1But it took Solomon 13 years to finish constructing his palace and the other buildings related to it.2He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 50 metres long. It was 25 metres wide. And it was 15 metres high. It had four rows of cedar columns. They held up beautiful cedar beams.3Above the beams was a roof made out of cedar boards. It rested on the columns. There were three rows of beams with 15 in each row. The total number of beams was 45.4The windows of the palace were placed high up in the walls. They were in groups of three. And they faced each other.5All the doorways had frames shaped like rectangles. They were in front. They were in groups of three. And they faced each other.6Solomon made a covered area. It was 25 metres long. And it was 15 metres wide. Its roof was held up by columns. In front of it was a porch. In front of that were pillars and a roof that went out beyond them.7Solomon built the throne hall. It was called the Hall of Justice. That’s where he would serve as judge. He covered the hall with cedar boards from floor to ceiling.8The palace where he would live was set further back. Its plan was something like the plan for the hall. Solomon had married Pharaoh’s daughter. He made a palace for her. It was like the hall.9All those buildings were made out of blocks of good quality stone. They were cut to the right size. They were made smooth on their back and front sides. Those stones were used for the outside of each building and for the large courtyard. They were also used from the foundations up to the roofs.10Large blocks of good quality stone were used for the foundations. Some were 5 metres long. Others were 4 metres long.11The walls above them were made out of good quality stones. The stones were cut to the right size. On top of them was a layer of cedar beams.12The large courtyard had a wall around it. The first three layers of the wall were made out of blocks of stone. The top layer was made out of beautiful cedar wood. The same thing was done with the inside courtyard of the LORD’s temple and its porch.
More facts about the temple
13King Solomon sent messengers to Tyre. He wanted them to bring Huram back with them.14Huram’s mother was a widow. She was from the tribe of Naphtali. Huram’s father was from Tyre. He was skilled in working with bronze. Huram also had great skill, knowledge and understanding in working with bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all the work he was asked to do.15Huram made two bronze pillars. Each of them was 9 metres high. And each was 6 metres round.16Each pillar had a decorated top made out of bronze. Each top was 2.5 metres high.17Chains that were linked together hung down from the tops of the pillars. There were seven chains for each top.18Huram made two rows of pomegranates. They circled the chains. The pomegranates decorated the tops of the pillars. Huram did the same thing for each pillar.19The tops on the pillars of the porch were shaped like lilies. The lilies were 2 metres high.20On the tops of both pillars were 200 pomegranates. They were in rows all around the tops. They were above the part that was shaped like a bowl. And they were next to the chains.21Huram set the pillars up at the temple porch. The pillar on the south he named Jakin. The one on the north he named Boaz.22The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work on the pillars was finished.23Huram made a huge metal bowl for washing. Its shape was round. It measured 5 metres from rim to rim. It was 2.5 metres high. And it was 15 metres round.24Below the rim there was a circle of gourds around the bowl. In every half a metre round the bowl there were ten gourds. The gourds were arranged in two rows. They were made as part of the bowl itself.25The huge bowl stood on 12 bulls. Three of them faced north. Three faced west. Three faced south. And three faced east. The bowl rested on top of the bulls. Their rear ends were towards the centre.26The bowl was 8 centimetres thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup. The rim was shaped like the bloom of a lily. The bowl held 48,000 litres of water.27Huram also made ten stands out of bronze. They could be moved around. Each stand was 2 metres long. It was 2 metres wide. And it was 1.5 metres high.28Here is how the stands were made. They had sides that were joined to posts.29On the sides between the posts were lions, bulls and cherubim. They were also on all of the posts. