9

for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he 10 will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now for the LORD hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

11

Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the 12 place of the mercy seat, and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the 13 treasuries of the dedicated things: also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the 14 LORD. He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight, for all in15 struments of every kind of service: even the weight for the lampholders of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every lampholder, and for the lamps thereof: and for the lampholders of silver by weight, both for the lampholder, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use 16 of every lampholder. And by weight he gave gold for the tables of showbread, for every table; and likewise silver for the 17 tables of silver: also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups: and for the golden basins he gave gold by weight for every basin; and likewise silver 18 by weight for every basin of silver: and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the 19 covenant of the LORD. All this, said

20

David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the 21 service of the house of the LORD. And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy

29

commandment.

Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD 2 God. Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of

iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glittering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because I have 3 set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper goods, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, even three i thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses with: the gold for things of gold, 5 and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?

Then the chief of the fathers and princes 6 of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, and 7 gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And they with whom precious 8 stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then 9 the people rejoiced, in that these had of fered so willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

Wherefore David blessed the LORD be- 10 fore all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, 011 LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour 12 come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, 13 our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what 14 is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this manner? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers 15 before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding. O 15 LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name cometh of thy hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my God, that 17 thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the upright ness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, who are present here, offer willingly unto thee. O LORD God of 18 Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee: and 19 give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do ali these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.

And David said to all the congregation, 20

house which I build is great: for great is 6 our God above all gods. But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heavens, yea, the highest heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice 7 before him? Send me now therefore a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and who can engrave engravings with the skilful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, 8 whom David my father did provide. Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be 9 with thy servants, even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be great and 10 wonderful. And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers who 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.

11

Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he 12 hath made thee king over them. Hiram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, who might build a house for the LORD, and a house for his kingdom. 13 And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Hiram my father's, 14 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 engrave any manner of engraving, and to find out every device. which shall be put to him, with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord 15 David thy father. Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let 16 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.

17

And Solomon numbered all the strangers who 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 18 thousand and six hundred. And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people to work.

3

THEN Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Araunah 2 the Jebusite. And he began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was three score cubits, and 4 the breadth twenty cubits. And the porch that was in the front of the house, the

length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was twenty.

And he overlaid it within with pure gold; and the greater house he ceiled with 5 fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set 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 posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and engraved cherubims on the walls.

And he made the most holy house, the 8 length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, 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 9 nails was fifty shekels of geld. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

And in the most holy house he made two 10 cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. And the wings of the che. 11 rubims were twenty cubits long: one 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 one 12 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 cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought che rubims thereon.

Also he made before the house two pil- 15 lars of eighteen cubits each high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. And he made chains, as in 16 the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And he reared up the pillars before the 17 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, 4 twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits? from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. And under it was the similitude of oxen, 3 which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were 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 above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. And the thickness of it was a hand- 5 breadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.

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

wash in.

And he made ten lampholders of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.

8 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.

9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them 10 with brass. And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south. 1 And Hiram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. And Hiram finished the work that he was to make for king 12 Solomon for the house of God; the two pillars, and the pommels, and the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the capitals which were on the top 13 of the pillars; and four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the capitals which were 14 upon the pillars. He made also bases, and 15 lavers made he upon the bases; one sea, 16 and twelve oxen under it. The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Hiram his father make and bring to king Solomon for the 17 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 Zeredathah.

18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; for the weight of the 19 brass could not be found out. And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables where on the showbread was set;

|

20 moreover the lampholders with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner 21 before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, male he of gold, and that perfect gold; 22 and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of

gold.

5 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the holy things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God. 2 THEN Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers 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.

3

Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast 4 which was in the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites 5 took up the ark. And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and 6 the Levites bring up. Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrifeed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the coveuant of the LORD unto its place, to the

oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims: for the cherubims spread forth 8 their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And they drew out 9 the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there they are unto this day. There 10 was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when

the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

And when the priests were come out of 11 the holy place: (for all the priests who were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: also the Levites who 12 were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) even as 13 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, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever; then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; so that the priests 14 could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God."

Then said Solomon, The LORD hath 6

said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. But I have built a house of habita- 2

tion for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever. And the king turned his face, 3 and blessed the whole congregation of Israel and all the congregation of Israel stood.

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God 4 of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spoke with his mouth to my father David, saying, Since the day that I 5 brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my 6 name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. Now 7 it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD

God of Israel. But the LORD said to 8

David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thy heart to build a house for my name,

thou didst well in that it was in thy heart: notwithstanding thou shalt not build the 9 house; but thy son who shall come forth for my name. out of thy loins, he shall build the house

The LORD therefore hath 10

performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. And in it have I put the ark, 11 wherein is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel.

And he stood before the altar of the 12 LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands: for Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, 13

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 the heavens, 14 and said,

O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heavens, nor in the earth; who keepest covenant, and showest mercy unto thy servants, who walk before thee 15 with all their hearts: thou who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spokest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled 16 it with thy hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O LORD 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 siglt to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me. 17 Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David.

18

But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I 19 have built! Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant 20 prayeth before thee: that thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy serv21 ant prayeth toward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.

ness there be: then what prayer or what 29 supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou from 30 heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) that they may fear thee, 3 to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

Moreover concerning the stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if he come and pray in this house; then hear thou from 33 heaven, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.

If thy people go out to war against their 34 enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; then hear thou from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their

cause.

If they sin against thee, (for there is no man who sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; yet if 37 they bethink themselves in the land whi ther they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly: if they return to thee with all their 3 heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee.

Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent ive unto the prayer that is made in this place. Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy

servant.

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from the hea vens, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices: and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because LORD'S house. And when all the chil. 3 the glory of the LORD had filled the dren of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and wor