Chapter 1
CHAPTER I And strengthen himself, doth Solomon son of David, over his kingdom, and Jehovah his God is with him, and maketh him exceedingly great. And Solomon saith to all Israel, to heads of the thousands and of the hundreds, and to judges and to every honorable one of all Israel, heads of the fathers, and they go,
Solomon and all the assembly with him, to the high place that is in Gibeon, for there God's tent of meeting that Moses, servant of Jehovah, made in the wilderness. But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-Jerim, when David prepared for it, for he stretched out for it a tent in Jerusalem. And the altar of brass that Bezalel son of Uriah son of Hur made, he put before the tabernacle
of Jehovah, and Solomon and the assembly seek to it. And Solomon goeth up thither on the altar of brass before Jehovah, that is at the tent of meeting, and causeth to ascend upon it a thousand burnt offerings. In that night hath God appeared to Solomon, and saith to him, Ask, what do I give to thee?
And Solomon saith to God, Thou hast done with David my father great kindness, and hast caused me to reign in his stead. Now O Jehovah God, is thy word with David my father steadfast, for thou hast caused me to reign over a people numerous as the dust of the earth. Now wisdom and knowledge give to me, and I go out before this people, and I come in.
For who doth judge this thy great people? And God saith to Solomon, Because that this hath been with thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, and honour, and the life of those hating thee, and also many days hast not asked, and dost ask for thyself wisdom and knowledge, so that thou dost judge my people over which I have caused thee to reign.
The wisdom and the knowledge is given to thee, and riches and wealth and honour I give to thee, that there hath not been so to the kings who are before thee, and after thee it is not so. And Solomon cometh in from the high place that is in Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tent of meeting, and reigneth over Israel.
And Solomon gathereth chariots and horsemen, and he hath a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placeth them in the cities of the chariots and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king maketh the silver and the gold in Jerusalem as stones, and the cedars he made as sycamores that are in the low country for abundance.
And the source of the horses that are to Solomon is from Egypt and from Kiva, merchants of the king from Kiva take at a price. And they come up and bring out from Egypt a chariot for six hundred silverlings and a horse for fifty and a hundred. And so for all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram, by their hand they bring
out. Chapter 2. And Solomon saith to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. And Solomon numbereth seventy thousand men bearing burden, and eighty thousand men hewing in the mountain, and overseers over them, three thousand and six hundred.
And Solomon sendeth unto Huram king of Tyre, saying, When thou hast dealt with David my father, then thou dost send to him cedars to build for him a house to dwell in. Lo, I am building a house to the name of Jehovah my God, to sanctify it to him, to make perfume before him, perfume of spices and a continual arrangement, and burnt offerings at morning and at evening, at sabbaths and at new moons, and at appointed seasons of Jehovah our God.
To the age this is on Israel. And the house that I am building is great, for greater is our God than all gods. And who doth retain strength to build to him a house, for the heavens, even the heavens of the heavens, do not contain him? And who am I that I do build to him a house, except to make perfume before him?
And now send to me a wise man to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and knowing to grave gravings with the wise men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father prepared. And send to me cedar trees, firs, and algums from Lebanon, for I have known that thy servants know to cut down trees of Lebanon.
And lo, my servants are with thy servants, even to prepare for me trees in abundance, for the house that I am building is great and wonderful. And lo, to hewers, to those cutting the trees, I have given beaten wheat to thy servants, coars 20,000, and barley, coars 20,000, and wine, baths 20,000, and oil, baths 20,000. And Huram king of Tyre saith in writing, and sendeth unto Solomon, In the love of Jehovah
to his people, he hath given thee king over them. And Huram saith, Blessed is Jehovah, God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, knowing wisdom and understanding, who doth build a house for Jehovah and a house for his kingdom. And now I have sent a wise man, having understanding, of Huram my father, son of a woman of the
daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre, knowing to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stones, and in wood, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, and to grave any graving, and to devise any device that is given to him with thy wise men, and the wise men of my lord David thy father. And now the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, as my lord said, let him send
to his servants. And we, we cut trees out of Lebanon according to all thy need, and bring them into thee, and loath by sea to Joppa, and thou dost take them up to Jerusalem. And Solomon numbereth all the men, the sojourners who are in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father numbered them.
