to do your will. ¹⁵ And you have kept your promise to my father David,^[m] as is evident today. ¹⁶ And now, O God of Israel, carry out your further promise to him that ‘your descendants shall always reign over Israel if they will obey my laws as you have.’ ¹⁷ Yes, Lord God of Israel, please fulfill this promise too. ¹⁸ But will God really live upon the earth with men? Why, even the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you—how much less this Temple I have built!

¹⁹ “How I pray that you will heed my prayers, O Lord my God! Listen to my prayer that I am praying to you now! ^20-21 Look down with favor day and night upon this Temple—upon this place where you have said that you would put your name. May you always hear and answer the prayers I will pray to you as I face toward this place. Listen to my prayers and to those of your people Israel when they pray toward this Temple; yes, hear us from heaven, and when you hear, forgive.

²² “Whenever someone commits a crime and is required to swear to his innocence before this altar, ²³ then hear from heaven and punish him if he is lying, or else declare him innocent.

²⁴ “If your people Israel are destroyed before their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and call themselves your people, and pray to you here in this Temple, ²⁵ then listen to them from heaven and forgive their sins and give them back this land you gave to their fathers.

²⁶ “When the skies are shut and there is no rain because of our sins, and then we pray toward this Temple and claim you as our God, and turn from our sins because you have punished us, ²⁷ then listen from heaven and forgive the sins of your people, and teach them what is right; and send rain upon this land that you have given to your people as their own property.

²⁸ “If there is a famine in the land, or plagues, or crop disease, or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people’s enemies are in the land besieging our cities—whatever the trouble is— ²⁹ listen to every individual’s prayer concerning his private sorrow, as well as all the public prayers. ³⁰ Hear from heaven where you live and forgive, and give each one whatever he deserves, for you know the hearts of all mankind. ³¹ Then they will reverence you forever and will continually walk where you tell them to go.^[n]

³² “And when foreigners hear of your power, and come from distant lands to worship your great name, and to pray toward this Temple, ³³ hear them from heaven where you live, and do what they request of you. Then all the peoples of the earth will hear of your fame and will reverence you, just as your people Israel do; and they too will know that this Temple I have built is truly yours.

³⁴ “If your people go out at your command to fight their enemies, and they pray toward this city of Jerusalem that you have chosen, and this Temple that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then hear their prayers from heaven and give them success.

³⁶ “If they sin against you (and who has never sinned?) and you become angry with them, and you let their enemies defeat them and take them away as captives to some foreign nation near or far; ^37-38 and if in that land of exile they turn to you again, and face toward this land you gave their fathers and this city and your Temple I have built, and plead with you with all their hearts to forgive them, ³⁹ then hear from heaven where you live and help them, and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

⁴⁰ “Yes, O my God, be wide awake and attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place. ⁴¹ And now, O Lord God, arise and enter this resting place of yours where the Ark of your strength has been placed. Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your people rejoice in your kind deeds. ⁴² O Lord God, do not ignore me—do not turn your face away from me, your anointed one. Oh, remember your love for David and your kindness to him.”

7 ^1-2 As Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the sacrifices! And the glory of the Lord filled the Temple, so that the priests couldn’t enter! ³ All the people had been watching, and now they fell flat on the pavement and worshiped and thanked the Lord.

“How good he is!” they exclaimed. “He is always so loving and kind.”

^4-5 Then the king and all the people dedicated the Temple by sacrificing burnt offerings to the Lord. King Solomon’s contribution for this purpose was 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. ⁶ The priests were standing at their posts of duty, and the Levites were playing their thanksgiving song, “His Loving-Kindness Is Forever,” using the musical instruments King David himself had made and had used to praise the Lord. Then, when the priests blew the trumpets, all the people stood again. ⁷ Solomon consecrated the inner court of the Temple for use that day as a place of sacrifice because there were too many sacrifices for the bronze altar to accommodate.

⁸ For the next seven days they celebrated the Tabernacle Festival, with large crowds coming in from all over Israel; they arrived from as far away as Hamath at one end of the country to the brook of Egypt at the other. ⁹ A final religious service was held on the eighth day. ¹⁰ Then on October 7 he sent the people home, joyful and happy because the Lord had been so good to David and Solomon and to his people Israel.