2 Chronicles 4–6

Things for the Temple

4He made a bronze altar thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and fifteen feet tall. ²Then he made from bronze a large round bowl, which was called the Sea. It was forty-five feet around, fifteen feet across, and seven and one-half feet deep. ³There were carvings of bulls under the rim of the bowl—ten bulls every eighteen inches. They were in two rows and were made in one piece with the bowl.

⁴The bowl rested on the backs of twelve bronze bulls that faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. ⁵The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and it held about seventeen thousand five hundred gallons. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.

⁶He made ten smaller bowls and put five on the south side and five on the north. They were for washing the animals for the burnt offerings, but the large bowl was for the priests to wash in.

⁷He made ten lampstands of gold, following the plans. He put them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

⁸He made ten tables and put them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he used gold to make a hundred other bowls.

⁹He also made the priests’ courtyard and the large courtyard. He made the doors that opened to the courtyard and covered them with bronze. ¹⁰Then he put the large bowl in the southeast corner of the Temple.

¹¹Huram also made bowls, shovels, and small bowls. So he finished his work for King Solomon on the Temple of God:

¹²two pillars;

two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;

two nets to cover the two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;

¹³four hundred pomegranates for the two nets (there were two rows of pomegranates for each net covering the bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars);

¹⁴the stands with a bowl on each stand;

¹⁵the large bowl with twelve bulls under it;

¹⁶the pots, shovels, forks, and all the things to go with them.

All the things that Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the Temple of the Lord were made of polished bronze. ¹⁷The king had these things poured into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. ¹⁸Solomon had so many things made that the total weight of all the bronze was never known.

¹⁹Solomon also made all the things for God’s Temple: the golden altar; tables which held the bread that shows God’s people are in his presence; ²⁰the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold, to burn in front of the Most Holy Place as planned; ²¹the flowers, lamps, and tongs of pure gold; ²²the pure gold wick trimmers, small bowls, pans, and dishes used to carry coals, the gold doors for the Temple, and the inside doors of the Most Holy Place and of the main room.

5Finally all the work Solomon did for the Temple of the Lord was finished. He brought in everything his father David had set apart for the Temple—all the silver and gold and other articles. And he put everything in the treasuries of God’s Temple.

The Ark Is Brought into the Temple

²Solomon called for the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families to come to him in Jerusalem. He wanted them to bring the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord from the older part of the city. ³So all the Israelites came together with the king during the festival in the seventh month.

⁴When all the elders of Israel arrived, the Levites lifted up the Ark. ⁵They carried the Ark of the Agreement, the Meeting Tent, and the holy utensils in it; the priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁶King Solomon and all the Israelites gathered before the Ark of the Agreement and sacrificed so many sheep and bulls no one could count them.

⁷Then the priests put the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord in its place inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple, under the wings of the golden creatures. ⁸The wings of these creatures were spread out over the place for the Ark, covering it and its carrying poles. ⁹The carrying poles were so long that anyone standing in the Holy Place in front of the Most Holy Place could see the ends of the poles. But no one could see them from outside the Holy Place. The poles are still there today. ¹⁰The only things inside the Ark were two stone tablets ⁿ that Moses had put in the Ark at Mount Sinai. That was where the Lord made his agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

¹¹Then all the priests left the Holy Place. (All the priests from each group had made themselves ready to serve the Lord.) ¹²All the Levite musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar. They were dressed in white linen and played cymbals, harps, and lyres. With them were one hundred twenty priests who blew trumpets. ¹³Those who blew the trumpets and those who sang together sounded like one person as they praised and thanked the Lord. They sang as others played their trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments. They praised the Lord with this song:

“He is good;

his love continues forever.”

Then the Temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴The priests could not continue their work because of the cloud, because the Lord’s glory filled the Temple of God.

Solomon Speaks to the People

6Then Solomon said, “The Lord said he would live in the dark cloud. ²Lord, I have built a wonderful Temple for you—a place for you to live forever.”

³While all the Israelites were standing there, King Solomon turned to them and blessed them. ⁴Then he said, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. He has done what he promised to my father David. The Lord said, ⁵‘Since the time I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel where a temple will be built for me. I did not choose a man to lead my people Israel. ⁶But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place I am to be worshiped, and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’

⁷“My father David wanted to build a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸But the Lord said to my father David, ‘It was good that you wanted to build a temple for me. ⁹But you are not the one to build it. Your son, who comes from your own body, is the one who will build my temple.’

¹⁰“Now the Lord has kept his promise. I am the king now in place of David my father. Now I rule Israel as the Lord promised, and I have built the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹There I have put the Ark, in which is the Agreement the Lord made with the Israelites.”

Solomon’s Prayer

¹²Then Solomon stood facing the Lord’s altar, and all the Israelites were standing behind him. He spread out his hands. ¹³He had made a bronze platform seven and one-half feet long, seven and one-half feet wide, and seven and one-half feet high, and he had placed it in the middle of the outer courtyard. Solomon stood on the platform. Then he kneeled in front of all the people of Israel gathered there, and he spread out his hands toward the sky. ¹⁴He said, “Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth. You keep your agreement of love with your servants who truly follow you. ¹⁵You have kept the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You spoke it with your own mouth and finished it with your hands today.

¹⁶“Now, Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You said, ‘If your sons are careful to obey my teachings as you have obeyed, there will always be someone from your family ruling Israel.’ ¹⁷Now, Lord, God of Israel, please continue to keep that promise you made to your servant.

¹⁸“But, God, can you really live here on the earth with people? The sky and the highest place in heaven cannot contain you. Surely this house which I have built cannot contain you. ¹⁹But please listen to my prayer and my request, because I am your servant. Lord my God, hear this prayer your servant prays to you. ²⁰Day and night please watch over this Temple where you have said you would be worshiped. Hear the prayer I pray facing this Temple. ²¹Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people Israel when we pray facing this place. Hear from your home in heaven, and when you hear, forgive us.

²²“If someone wrongs another person, he will be brought to the altar in this Temple. If he swears an oath that he is not guilty, ²³then hear in heaven. Judge the case, punish the guilty, but declare that the innocent person is not guilty.

²⁴“When your people, the Israelites, sin against you, their enemies will defeat them. But if they come back to you and praise you and pray to you in this Temple, ²⁵then listen from heaven. Forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.

²⁶“When they sin against you, you will stop the rain from falling on their land. Then they will pray, facing this place and praising you; they will stop sinning when you make them suffer. ²⁷When this happens, hear their prayer in heaven, and forgive the sins of your servants, the Israelites. Teach them to do what is right. Then please send rain to this land you have given particularly to them.

²⁸“At times the land will get so dry that no food will grow, or a great sickness will spread among the people. Sometimes the crops will be destroyed by locusts or grasshoppers. Your people will be attacked in their cities by their enemies, or will become sick. ²⁹When any of these things happens, the people will become truly sorry. If your people spread their hands in prayer toward this Temple, ³⁰then hear their prayers from your home in heaven. Forgive and treat each person as he should be treated because you know what is in a person’s heart. Only you know what is in people’s hearts. ³¹Then the people will respect and obey you as long as they live in this land you gave our ancestors.

³²“People who are not Israelites, foreigners from other lands, will hear about your greatness and power. They will come from far away to pray at this…