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths made out of hammered metal.30Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. Each stand had a bowl that rested on four supports. The stand had wreaths on each side.31There was a round opening on the inside of each stand. The opening had a frame half a metre deep. The sides were 75 centimetres high from the top of the opening to the bottom of the base. There was carving around the opening. The sides of the stands were square, not round.32The four wheels were under the sides. The axles of the wheels were connected to the stand. Each wheel was 75 centimetres across.33The wheels were made like chariot wheels. All the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were made out of metal.34Each stand had four handles on it. There was one on each corner. They came out from the stand.35At the top of the stand there was a round band. It was 25 centimetres deep. The sides and supports were connected to the top of the stand.36Huram carved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the sides of the stands. He also carved them on the surfaces of the supports. His carving covered every open space. He had also carved wreaths all around.37That’s how he made the ten stands. All of them were made in the same moulds. And they had the same size and shape.38Then Huram made ten bronze bowls. Each one held 960 litres. The bowls measured 2 metres across. There was one bowl for each of the ten stands.39He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple. He placed the other five on the north side. He put the huge bowl on the south side. It was at the southeast corner of the temple.40He also made the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work he had started for King Solomon. Here’s what he made for the LORD’s temple.41He made the two pillars. He made the two tops for the pillars. The tops were shaped like bowls. He made the two sets of chains that were linked together. They decorated the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars.42He made the 400 pomegranates for the two sets of chains. There were two rows of pomegranates for each chain. They decorated the bowl-shaped tops of the pillars.43He made the ten stands with their ten bowls.44He made the huge bowl. He made the 12 bulls that were under it.45He made the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Huram made all those objects for King Solomon for the LORD’s temple. He made them out of bronze. Then he polished them.46The king had made them in clay moulds. It was done on the plain of the River Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan.47Solomon didn’t weigh any of those things. There were too many of them to weigh. No one even tried to weigh the bronze they were made out of.48Solomon also made everything in the LORD’s temple. He made the golden altar. He made the golden table for the holy bread.49He made the pure gold lampstands. There were five on the right and five on the left. They were in front of the Most Holy Room. He made the gold flowers. He made the gold lamps and tongs.50He made the bowls, wick cutters, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and shallow cups for burning incense. All of them were made out of pure gold. He made the gold bases for the doors of the inside room. That’s the Most Holy Room. He also made gold bases for the doors of the main hall of the temple.51King Solomon finished all the work for the LORD’s temple. Then he brought in the things his father David had set apart for the LORD. They included the silver and gold and all the other things for the LORD’s temple. Solomon placed them with the other treasures that were there.
1Sedan byggde Salomo sitt eget palats, som det däremot tog tretton år att färdigställa.2Ett av rummen i palatset kallades Libanonskogens sal. Det var mycket stort, fyrtiosex meter långt, tjugotre meter brett och tretton och en halv meter högt. De stora takbjälkarna av cederträ vilade på fyra rader av cederpelare,3-4fyrtiofem bjälkar, femton i varje rad. Fönster var placerade mitt emot varandra i rader om tre.5Alla dörröppningar var fyrkantiga, och i den främre delen fanns tre dörrar i varje grupp, mitt emot varandra.6Ett annat rum kallades Pelarhallen. Den var tjugotvå meter lång och tretton och en halv meter bred och hade ett förrum med en baldakin som hölls uppe av pelare.7Där fanns också tronrummet, eller domsalen, där Salomo satt när han utövade sitt ämbete att döma folket. Det hade panel av cederträ från golv till tak.8Rummen som han själv skulle bo i längre in i byggnaden var av liknande utseende. Han byggde också ett palats i samma stil åt Faraos dotter, som var en av hans hustrur.9Alla dessa byggnader uppfördes av stora stenblock av dyrbar sten, som huggits ut efter mått.10Grundstenarna var tre till fyra meter långa.11Stenarna i murarna var också uthuggna efter mått, och över dem låg bommar av cederträ,12precis som på den inre förgårdsmuren vid templet och palatsets förhus.