And they are found 150,000, and 3,600, and he maketh of them 70,000 burden-bearers, and 80,000 hewers in the mountain, and 3,600 overseers, to cause the people to work. And Solomon beginneth to build the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem in the mount of Moriah, where he appeared to David his father, in the place that David had prepared, in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
And he beginneth to build in the second day, in the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. And in these hath Solomon been instructed to build the house of God. The length in cubits by the former measure is sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. As to the porch that is on the front, the length is by the front of the breadth of the
house, twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty, and he overlayeth it within with pure gold. And the large house he hath covered with fir-trees, and he doth cover it with good gold, and causeth to ascend on it palms and chains. And he overlayeth the house with precious stone for beauty, and the gold is gold of
Parvaim, and he covereth the house, the beams, the thresholds, and its walls, and its doors, with gold, and hath graved cherubs on the walls. And he maketh the most holy house. Its length is by the front of the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits, and he covereth it with good gold, to six hundred talents.
And the weight of the nails is fifty shekels of gold, and the upper chambers he hath covered with gold. And he maketh in the most holy house two cherubs, image-work, and he overlayeth them with gold. As to the wings of the cherubs, their length is twenty cubits, the wing of the one is five cubits touching the wall of the house, and the other wing is five cubits touching the
wing of the other cherub. And the wing of the other cherub is five cubits touching the wall of the house, and the other wing is five cubits adhering to the wing of the other cherub. The wings of these cherubs are spreading forth twenty cubits, and they are standing on their feet and their faces are inward.
And he maketh the veil of blue and purple and crimson and fine linen and causeth cherubs to go up on it. And he maketh at the front of the house two pillars, thirty and five cubits in length, and the ornament that is on their heads, five cubits. And he maketh chains in the oracle and putteth on the heads of the pillars and maketh a hundred
pomegranates and putteth on the chains. And he raiseth up the pillars on the front of the temple, one on the right and one on the left, and calleth the name of that on the right Joaquin, and the name of that on the left Boaz. Chapter 4.
And he maketh an altar of brass, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height. And he maketh the molten sea, ten by the cubit, from its edge unto its edge, round in compass, and five by the cubit its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass it round about.
And the likeness of oxen is under it, all round about encompassing it, ten in the cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen are cast in its being cast. It is standing on twelve oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east.
And the sea is upon them above, and all their hinder parts are within. And its thickness is a hand-breadth, and its lip as the work of a lip of a cup flowered with lilies, taking hold baths three thousand it containeth. And he maketh ten lavers, and putteth five on the right and five on the left, to wash with them.
The work of the burnt offering they purge with them, and the sea is for priests to wash with. And he maketh the ten candlesticks of gold according to their ordinance, and placeth in the temple five on the right and five on the left. And he maketh ten tables, and placeth in the temple five on the right and five on the left,
and he maketh bowls of gold a hundred. And he maketh the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and their doors he hath overlaid with brass. And the sea he hath placed on the right shoulder eastward over against the south. And Huram maketh the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls, and Huram finisheth to make
the work that he made for King Solomon in the house of God. Two pillars, and the bowls, and the crowns on the heads of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two bowls of the crowns that are on the heads of the pillars. And the pomegranates four hundred to the two wreaths, two rows of pomegranates to the one wreath to cover the two bowls of the crowns that are on the front of the pillars.
And the bases he hath made, and the lavers he hath made on the bases. The one sea, and the twelve oxen under it, and the pots, and the shovels, and the forks, and all their vessels, hath Huram his father made for King Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of brass purified. And the circuit of the Jordan hath Fekin cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between
Sukkoth and Zeradotha. And Solomon maketh all these vessels in great abundance, that the weight of the brass hath not been searched out. And Solomon maketh all the vessels that are for the house of God, and the altar of gold, and the tables, and on them is bread of the presence, and the candlesticks, and their
lamps, for their burning according to the ordinance, before the oracle of gold refined. And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, it is the perfection of gold. And the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and the censers, of gold refined. And the opening of the house, its innermost doors to the Holy of Holies, and the doors of the house to the temple of gold.
