The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And Solomon offered there, upon the brazen altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, he offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon it.

In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him: 'Ask what I shall give thee.'

And Solomon said unto God: 'Thou hast shown great kindness unto David my father, and hast made me king in his stead.

Now, O LORD God, let Thy promise unto David my father be established; for Thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this Thy people, that is so great?'

And God said to Solomon: 'Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life, but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge My people, over whom I have made thee king;

wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee, and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.'

So Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, unto Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.

And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

And the king made silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore-trees that are in the Lowland, for abundance.

And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; also out of Keve, the king's merchants buying them of the men of Keve at a price.

And they fetched up, and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Aram, did they bring them out by their means.

Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of the LORD, and a house for his kingdom.

And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying: 'As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.

Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, and to burn before Him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed seasons of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.

But who is able to build Him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? who am I then, that I should build Him a house, save only to offer before Him?

Now therefore send me a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that hath skill to grave all manner of gravings, to be with the skilful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

Send me also cedar-trees, cypress-trees, and sandal-wood, out of Lebanon; for I know that thy servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,

even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.'

Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: 'Because the LORD loveth His people, He hath made thee king over them.'

Huram said moreover: 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for the LORD, and a house for his kingdom.

And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, even Huram my master craftsman,

the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to devise any device; to do whatever may be set before him, with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord David thy father.

Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants;

and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.'

And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.

And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father; for which provision had been made in the Place of David, in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the ancient measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

And the greater house he covered with cypress-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought thereon palm-trees and chains.

And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.

And he made the most holy place; the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

And in the most holy place he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them with gold.

And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.

The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits; and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.

And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon.

Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

And he made chains in the Sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.

It stood upon 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 upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.

And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.

He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.

He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.

Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.

And he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.

And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God:

the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which 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;

and 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 upon the top of the pillars.

He made also the bases, and the lavers made he upon the bases;

one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.

The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels thereof, did Huram his master craftsman make for king Solomon for the house of the LORD of bright brass.

In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.

Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; for the weight of the brass could not be found out.

And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread;

and the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn according to the ordinance before the Sanctuary, of pure gold;

and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold;

and the snuffers, and the basins, and the pans, and the fire-pans, of pure gold. And as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, that is, of the temple, were of gold.

Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had hallowed; even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month.

And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.

And they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; these did the priests and the Levites bring up.

And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.

And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto its place, into the Sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim.

For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the Sanctuary; but they could not be seen without; and there they are unto this day.

There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place — for all the priests that were present had sanctified themselves, and did not keep their courses;

also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets —

it came even to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD: 'for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever'; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD,

so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Then spoke Solomon: The LORD hath said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.

But I have built Thee a house of habitation, and a place for Thee to dwell in for ever.

And the king turned his face, and blessed all the congregation of Israel; and all the congregation of Israel stood.

And he said: 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth unto David my father, and hath with His hands fulfilled it, saying:

Since the day that I brought forth My people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that My name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over My people Israel;

but I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name might be there; and have chosen David to be over My people Israel.

Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

But the LORD said unto David my father: Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house for My name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart;

nevertheless thou shalt not build the house, but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for My name.

And the LORD hath established His word that He spoke; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

And there have I set the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which He made with the children of Israel.'

And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands —

for Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven —

and he said: 'O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like Thee, in the heaven, or in the earth; who keepest covenant and mercy with Thy servants, that walk before Thee with all their heart;

who hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him; yea, Thou spokest with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand, as it is this day.

Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him, saying: There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk in My law as thou hast walked before Me.

Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, let Thy word be verified, which Thou spokest unto Thy servant David.