20 round about upon the other chapiter. So was the work of the pillars finished; and he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof 2 Boaz.

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7.23. And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, 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 it was an hand 35 breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, in the form of a lily: it contained two thousand baths.

7.27. And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. And the work of the bases was on this 40 manner they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges and on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. And every base had four brazen wheels, and plates 45 of brass and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition. And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round, after the work of the base, a cubit and an half and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with 50 their borders, foursquare, not round. And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, 55 and their spokes, were all molten. And there were four undersetters to the four corners, of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself. And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of 1 i.e "He shall establish." 2 i.e. "In it is strength."

the base the stays thereof and the borders thereof were of the same. And on the plates of the stays thereof, and on the 60 borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and wreaths round about. After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.

7.38. Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver con- 65 tained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver. And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house 3 south-eastward. And Hiram made the pots, and 70 the shovels, and the bowls. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of Jehovah the two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top 75 of the pillars; and four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars; and the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases; and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea; and the pots, and 80 the shovels, and the bowls: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of Jehovah, were of bright brass. In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan. And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: 85 neither was the weight of the brass found out.

7.48. And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of Jehovah: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was, and the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, 90 with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and 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, to wit, of the nave. So was ended all the work that 95 king Solomon made for the house of Jehovah. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; 3 Literally "eastward in front of the south."

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even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of Jehovah.

8.1. 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 king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves 105 unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the

priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent, even those did the priests and the Levites 110 bring up. And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto his place, into the oracle of the house, 115 to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle, and 120 they were not seen without and there they are unto this day. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the priests were 125 come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of Jehovah.

8.54. And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from 130 before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all 135 his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. Jehovah our God be with us, as he was with our fathers let him not leave us, nor forsake us: that he may

incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, 140 wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require that all the people of the earth may know that Jehovah is God, and that there is none 145 else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before Jehovah. And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto Jehovah, two and twenty 150 thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah. The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah for there he offered the burnt offerings, and the meal offerings, and the fat 155 of the peace offerings: because the brazen altar that was before Jehovah was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings. And at that time Solomon held the feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of 160 Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven days. On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that Jehovah had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.

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LESSON LXV

SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY

I KINGS 9.26. to 11.43

9.26. And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four 5 hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

10.1. And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a 10 very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen 15 of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered in the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her. And 20 she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed

not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy 25 are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be Jehovah thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because Jehovah loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred 30 and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious 35 stones. And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

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10.14. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, be45 side that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of 1 i.e. "sandal wood."