2 Chronicles 4 - Modern English Version (MEV)

The Furnishings of the Temple(A)

4 Then he made a bronze altar that was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits[a] high. 2 And he made a cast metal sea as a water basin. It was round and ten cubits from edge to edge, five cubits high,[b] and a line of thirty cubits[c] measured its circumference. 3 Figures like oxen were underneath it, going all the way around the sea basin, ten cubits[d] on each side.[e] There were two rows of oxen that were poured as cast metal.

4 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and their back sides were facing inward. 5 The thickness of the sea was a palm,[f] and its brim was like the brim of a cup, as the flower of a lily. It held three thousand baths[g] securely.

6 Then he made ten water basins, and he set five on the southern right side and five on the northern left side to rinse off in them the instruments of the burnt offering. And the sea basin was for the priests to wash in.

7 And he made ten lampstands of gold according to the specifications, and he set them in the temple, five on the southern, right side and five on the northern, left side.

8 Then he made ten tables and put them in the temple, five on the southern, right side and five on the northern, left side; and he made a hundred basins of gold.

9 Then he made the court of the priests and the great enclosure and the doors for the enclosure, and he overlaid the doors with bronze. 10 And he set the sea basin at the southeast side, opposite the southern side of the house.

11 And Huram made the pots, shovels, and bowls.

So Huram completed the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: 12 the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 13 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two pieces of grating, with two rows of pomegranates for each screen grate that covered the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars. 14 And he made the supporting stands and the basins on top of the stands, 15 and the sea basin and the twelve oxen underneath it; 16 the pots, shovels, utensils, and all the vessels from polished bronze, Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord.

17 The king cast these vessels in the district of the Jordan in earthen foundries between Sukkoth and Zeredatha.[h] 18 And Solomon made all of these items in a great abundance such that they did not consider the weight of the bronze.

19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the gold altar and the tables displaying the showbread, 20 and the finely hammered lampstands with their lamps to burn before the Most Holy Place as prescribed; 21 the golden flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, of purest gold; 22 the snuffers, basins, ladles, and fire pans, of pure gold. As for the entrance to the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:1 About 30 feet long and wide and 15 feet high, or 9 meters long and wide and 4.5 meters high.
  2. 2 Chronicles 4:2 About 7½ feet, or 2.3 meters.
  3. 2 Chronicles 4:2 About 45 feet, or 14 meters.
  4. 2 Chronicles 4:3 About 18 inches, or 45 centimeters.
  5. 2 Chronicles 4:3 Or ten oxen for a cubit.
  6. 2 Chronicles 4:5 About 3 inches, or 7.5 centimeters.
  7. 2 Chronicles 4:5 About 18,000 gallons, or 66,000 liters.
  8. 2 Chronicles 4:17 Zarethan in 1Ki 7:46.

Cross references

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:1 : 1Ki 7:23–51