One Year Bible.

Solomon’s Palace Complex

¹Solomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace.

²He 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.

³The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars — forty-five beams, fifteen per row. ⁴There were three rows of high windows facing one another in three tiers. ⁵All the doorways had rectangular frames, with the openings facing one another in three tiers.

⁶Solomon 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.

⁷In 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.

⁸And 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.

⁹All 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. ¹⁰The foundations were laid with large, costly stones, some ten cubits long and some eight cubits long. ¹¹Above these were costly stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.

¹²The 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

¹³Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram from Tyre. ¹⁴He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.

¹⁵He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference. ¹⁶He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits high. ¹⁷For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork, seven for each capital.

¹⁸Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital atop the pillars. ¹⁹And the capitals atop the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high. ²⁰On the capitals of both pillars, just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital.

²¹Thus 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. ²²And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed.

The Molten Sea

²³He 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. ²⁴Below 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.

²⁵The 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. ²⁶It 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

²⁷In addition, he made ten movable stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.

²⁸This was the design of the stands: They had side panels attached to uprights, ²⁹and 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.

³⁰Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side. ³¹The 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.

³²There 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. ³³The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.

³⁴Each stand had four handles, one for each corner, projecting from the stand. ³⁵At 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.

³⁶He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around. ³⁷In this way he made the ten stands, each with the same casting, dimensions, and shape.

The Ten Bronze Basins

³⁸He also made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin for each of the ten stands.

³⁹He 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

⁴⁰Additionally, 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:

⁴¹the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars;

the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

⁴²the 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);

⁴³the ten stands;

the ten basins on the stands;

⁴⁴the Sea;

the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;

⁴⁵and 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. ⁴⁶The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. ⁴⁷Solomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

⁴⁸Solomon 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;

⁴⁹the 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;

⁵⁰the 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.

⁵¹So 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.

The Bronze Altar and Molten Sea

¹He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.

²He 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. ³Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

⁴The 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. ⁵It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths.

The Ten Basins, Lampstands, and Tables

⁶He also made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the priests used the Sea for washing.

⁷He made ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

⁸Additionally, he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold bowls.

The Courts

⁹He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the doors with bronze.

¹⁰He put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

Completion of the Bronze Works

¹¹Additionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of God:

¹²the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars;

the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

¹³the 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);

¹⁴the stands;

the basins on the stands;

¹⁵the Sea;

the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;

¹⁶and the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other articles.

All these objects that Huram-abi made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of polished bronze. ¹⁷The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸Solomon made all these articles in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

¹⁹Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of God:

the golden altar;

the tables on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

²⁰the lampstands of pure gold and their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;

²¹the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold— of purest gold;

²²the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers of pure gold;

and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place as well as the doors of the main hall.

Paul’s Ministry

¹You yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not in vain. ²As you are aware, we had already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. But in the face of strong opposition, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God.

³For our appeal does not arise from deceit or ulterior motives or trickery. ⁴Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts. ⁵As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness! ⁶Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

⁷On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children. ⁸We cared so deeply that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our own lives as well. That is how beloved you have become to us.

⁹Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed. ¹¹For you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children— ¹²encouraging you, comforting you, and urging you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

¹³And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is also now at work in you who believe.

¹⁴For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews, ¹⁵who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, ¹⁶hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.

Paul’s Longing to Visit

¹⁷Brothers, although we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our desire to see you face to face was even more intense. ¹⁸For we wanted to come to you — indeed I, Paul, tried again and again — but Satan obstructed us. ¹⁹After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? ²⁰You are indeed our glory and our joy.

Timothy’s Visit

¹So when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left on our own in Athens. ²We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this. ⁴Indeed, when we were with you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has come to pass. ⁵For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and that our labor might have been in vain.

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

⁶But just now, Timothy has returned from his visit with the good news about your faith, your love, and the fond memories you have preserved, longing to see us just as we long to see you. ⁷For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith. ⁸For now we can go on living, as long as you are standing firm in the Lord.

⁹How can we adequately thank God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence? ¹⁰Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.

¹¹Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows, ¹³so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.