Day 186 of 365

¹Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.

²Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

³"You know how that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.

⁴But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence.

⁵Behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for my name.'

⁶Now therefore command that they cut me cedar trees out of Lebanon. My servants shall be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you shall say. For you know that there is not among us any who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians."

⁷It happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, "Blessed is the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people."

⁸Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent to me. I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.

⁹My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you shall receive them. You shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household."

¹⁰So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire.

¹¹Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year.

¹²The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a treaty together.

¹³King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

¹⁴He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labor.

¹⁵Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains;

¹⁶besides Solomon's chief officers who were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people who labored in the work.

¹⁷The king commanded, and they cut out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.

¹⁸Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

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.

¹An oracle is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked: "There is no fear of God before his eyes."

²For he flatters himself in his own eyes, too much to detect and hate his sin.

³The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

⁴He plots iniquity on his bed. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He doesn't abhor evil.

⁵Your loving kindness, Lord, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

⁶Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great deep. Lord, you preserve man and animal.

⁷How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house. You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.

⁹For with you is the spring of life. In your light shall we see light.

¹⁰Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Do not let the foot of pride come against me. Do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²There the workers of iniquity are fallen. They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.

¹The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.

²"Oh, my son! Oh, son of my womb! Oh, son of my vows!

³Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, 'Where is strong drink?'

⁵lest they drink, and forget the decree, and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish; and wine to the bitter in soul:

⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

⁸Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.

⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy."

¹⁰Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain.

¹²She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

¹³She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.

¹⁵She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷She girds her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong.

¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn't go out by night.

¹⁹She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

²²She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn't eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:

²⁹"Many women do noble things, but you excel them all."

³⁰Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works praise her in the gates!