Day 149 of 730

¹It happened in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

²The house which king Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, and its breadth twenty, and its height thirty cubits.

³The porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was its length, according to the breadth of the house. Ten cubits was its breadth before the house.

⁴For the house he made windows of fixed lattice work.

⁵Against the wall of the house he built stories all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side rooms all around.

⁶The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.

⁷The house, when it was in building, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

⁸The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third.

⁹So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

¹⁰He built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

¹¹The word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,

¹²"Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

¹³I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel."

¹⁴So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

¹⁵He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir.

¹⁶He built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling: he built them for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place.

¹⁷In front of the temple sanctuary was forty cubits.

¹⁸There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

¹⁹He prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

²⁰Within the oracle was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar.

²¹So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.

²²The whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.

²³In the oracle he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

²⁴Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

²⁵The other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

²⁶The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.

²⁷He set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.

²⁸He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, inside and outside.

³⁰The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside.

³¹For the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood: the lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.

³²So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim, and on the palm trees.

³³So also made he for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;

³⁴and two doors of fir wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

³⁵He carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.

³⁶He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone, and a course of cedar beams.

³⁷In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month Ziv.

³⁸In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all its parts, and according to all its fashion. So was he seven years in building it.

¹Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

²For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, and its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.

³It was covered with cedar above over the forty-five beams, that were on the pillars; fifteen in a row.

⁴There were beams in three rows, and window was over against window in three ranks.

⁵All the doors and posts were made square with beams: and window was over against window in three ranks.

⁶He made the porch of pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and pillars and a threshold before them.

⁷He made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor.

⁸His house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work. He made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken as wife), like this porch.

⁹All these were of costly stones, even of cut stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside, even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court.

¹⁰The foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.

¹¹Above were costly stones, even cut stone, according to measure, and cedar wood.

¹²The great court around had three courses of cut stone, and a course of cedar beams; like as the inner court of the house of the Lord, and the porch of the house.

¹³King Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.

¹⁴He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in brass. He came to king Solomon, and performed all his work.

¹⁵For he fashioned the two pillars of brass, eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits encircled either of them about.

¹⁶He made two capitals of molten brass, to set on the tops of the pillars: the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.

¹⁷There were nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital.

¹⁸So he made the pillars; and there were two rows around on the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pillars: and he did so for the other capital.

¹⁹The capitals that were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work, four cubits.

²⁰There were capitals above also on the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred, in rows around on the other capital.

²¹He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called its name Boaz.

²²On the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

²³He made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it.

²⁴Under its brim around there were buds which encircled it, for ten cubits, encircling the sea: the buds were in two rows, cast when it was cast.

²⁵It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set on them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.

²⁶It was a handbreadth thick: and its brim was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it held two thousand baths.

²⁷He made the ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits its breadth, and three cubits its height.

²⁸The work of the bases was like this: they had panels; and there were panels between the ledges;

²⁹and on the panels that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work.

³⁰Every base had four bronze wheels, and axles of brass; and the four feet of it had supports: beneath the basin were the supports molten, with wreaths at the side of each.

³¹The mouth of it within the capital and above was a cubit: and its mouth was round after the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its mouth were engravings, and their panels were foursquare, not round.

³²The four wheels were underneath the panels; and the axles of the wheels were in the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.

³³The work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axles, and their rims, and their spokes, and their naves, were all molten.

³⁴There were four supports at the four corners of each base: its supports were of the base itself.

³⁵In the top of the base was there a round compass half a cubit high; and on the top of the base its stays and its panels were of the same.

³⁶On the plates of its stays, and on its panels, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around.

³⁷In this way, he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form.

³⁸He made ten basins of brass: one basin contained forty baths; and every basin was four cubits; and on every one of the ten bases one basin.

³⁹He set the bases, five on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.

⁴⁰Hiram made the basins, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he worked for king Solomon in the house of the Lord:

⁴¹the two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars;

⁴²and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars;

⁴³and the ten bases, and the ten basins on the bases;

⁴⁴and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea;

⁴⁵and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins: even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the house of the Lord, were of burnished brass.

⁴⁶The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

⁴⁷Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: the weight of the brass could not be found out.

⁴⁸Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, and the table whereupon the show bread was, of gold;

⁴⁹and the lampstands, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold;

⁵⁰and the cups, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the fire pans, 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, of the temple, of gold.

⁵¹Thus all the work that king Solomon worked in the house of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

¹Praise Yah! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the holy ones.

²Let Israel rejoice in him who made them. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

³Let them praise his name in the dance! Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp!

⁴For the Lord takes pleasure in his people. He crowns the humble with salvation.

⁵Let the holy ones rejoice in honor. Let them sing for joy on their beds.

⁶May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

⁷To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples;

⁸To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

⁹to execute on them the written judgment. All his holy ones have this honor. Praise Yah!

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner;

⁵Take away the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;

⁷for it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you?

⁹Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not betray the confidence of another;

¹⁰lest one who hears it put you to shame, and your bad reputation never depart.

¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

¹²As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.

¹³As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴As clouds and wind without rain, so is he who boasts of gifts deceptively.

¹⁵By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he be weary of you, and hate you.

¹⁸A man who gives false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Confidence in someone unfaithful in time of trouble is like a bad tooth, or a lame foot.

²⁰As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:

²²for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain: so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.

²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

²⁶Like a muddied spring, and a polluted well, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey; nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

²⁸Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.