Templets utrustning
13-14Salomo lät sända bud efter Hiram från Tyrus, känd som en skicklig och begåvad konstnär, och han kom nu för att utföra alla kung Salomos arbeten som skulle göras i koppar. Han var son till en änka av Naftalis stam och en kopparsmed från Tyrus.15Hiram tillverkade två pelare av koppar, var och en åtta meter hög och med en omkrets av cirka fem meter.16-22På varje pelare gjorde han ett liljeformat kapitäl av gjuten koppar, två och en halv meter högt och två meter brett. Varje kapitäl var dekorerat med sju kedjor i form av hängprydnader och fyrahundra granatäpplen i två rader. Hiram ställde dessa pelare vid templets ingång. Den södra kallades Jakin och den norra Boas.23Sedan gjorde Hiram ett väldigt kopparfat, två och en halv meter högt, fem meter i diameter och femton meter i omkrets.24Runt dess kant fanns två rader av utsirningar med tre till sex centimeters mellanrum utmed hela fatet.25Det vilade på tolv oxar av koppar, tre vända mot norr, tre mot väster, tre mot söder och tre mot öster.26Fatets sidor var sju och en halv centimeter tjocka, och kanten var formad som kanten på en bägare. Fatet rymde 40.000 liter.27-30Därefter gjorde han tio flyttbara bäckenställ. De var ungefär två meter i fyrkant och en och en halv meter höga. Deras sidoplåtar var dekorerade med lejon, oxar och änglar. Under och över lejonen och oxarna fanns utsirade blomsterkransar. Vart och ett av dessa ställ hade fyra hjul av koppar med axlar av koppar.31Överst på varje ställ fanns en rund behållare, en halv meter hög. Dess mitt var skålformig, sjuttiofem centimeter djup, och utsidan var dekorerad med blomsterkransar.32Ställen hade fyra hjul, som satt under sidoplåtarna på hjulaxlar fästade i ställets hörn. Hjulen var sextiosex centimeter höga33och gjorda som vagnshjul, i alla delar gjutna i brons, axlar, ekrar, hjulringar och hjulnav.34I varje hörn fanns ett handtag, gjort i ett stycke med stället i övrigt.35Överst på varje ställ fanns en rund kant, tjugotvå centimeter hög, och hållare.36Keruber, lejon och palmträd omgivna av blomsterkransar var ingraverade på hållarnas ytor, där det fanns utrymme.37Alla tio ställen var gjutna exakt lika i samma form.38Till detta gjorde han tio fat av koppar som placerades på ställen. Varje fat var två meter i diameter och rymde 800 liter vatten.39Fem av ställen placerades i rummets södra del och fem i den norra. Det stora fatet stod i det hörn av templet som låg mot sydost.40Hiram gjorde dessutom öskar och skålar, och han slutförde allt det arbete med Herrens tempel som Salomo hade gett honom i uppdrag att göra.41-46Här följer en förteckning över de saker som Hiram tillverkade: Två pelare, ett kapitäl ovanpå varje pelare, nät som utsmyckning till de båda kapitälen, fyrahundra granatäpplen i två rader på nätet, för att täcka de båda kapitälen, tio rörliga ställ med tio fat, ett stort fat med tolv oxar som fot, kärl, skovlar och skålar. Allt detta tillverkades av polerad koppar och göts på Jordanslätten mellan Suckot och Saretan.47Den totala vikten av allt detta är obekant, för det var alldeles för mycket att kunna vägas.48Alla andra föremål som skulle finnas i templet gjordes av rent guld. Detta gällde alltså altaret, bordet för skådebröden,49ljusstakarna (fem på högra sidan och fem på vänstra och framför det allraheligaste), blommorna, lamporna, tängerna,50faten, knivarna, skålarna, fyrfaten, gångjärnen till dörrarna in till det allraheligaste och till templets huvudingång. Allt detta gjordes alltså av rent guld.51När templet slutligen var färdigt, tog Salomo silvret, guldet och alla de kärl som hans far David hade invigt för detta ändamål och lade dem i templets skattkammare.