1 Kings 7

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 His own palace Solomon completed after thirteen years of construction.	1 Now Solomon built his own house for thirteen years, and he brought it to perfection.
2 He built the hall called the Forest of Lebanon one hundred cubits long, fifty wide, and thirty high; it was supported by four rows of cedar columns, with cedar capitals upon the columns.	2 And he built the house from the forest of Lebanon: one hundred cubits in length, and fifty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height, with four walkways between columns of cedar. For he had hewn the cedar trees into columns.
3 Moreover, it had a ceiling of cedar above the beams resting on the columns; these beams numbered forty-five, fifteen to a row.	3 And he clothed the entire vaulted room with panels of cedar. And it was supported by forty-five columns. Now one row held fifteen columns,
4 There were three window frames at either end, with windows in strict alignment.	4 each positioned opposite another,
5 The posts of all the doorways were rectangular, and the doorways faced each other, three at either end.	5 and looking toward one another, with equal spacing between the columns. And above the columns there were square beams equal in all things.
6 The porch of the columned hall he made fifty cubits long and thirty wide. The porch extended the width of the columned hall, and there was a canopy in front.	6 And he made a portico of columns, fifty cubits in length and thirty cubits in width, and another portico, facing the greater portico, with columns and with crossbeams upon the columns.
7 He also built the vestibule of the throne where he gave judgment--that is, the tribunal; it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling beams.	7 He also made the portico of the throne, in which is the tribunal. And he overlaid it with cedar wood, from the floor even to the summit.
8 His living quarters were in another court, set in deeper than the tribunal and of the same construction. A palace like this tribunal was built for Pharaoh's daughter, whom Solomon had married.	8 And in the midst of the portico, there was a small house, where he would sit in judgment, similar in workmanship. He also made a house for the daughter of Pharaoh (whom Solomon had taken as wife) of the same work and type as this portico.
9 All these buildings were of fine stones, hewn to size and trimmed front and back with a saw, from the foundation to the bonding course.	9 All was of precious stones, which had been sawed by a particular standard and measure, as much within as without, from the foundation even to the summit of the walls, and outside even to the great atrium.
10 (The foundation was made of fine, large blocks, some ten cubits and some eight cubits.	10 Now the foundations were of precious stones: great stones of eight or ten cubits.
11 Above were fine stones hewn to size, and cedar wood.)	11 And above these, there were precious stones, of equal measure, which had been cut in a manner similar to boards of cedar.
12 The great court was enclosed by three courses of hewn stones and a bonding course of cedar beams. So also were the inner court of the temple of the LORD and the temple porch.	12 And the great atrium was round, with three rows of cut stones and one row of cut cedar, even as it also was in the interior atrium of the house of the Lord, and in the portico of the house.
13 King Solomon had Hiram brought from Tyre.	13 And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram of Tyre,
14 He was a bronze worker, the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali; his father had been from Tyre. He was endowed with skill, understanding, and knowledge of how to produce any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his metal work.	14 the son of a widowed woman, from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was a Tyrian, an artisan in brass, and full of wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge in order to form every work of brass. And when he had gone to king Solomon, he wrought all his work.
15 Two hollow bronze columns were cast, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference; their metal was of four fingers' thickness.	15 And he cast two columns of brass. Each column was eighteen cubits in height, and a line of twelve cubits encompassed both columns.
16 There were also two capitals cast in bronze, to place on top of the columns, each of them five cubits high.	16 Also, he made two heads of molten brass, which would be set upon the tops of the columns: one head was five cubits in height, and the other head was five cubits in height.
17 Two pieces of network with a chainlike mesh were made to cover the (nodes of the) capitals on top of the columns, one for each capital.	17 And there was something like a network of chains, woven together in a wonderful manner. Both heads of the columns were cast, and seven rows of little nets traversed one head, and seven little nets were on the other head.
18 Four hundred pomegranates were also cast; two hundred of them in a double row encircled the piece of network on each of the two capitals.	18 And he finished the columns with two rows all around each network, so that these covered the heads, which were at the top, with pomegranates. And he did in like manner to the second head.
19 The capitals on top of the columns were finished wholly in a lotus pattern	19 Now the heads that were at the top of the columns, in the portico of four cubits, had been fabricated with a work of lilies.
20 above the level of the nodes and their enveloping network.	20 And again, there were other heads at the tops of the columns above, in accord with the measure of the column opposite the netting. And there were two hundred of the pomegranates, in rows around the second head.
21 The columns were then erected adjacent to the porch of the temple, one to the right, called Jachin, and the other to the left, called Boaz.	21 And he stationed the two columns in the portico of the temple. And when he had stationed the column on the right, he called its name Jachin. Similarly, he erected the second column, and he called its name Boaz.
22 Thus the work on the columns was completed.	22 And above the tops of the columns, he set a work in the manner of lilies. And the work of the columns was perfected.
23 The sea was then cast; it was made with a circular rim, and measured ten cubits across, five in height, and thirty in circumference.	23 He also made a molten sea, of ten cubits from brim to brim, rounded on all sides. Its height was five cubits, and a thin rope of thirty cubits wrapped it all around.
24 Under the brim, gourds encircled it, ten to the cubit all the way around; the gourds were in two rows and were cast in one mold with the sea.	24 And a sculpted work under the brim encircled it for ten cubits going around the sea. There were two rows cast of striated sculptures.
25 This rested on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east, with their haunches all toward the center, where the sea was set upon them.	25 And it was standing upon twelve oxen, of which three were looking toward the north, and three toward the west, and three toward the south, and three toward the east. And the sea above was over them. And their posteriors were entirely hidden within.
