2 Chronicles 4–6

¹And he maketh an altar of brass, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height. ²And he maketh the molten sea; ten by the cubit, from its edge unto its edge, round in compass, and five by the cubit its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass it, round about. ³And the likeness of oxen is under it, all round about encompassing it, ten in the cubit, compassing the sea round about; two rows of oxen are cast in its being cast. ⁴It is standing on twelve oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east, and the sea is upon them above, and all their hinder parts are within. ⁵And its thickness is a handbreadth, and its lip as the work of the lip of a cup flowered with lilies; taking hold—baths three thousand it containeth. ⁶And he maketh ten lavers, and putteth five on the right, and five on the left, to wash with them; the work of the burnt-offering they purge with them; and the sea is for priests to wash with. ⁷And he maketh the ten candlesticks of gold, according to their ordinance, and placeth in the temple, five on the right, and five on the left. ⁸And he maketh ten tables, and placeth in the temple, five on the right, and five on the left; and he maketh bowls of gold a hundred. ⁹And he maketh the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and their doors he hath overlaid with brass. ¹⁰And the sea he hath placed on the right shoulder eastward, over-against the south.

¹¹And Huram maketh the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls, and Huram finisheth to make the work that he made for king Solomon in the house of God; ¹²two pillars, and the bowls, and the crowns on the heads of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two bowls of the crowns that are on the heads of the pillars; ¹³and the pomegranates four hundred to the two wreaths, two rows of pomegranates to the one wreath, to cover the two bowls of the crowns that are on the front of the pillars. ¹⁴And the bases he hath made; and the lavers he hath made on the bases; ¹⁵the one sea, and the twelve oxen under it, ¹⁶and the pots, and the shovels, and the forks, and all their vessels, hath Huram his father made for king Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of brass purified. ¹⁷In the circuit of the Jordan hath the king cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between Succoth and Zeredathah. ¹⁸And Solomon maketh all these vessels in great abundance, that the weight of the brass hath not been searched out. ¹⁹And Solomon maketh all the vessels that are for the house of God, and the altar of gold, and the tables, and on them is bread of the presence; ²⁰and the candlesticks, and their lamps, for their burning according to the ordinance, before the oracle, of gold refined; ²¹and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold—it is the perfection of gold; ²²and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and the censers, of gold refined, and the opening of the house, its innermost doors to the holy of holies, and the doors of the house to the temple, of gold.

Chapter 5

¹And all the work that Solomon made for the house of Jehovah is finished, and Solomon bringeth in the sanctified things of David his father, and the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels he hath put among the treasures of the house of God. ²Then doth Solomon assemble the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, princes of the fathers of the sons of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah from the city of David—it is Zion. ³And assembled unto the king are all the men of Israel in the feast—it is the seventh month; ⁴and all the elders of Israel come in, and the Levites lift up the ark, ⁵and they bring up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the vessels of the sanctuary that are in the tent; brought them up have the priests, the Levites; ⁶and king Solomon and all the company of Israel who are convened unto him before the ark are sacrificing sheep and oxen, that are not counted nor numbered from multitude. ⁷And the priests bring in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, unto the oracle of the house, unto the holy of holies, unto the place of the wings of the cherubs; ⁸and the cherubs are spreading out wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubs cover over the ark, and over its staves, from above; ⁹and they lengthen the staves, and the heads of the staves are seen out of the ark on the front of the oracle, and they are not seen without; and it is there unto this day. ¹⁰There is nothing in the ark but the two tables that Moses gave in Horeb, where Jehovah covenanted with the sons of Israel, in their going out from Egypt.

¹¹And it cometh to pass, in the going out of the priests from the sanctuary—for all the priests who are present have sanctified themselves, there is none to watch by courses, ¹²and the Levites, the singers, to all of them, to Asaph, to Heman, to Jeduthun, and to their sons, and to their brethren, clothed in white linen, with cymbals, and with psalteries, and harps, are standing on the east of the altar, and with them priests, to a hundred and twenty, blowing with trumpets— ¹³yea, it cometh to pass, as one are trumpeters and singers, to sound—one voice—to praise and to give thanks to Jehovah, and at the lifting up of the sound with trumpets, and with cymbals, and with instruments of song, and at giving praise to Jehovah, for good, for to the age is His kindness, that the house is filled with a cloud—the house of Jehovah, ¹⁴and the priests have not been able to stand to minister from the presence of the cloud, for the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house of God.

