1But it took Solomon thirteen years to build, and finish his palace. 2He also built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was a hundred cubits (150 feet), and its width was fifty cubits (75 feet), and its height thirty cubits (45 feet), built upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. 3Its roof was cedar resting upon forty-five beams that lay on pillars, fifteen per row. 4And there were windows in three rows, each facing the one opposite it, in three tiers. 5And all the doorways and posts were rectangular (not arched); and like the three tiers of windows, they faced each other. 6And he made a porch of pillars; the length of it was fifty cubits (75 feet), and its width was thirty cubits (45 feet); and the porch was in front of it; and in front of that were other pillars with an overhanging roof. 7Then he made a throne or judgement hall, where he was to judge; it was covered with cedar from the floor to the ceiling. 8And his living quarters surrounded a courtyard behind this hall. Solomon also made similar living quarters for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken as his wife.

9All these structures were of costly stones, shaped and smoothed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves. 10And the foundation was laid with large stones, some ten cubits long, and some eight cubits long. 11And above were costly stones, cut to measure of hewn stones, and cedar beams. 12And the great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of hewn stones, and a row of cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the Temple of the LORD, with its portico.

13And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14Hiram was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; skilled with wisdom, and knowledge for working in bronze. And he came to King Solomon, where he did all his skillful work.

15Hiram cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits (27 feet) high; and a line of twelve cubits (18 feet circumference) would encompass either of them. 16And he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set upon the tops of the pillars; the height of each capital was five cubits; 17And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the capitals upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital. 18And he made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network, to decorate each capital on top of the pillars. 19And the capitals that were on top of the pillars were shaped like lilies - four cubits tall. 20And the capitals atop the two pillars had two hundred pomegranates in two rows around them. 21And he erected the pillars in the porch of the Temple: the right (south) pillar he named “Jachin”; and the left (north) pillar he named “Boaz.” (2 Chron.3:17) 22And the capitals atop the two pillars were in the shape of lilies. And so, the work on the pillars was finished.

23And he made a circular ‘sea’ of cast metal, ten cubits across, brim to brim; and its height was five cubits; with a circumference of thirty cubits. 24And below the brim of it there were buds all around, ten buds to a cubit, encircling the sea; the buds were cast in two rows. 25The sea rested upon the twelve bulls - three facing north, three facing west, three south, and three facing the east; and with their hind quarters toward the center. 26And the sea was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies. It had the capacity of two thousand baths (about 11,000 gallons).

27And Hiram made ten bronze water carts; each four cubits long, and four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28And these carts were built in this manner: they had panels, with the panels set between the frames; 29And on the panels between the frames were lions, bulls, and cherubim; and on the upright pedestals above; and beneath the lions and bulls were certain wreath decorations made of thin work. 30And each cart had four bronze wheels, and axels; and the four corners of each had supports; under the laver were cast supports, at the side of every addition. 31Each cart opening was round, one cubit in diameter. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32And under the panels were four wheels; and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart; and the height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. 33And the design of the wheels was like the design of a chariot wheel; their axles, hubs, rims, and spokes, were all cast. 34There were handles at each of the four corners of the carts, and these, too, were cast as one unit with the cart. 35At the top of each cart there was a circular rim a half cubit wide; and on the top of the cart the frames of it and the corner supports and side panels were cast as one unit with the cart. 36On the plates of the frames of it, and on the panels of it, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the available space, with wreaths all around. 37All ten carts were the same size and were made alike, for each was cast from the same mold. 38Then he made ten smaller bronze basins: each basin was four cubits across and contained forty baths (220 gallons), to go on the ten carts. 39And he put five carts on the south side of the Temple, and five on the north side of the Temple; and positioned the sea on the south side at the house southeast corner of the Temple.

40And Hiram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. And so, Hiram finished doing all the work that he did on the Temple of the LORD for King Solomon:

41The two pillars, and the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two decorative networks, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 42And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks - two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were atop the pillars; 43And the ten stands, and ten basins; 44And one sea, and twelve bulls under the sea; 45And the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. And all these vessels, which Hiram made to King Solomon for the Temple of the LORD, were of bright bronze. 46And the king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay between Succoth and Zarethan.

47Solomon did not weigh all these vessels, because there were so many; nor was their weight in bronze determined.

48And Solomon made all the furnishings for the Temple of the LORD: the altar of gold; the table of gold, which held the showbread; 49The lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side, five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, with the floral work; the lamps; the tongs of gold; 50The bowls; the snuffers; the basins; the spoons; the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house which is the Temple.

51So King Solomon finished all the work for the Temple of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David, his father, had dedicated: the silver, gold, and the vessels, these he put among the treasures of the Temple of the LORD.