26 It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim resembled that of a cup, being lily-shaped. Its capacity was two thousand measures.	26 And the basin was the thickness of three twelfths. And its brim was like the brim of a chalice, or like the outturned petal of a lily. It contained two thousand baths.
27 Ten stands were also made of bronze, each four cubits long, four wide, and three high.	27 And he made ten bases of brass: each base was four cubits in length, and four cubits in width, and three cubits in height.
28 When these stands were constructed, panels were set within the framework.	28 And the work itself of the bases was engraved; and there were sculptures between the junctures.
29 On the panels between the frames there were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the frames likewise, above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths in relief.	29 And between the little crowns and the edges, there were lions, and oxen, and cherubim; and similarly in the junctures above. And under the lions and oxen were something like bands of brass hanging down.
30 Each stand had four bronze wheels and bronze axles.	30 And each base had four wheels, with axels of brass. And at the four sides were something like little arms, under the cast basin, facing away from one another.
31 This was surmounted by a crown one cubit high within which was a rounded opening to provide a receptacle a cubit and a half in depth. There was carved work at the opening, on panels that were angular, not curved.	31 Also, the mouth of the interior of the basin was at the top of the head. And what was visible outside was of one cubit all around, and altogether it had one cubit and a half. Now at the corners of the columns were diverse engravings. And the spaces between the columns were square, not round.
32 The four wheels were below the paneling, and the axletrees of the wheels and the stand were of one piece. Each wheel was a cubit and a half high.	32 And the four wheels, which were at the four corners of the base, were joined to one another under the base. The height of one wheel held one cubit and a half.
33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their axles, fellies, spokes, and hubs were all cast. The four legs of each stand had cast braces, which were under the basin; they had wreaths on each side.	33 Now these were the kind of wheels such as are often made for a chariot. And their axels, and spokes, and tires, and centers were all cast.
34 These four braces, extending to the corners of each stand, were of one piece with the stand.	34 And the four little arms, which were at each corner of a base, were cast and joined together as part of the base itself.
35 On top of the stand there was a raised collar half a cubit high, with supports and panels which were of one piece with the top of the stand.	35 And at the summit of the base, there was a round stand of one half cubit, fabricated so that the basin could be placed upon it, having its engravings, and various sculptures of its own.
36 On the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, wherever there was a clear space, cherubim, lions, and palm trees were carved, as well as wreaths all around.	36 He also engraved those plates, which were of brass. And at the corners were cherubim, and lions, and palm trees, standing out, as if in the likeness of a man, so that they seemed not to be engraved, but placed adjacent on all sides.
37 This was how the ten stands were made, all of the same casting, the same size, the same shape.	37 In this manner, he made ten bases with the same casting and measure, and very similar engravings.
38 Ten bronze basins were then made, each four cubits in diameter with a capacity of forty measures, one basin for the top of each of the ten stands.	38 He also made ten hand basins of brass. One hand basin contained four baths, and was of four cubits. And each basin he set upon a base, which is ten bases.
39 The stands were placed, five on the south side of the temple and five on the north. The sea was placed off to the southeast from the south side of the temple.	39 And he stationed the ten bases, five to the right side of the temple, and five to the left. And the sea he placed to the right side of the temple, opposite the east, toward the south.
40 When Hiram made the pots, shovels, and bowls, he therewith completed all his work for King Solomon in the temple of the LORD:	40 Then Hiram made cooking pots, and trays, and small hooks. And he completed all the work of king Solomon in the temple of the Lord:
41 two columns, two nodes for the capitals on top of the columns, two pieces of network covering the nodes for the capitals on top of the columns,	41 the two columns, and the two cords of the heads over the tops of the columns, and the two networks which covered the two cords that were above the tops of the columns;
42 four hundred pomegranates in double rows on both pieces of network that covered the two nodes of the capitals where they met the columns,	42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two turnings of pomegranates for each network, in order to cover the cords of the heads, which were above the tops of the columns;
43 ten stands, ten basins on the stands,	43 and the ten bases, and the ten basins on the bases;
44 one sea, twelve oxen supporting the sea,	44 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea;
45 pots, shovels, and bowls. All these articles which Hiram made for King Solomon in the temple of the LORD were of burnished bronze.	45 and the cooking pots, and the trays, and the small hooks. All of the items that Hiram made for king Solomon, for the house of the Lord, were of golden brass.
46 The king had them cast in the neighborhood of the Jordan, in the clayey ground between Succoth and Zarethan.	46 In the open regions near the Jordan, the king cast these, in the clay soil between Succoth and Zarethan.
47 Solomon did not weigh all the articles because they were so numerous; the weight of the bronze, therefore, was not determined.	47 And Solomon positioned all the items. But because of its exceedingly great amount, the brass was not weighed.
48 Solomon had all the articles made for the interior of the temple of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which the showbread lay;	48 And Solomon made all the furniture for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, upon which the bread of the presence would be placed;
49 the lampstands of pure gold, five to the right and five to the left before the sanctuary, with their flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold;	49 and the gold lampstands, five to the right, and five to the left, opposite the oracle, of pure gold; and likenesses of lily blossoms, with lamps above them, of gold; and gold tongs;
50 basins, snuffers, bowls, cups, and fire pans of pure gold; and hinges of gold for the doors of the inner room, or holy of holies, and for the doors of the outer room, the nave.	50 and waters pots, and little forks, and bowls, and little mortars, and censers, of the purest gold; and the hinges of the doors, for the interior house of the Holy of Holies and for the doors of the house of the temple, which were of gold.
51 When all the work undertaken by King Solomon in the temple of the LORD was completed, he brought in the dedicated offerings of his father David, putting the silver, gold, and other articles in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD.	51 And Solomon perfected all the work that he was doing in the house of the Lord. And he brought in the things that his father David had sanctified: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels. And he stored these in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.