The Furnishings for the Temple
(1 Kings 7.23-51)1 Solomon had a bronze altar made that was nine meters square and four and a half meters high. 2 He also gave orders to make a large metal bowl called the Sea. It was 4.5 meters across, just over two meters deep, and 13.5 meters around. 3 Its outer edge was decorated with two rows of carvings of bulls, ten bulls to about every 45 centimeters, all made from the same piece of metal as the bowl. 4 The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls, with three bulls facing outward in each of four directions. 5 The sides of the bowl were 75 millimeters thick, and its rim was in the shape of a cup that curved outward like flower petals. The bowl held about 60,000 liters.
6 He also made ten small bowls and put five on each side of the large bowl. The small bowls were used to wash the animals that were burned on the altar as sacrifices, and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.
7 Ten gold lampstands were also made according to the plans. Solomon placed these lampstands inside the temple, five on each side of the main room. 8 He also made ten tables and placed them in the main room, five on each side. And he made 100 small gold sprinkling bowls.
9 Solomon gave orders to build two courtyards: a smaller one that only priests could use and a larger one. The doors to these courtyards were covered with bronze. 10 The large bowl called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the temple.
11 Huram made shovels, sprinkling bowls, and pans for hot ashes. Here is a list of the other furnishings he made for God's temple: 12 two columns, two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of these columns, two chain designs on the caps, 13 400 pomegranates in two rows for the chain designs, 14 the stands and the small bowls, 15 the large bowl and the twelve bulls that held it up, 16 pans for hot ashes, as well as shovels and meat forks.
Huram made all these things out of polished bronze 17 by pouring melted bronze into the clay molds he had set up near the Jordan River, between Succoth and Zeredah.
18 There were so many bronze furnishings that no one ever knew how much bronze it took to make them.
19 Solomon also gave orders to make the following temple furnishings out of gold: the altar, the tables that held the sacred loaves of bread, 20 the lampstands and the lamps that burned in front of the most holy place, 21 flower designs, lamps and tongs, 22 lamp snuffers, small sprinkling bowls, ladles, fire pans, and the doors to the most holy place and the main room of the temple.
1 And hee made an altar of brasse twentie cubites long, and twentie cubites broade, and ten cubites hie. 2 And he made a molten Sea of ten cubites from brim to brim, rounde in compasse, and fiue cubites hie: and a line of thirtie cubites did compasse it about. 3 And vnder it was ye facion of oxen, which did compasse it rounde about, tenne in a cubite compassing the Sea about: two rowes of oxen were cast when it was molten. 4 It stoode vpon twelue oxen: three looked toward the North, and three looked towarde the West, and three looked towarde the South, and three looked towarde the East, and the Sea stoode about vpon them, and all their hinder parts were inwarde. 5 And the thickenesse thereof was an hande breadth, and the brim thereof was like the worke of the brim of a cuppe with floures of lilies: it conteined three thousand baths. 6 He made also ten caldrons, and put fiue on the right hand, and fiue on the left, to wash in them, and to clense in them that which apperteined to the burnt offrings: but the Sea was for the Priests to wash in. 7 And he made ten candlestickes of golde (according to their forme) and put them in the Temple, fiue on the right hand, and fiue on the left. 8 And he made ten tables, and put them in the Temple, fiue on the right hand, and fiue on the left: and he made an hundreth basens of golde. 9 And he made the court of the Priests, and the great court and doores for the court, and ouerlayd the doores thereof with brasse. 10 And he set the Sea on the right side Eastward toward the South. 11 And Huram made pottes and besoms and basens, and Huram finished the worke that hee shoulde make for King Salomon for the house of God, 12 To wit, two pillars, and the bowles and the chapiters on the top of ye two pillars, and two grates to couer the two bowles of the chapiters which were vpon the toppe of the pillars: 13 And foure hundreth pomegranates for the two grates, two rowes of pomegranates for euery grate to couer the two bowles of the chapiters, that were vpon the pillars. 14 He made also bases, and made caldrons vpon the bases: 15 And a Sea, and twelue bulles vnder it: 16 Pottes also and besomes, and fleshhookes, and all these vessels made Huram his father, to King Salomon for the house of the Lord, of shining brasse. 17 In the playne of Iorden did the King cast them in clay betweene Succoth and Zeredathah. 18 And Salomon made al these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of brasse could not be rekoned. 19 And Salomon made al the vessels that were for the house of God: the golden altar also and the tables, whereon the shewbread stoode. 20 Moreouer the candlestickes, with their lampes to burne them after the maner, before the oracle, of pure golde. 21 And the floures and the lampes, and the snuffers of gold, which was fine golde. 22 And the hookes, and the basens, and the spoones, and the ashpans of pure golde: the entrie also of the house and doores thereof within, euen of the most holy place: and the doores of the house, to wit, of the Temple were of golde.