Chapter 6

¹Then said Solomon, ‘Jehovah said—to dwell in thick darkness, ²and I—I have built a house of habitation for Thee, and a fixed place for Thy dwelling to the ages.’ ³And the king turneth round his face, and blesseth the whole assembly of Israel, and the whole assembly of Israel is standing, ⁴and he saith, ‘Blessed is Jehovah, God of Israel, who hath spoken with His mouth with David my father, and with His hands hath fulfilled it, saying:

⁵‘From the day that I brought out My people from the land of Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name being there, and I have not fixed on a man to be leader over My people Israel; ⁶and I fix on Jerusalem for My name being there, and I fix on David to be over My people Israel.

⁷‘And it is with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah God of Israel, ⁸and Jehovah saith unto David my father, Because that it hath been with thy heart to build a house for My name, thou hast done well that it hath been with thy heart, ⁹but thou dost not build the house, for thy son who cometh forth out from thy loins, he doth build the house for My name.

¹⁰‘And Jehovah doth establish His word that He spake, and I rise up in the stead of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah spake, and I build the house for the name of Jehovah, God of Israel, ¹¹and I place there the ark, where is the covenant of Jehovah that He made with the sons of Israel.’

¹²And he standeth before the altar of Jehovah, over-against all the assembly of Israel, and spreadeth out his hand,— ¹³for Solomon hath made a scaffold of brass, and putteth it in the midst of the court, five cubits its length, and five cubits its breadth, and three cubits its height, and he standeth upon it, and kneeleth on his knees over-against all the assembly of Israel, and spreadeth forth his hands towards the heavens— ¹⁴and saith, ‘O Jehovah God of Israel, there is not like Thee a god in the heavens and in the earth, keeping the covenant and the kindness for Thy servants who are walking before Thee with all their heart; ¹⁵who hast kept for Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst speak to him; yea, Thou dost speak with Thy mouth, and with Thy hand hast fulfilled it, as at this day.

¹⁶‘And now, O Jehovah, God of Israel, keep for Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst speak to him, saying, There is not cut off to thee a man from before Me, sitting on the throne of Israel, only, if thy sons watch their way to walk in My law, as thou hast walked before Me.

¹⁷‘And now, O Jehovah, God of Israel, is Thy word stedfast that Thou hast spoken to Thy servant, to David, ¹⁸(for is it true?—God dwelleth with man on the earth! Lo, the heavens, and the heavens of the heavens, do not contain Thee, how much less this house that I have built?)

¹⁹‘And Thou hast turned unto the prayer of Thy servant, and unto his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and unto the prayer that Thy servant is praying before Thee, ²⁰for Thine eyes being open towards this house by day and by night, towards the place that Thou hast said to put Thy name there, to hearken unto the prayer that Thy servant prayeth towards this place.

²¹‘And Thou hast hearkened unto the supplications of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel, that they pray towards this place, and Thou dost hear from the place of Thy dwelling, from the heavens, and hast hearkened, and forgiven.

²²‘If a man doth sin against his neighbour, and he hath lifted up on him an oath to cause him to swear, and the oath hath come in before Thine altar in this house— ²³then Thou dost hear from the heavens, and hast done, and hast judged Thy servants, to give back to the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to declare righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness.

²⁴‘And if Thy people Israel is smitten before an enemy, because they sin against Thee, and they have turned back and confessed Thy name, and prayed and made supplication before Thee in this house— ²⁵then Thou dost hear from the heavens, and hast forgiven the sin of Thy people Israel, and caused them to turn back unto the ground that Thou hast given to them, and to their fathers.

²⁶‘In the heavens being restrained, and there is no rain, because…