CHAPTER V And all the work that Solomon made for the house of Jehovah is finished, and Solomon bringeth in the sanctified things of David his father, and the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels he hath put among the treasures of the house of God. Then doth Solomon assemble the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, princes of
the fathers of the sons of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah from the city of David. It is Zion. And assembled unto the king are all the men of Israel in the feast. It is the seventh month.
And all the elders of Israel come in, and the Levites lift up the ark, and they bring up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the vessels of the sanctuary that are in the tent. Brought them up have the priests, the Levites. And King Solomon and all the company of Israel who are convened unto him before the ark are
sacrificing sheep and oxen that are not counted nor numbered from multitude. And the priests bring in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, unto the oracle of the house, unto the holy of holies, unto the place of the wings of the cherubs. And the cherubs are spreading out wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubs cover over the ark and over its staves from above.
And they lengthen the staves, and the heads of the staves are seen out of the ark on the front of the oracle, and they are not seen without. And it is there unto this day. There is nothing in the ark but the two tables that Moses gave in Horeb where Jehovah covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out from Egypt.
And it cometh to pass in the going out of the priests from the sanctuary. For all the priests who are present have sanctified themselves, there is none to watch by courses. And the Levites, the singers, to all of them, to Asaph, to Heman, to Juduthan, and to their sons, and to their brethren clothed in white linen, with cymbals and with sultries and harps, are standing on the east of the altar, and with them priests, to a hundred and twenty,
glowing with trumpets. Yea, it cometh to pass, as one are trumpeters and singers, to sound, one voice, to praise and to give thanks to Jehovah. And at the lifting up of the sound with trumpets and with cymbals and with instruments of song, and at giving praise to Jehovah for good, for to the age is his kindness that the house
is filled with a cloud, the house of Jehovah. And the priests have not been able to stand to minister from the presence of the cloud, for the honor of Jehovah hath filled the house of God. Chapter 6 Then said Solomon,
Jehovah said, To dwell in thick darkness, and I, I have built a house of habitation for thee, and a fixed place for thy dwelling to the ages. And the king turneth round his face, and blesseth the whole assembly of Israel, and the whole assembly of Israel is standing. And he saith, Blessed is Jehovah, God of Israel, who hath
spoken with his mouth with David my father, and with his hands hath fulfilled it, saying, From the day that I brought out my people from the land of Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name being there, and I have not fixed on a man to be leader over my people Israel, and I fix on Jerusalem for my name being there, and I fix on David to be over my people Israel.
And it is with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah God of Israel. And Jehovah saith unto David my father, Because that it hath been with thy heart to build a house for my name, thou hast done well that it hath been with thy heart. But thou dost not build the house, for thy son who cometh forth out from thy loins, he
doth build the house for my name. And Jehovah doth establish his word that he spake, and I rise up in the stead of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel as Jehovah spake, and I build the house for the name of Jehovah God of Israel, and I place there the ark, where is the covenant of Jehovah that he made with the sons of Israel.
And he standeth before the altar of Jehovah, over against all the assembly of Israel, and spreadeth out his hand. For Solomon hath made a scaffold of brass, and putteth it in the midst of the court, five cubits its length, and five cubits its breadth, and three cubits its height. And he standeth upon it, and kneeleth on his knees over against all the assembly of Israel,
and spreadeth forth his hands toward the heavens, and saith, O Jehovah God of Israel, there is not like thee a God in the heavens and in the earth, keeping the covenant and the kindness for thy servants who are walking before thee with all their heart, who hast kept for thy servant David my father that which thou didst speak to him. Yea, thou dost speak with thy mouth, and with thy hand hast fulfilled it as at this day.
