2 Chronicles 4–6
1 Then he made a bronze altar that was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits 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, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3 Figures like oxen were underneath it, going all the way around the sea basin, ten cubits on each side. 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, and its brim was like the brim of a cup, as the flower of a lily. It held three thousand baths 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. 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.
Chapter 5
1 Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings in the treasury of the house of God.
2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes and the leaders of the houses of the fathers among the sons of Israel to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. 3 And all the men of Israel were assembled before the king at the feast, which is the seventh month.
4 All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites carried the ark. 5 Then they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent. So the Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place—to the inner sanctuary of the temple, into the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 8 Then the cherubim wings were spread out over the place of the ark so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles. 9 The poles were extended so that the ends of the poles of the ark were seen in front of the Most Holy Place, but they were not seen outside; and they are still there to this day. 10 In the ark there was nothing except the two tablets that Moses had given at Mount Horeb where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel when they went out from Egypt.
11 When the priests came out from the Most Holy Place—for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without keeping separate divisions— 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and relatives, all clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood to the east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests who were sounding with trumpets, 13 it happened, when the trumpet players and singers made one sound to praise and give thanks to the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and all the instruments of music and praised the Lord saying,
“For He is good
and His mercy endures forever,”
that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud. 14 And the priests were not able to stand in order to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
Chapter 6
1 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the dark cloud. 2 But I have built for You an exalted house, even a habitation where You can continually dwell.”
3 Then the king turned his face around, and he blessed the entire assembly of Israel while all the assembly of Israel was standing before him. 4 And he said:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who spoke with David my father and fulfilled His promise saying, 5 ‘Since the day that I brought out My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose any city from among the tribes of Israel to build a house for My name to dwell there, nor did I select a man to be the leader over My people Israel; 6 but I have chosen Jerusalem for My name to dwell there, and I have selected David to be over My people Israel.’
7 “And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well because of what was in your heart; 9 only you will not be the one to build the house. For your son, who will be born to you, he will build a house for My name.’
10 “The Lord has fulfilled the word that He spoke. For I have risen up in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord spoke, and I will build the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 11 And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that He made with the children of Israel.”
12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 For Solomon made a bronze platform and set it in the midst of the enclosure. It was five cubits in length, five cubits in width, and three cubits in height. And he stood on it and knelt down before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands to heaven. 14 And he said:
“O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like You in the heavens or on the earth, who keeps covenants and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart. 15 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father. You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.
16 “And now, O Lord God of Israel, keep what You promised Your servant David my father saying, ‘You will not lack a man sitting on the throne of Israel before Me, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ 17 And now, O Lord God of Israel, may Your word be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant David.
18 “For will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, are not able to contain You, much less this house that I have built. 19 But respond to the prayer of Your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and prayer of Your servant who prays before You, 20 that Your eyes might be open toward this house both day and night, to the place that You have said that You will set Your name, in order to hear the prayer of Your servant for this place. 21 And listen to the pleas of Your servant and Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. And may You respond from heaven, the place of Your dwelling, so that You hear and forgive.
22 “If a man sins against his companion, and the companion swears and puts him under a curse, and the wronged man comes with an oath before Your altar at this temple, 23 then You will hear from heaven, and You will act and judge Your servants, to repay the guilty one by bringing his way on his own head; and to vindicate the innocent one by rendering to him according to his righteous behavior.
24 “If Your people Israel are struck before enemies because they have sinned against You, and they return and confess Your name and pray and seek Your favor in this house, 25 then You will hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and You will bring them back to the land that You gave them and their fathers.
26 “When the sky is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 27 then You will hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel because You will teach them the good path in which they will walk, and You will send rain on the land that You have given to Your people as a possession.
28 “When there is famine in the land or when there is pestilence, blight, mildew, winged locust, or grasshopper, or when enemies besiege them in the land up to their city gates, in whatever plague or sickness, 29 whatever prayer or plea that is made by any man or by all your people Israel, when each man knows his own affliction and his own sorrow, and stretches out his hands toward this house, 30 then You will hear from heaven, the place of the habitation of Your dwelling, and forgive, and You will render to each according to his conduct, for You know their hearts (for You alone know the heart of people), 31 so that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days that they live on the land that You have given to our fathers.
32 “When foreigners are not from Your people Israel and come from a distant land, because of Your great name, mighty hand, and outstretched arm, and they come and pray toward this house, 33 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and act on everything for which the foreigner calls on You, that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel; and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.
34 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, in the way that You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city that You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and plea and act for their cause.
36 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin) and You are angry against them and give them to their enemies, and they are taken captive to a land, whether distant or near, 37 and they turn their hearts in the land that they have been taken captive, and they repent and seek Your favor in the land of captivity saying, ‘We have sinned, done wrong, and acted wickedly,’ 38 and if they turn in repentance to You with all their heart and all their soul in the land of their captivity that they were taken to, and pray toward the land that You have given to their fathers, and toward the city that You have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for Your name, 39 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplication, and maintain their cause, and forgive the people who have sinned against You.
40 “Now, O my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer that I offer in this place.
41 “Now rise up, O Lord God, to Your resting place,
both You and the ark of Your strength.
And let Your priests, O Lord God, be clothed in salvation
and Your loyal ones rejoice in goodness.
42 O Lord God, do not turn Your face from Your anointed.
Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”
John 10:22–42
22 The Feast of the Dedication was at Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s Porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him, saying, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you did not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, nor shall anyone snatch them from My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them from My Father’s hand. 30 My Father and I are one.”
31 Again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 If He called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of My Father, do not believe Me. 38 But if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 Again they tried to seize Him, but He escaped from their hands.
40 Then He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and He remained there. 41 Many came to Him and said, “John did no sign. But everything that John said about this Man was true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.