And now, O Jehovah God of Israel, keep for thy servant David my father that which thou didst speak to him, saying, there is not cut off to thee a man from before me, sitting the throne of Israel, only if thy sons watch their way to walk in my law as thou hast walked before me. And now, O Jehovah God of Israel, is thy word steadfast that thou hast spoken to thy servant
to David, for it is true. God dwelleth with man on the earth. Lo the heavens and the heavens of the heavens do not contain thee, how much less this house that I have built. And thou hast turned unto the prayer of thy servant and unto his supplication, O Jehovah
my God, to hearken unto the cry and unto the prayer that thy servant is praying before thee. For thine eyes being opened towards this house by day and by night, towards the place that thou hast said to put thy name there, to hearken unto the prayer that thy servant prayeth towards this place.
And thou hast hearkened unto the supplications of thy servant and of thy people Israel, that they pray towards this place. And thou dost hear from the place of thy dwelling, from the heavens, and hast hearkened and forgiven. If a man doth sin against his neighbour, and he hath lifted up on him an oath to cause him to swear, and the oath hath come in before thine altar in this house, then thou dost
hear from the heavens, and hast done, and hast judged thy servants to give back to the wicked to put his way on his head, and to declare righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness. And if thy people Israel is smitten before an enemy, because they sin against thee, and they have turned back and confessed thy name, and prayed and made supplication before thee
in this house, then thou dost hear from the heavens, and hast forgiven the sin of thy people Israel, and caused them to turn back unto the ground that thou hast given to them and to their fathers. In the heavens being restrained, and there is no reign, because they sin against thee, and they have prayed towards this place, and confessed thy name, from their sin they turn
thou dost afflict them, then thou dost hear in the heavens, and hast forgiven the sin of thy servants and of thy people Israel, because thou directest them unto the good way in which they walk, and hast given reign on thy land that thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. Famine when it is in the land, pestilence when it is, blasting and mildew, locust and
caterpillar when they are, when its enemies have distressed it in the land, its gates, any plague and any sickness, any prayer, any supplication that is for any man, and for all thy people Israel, when they know each his own plague and his own pain, and he hath spread out his hands towards this house, then thou dost hear from the heavens the settled place of thy dwelling, and hast forgiven, and hast given to each according
to all his ways, because thou knowest his heart, for thou, thou only hast known the heart of the sons of men, so that they fear thee to walk in thy ways all the days that they are living on the face of the ground that thou hast given to our fathers, and also unto the stranger who is not of thy people Israel, and he hath come from a land afar off for the sake of thy great name, and thy strong hand, and thy stretched out arm, and
they have come in and prayed towards this house, then thou dost hear from the heavens from the settled place of thy dwelling, and hast done according to all that the stranger calleth unto thee for, so that all the peoples of the earth do know thy name, so as to fear thee as thy people Israel, and to know that thy name is called on this house that I have built, when thy people doth go out to battle against its enemies in the way that thou dost
send them, and they have prayed unto thee the way of this city that thou hast fixed on, and the house that I have built for thy name, then thou hast heard from the heavens supplication, and hast maintained their cause when they sin against thee, for there is not a man who sinneth not, and thou hast been angry with them, and hast given them before an enemy, and taken them captive, have their captors unto a land far off or near, and they
have turned it back unto their heart in the land whither they have been taken captive, and have turned back and made supplication unto thee in the land of their captivity, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and have done wickedly, yea, they have turned back unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have taken them captive, and they have prayed the way of their land that
thou hast given to their fathers, and of the city that thou hast chosen, and of the house that I have built for thy name, then thou hast heard from the heavens, from the subtle place of thy dwelling, their prayer and their supplications, and hast maintained their cause, and forgiven thy people who have sinned against thee. Now my God, let I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and thine ears attentive to the prayer
of this place, and now, rise, O Jehovah God, to thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength. Thy priests, O Jehovah God, are clothed with salvation, and thy saints rejoice in the goodness. O Jehovah God, turn not back the face of thine anointed, be mindful of the kind acts of David,
