The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 200

4:19. Gaber, the son of Uri, in the land of Galaad, in the land of Sehon, the king of the Amorrhites, and of Og, the king of Basan, over all that were in that land.

4:20. Juda and Israel were innumerable, as the sand of the sea in mult.i.tude; eating and drinking, and rejoicing.

4:21. And Solomon had under him all the kingdoms, from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt: and they brought him presents, and served him all the days of his life.

The river... Euphrates.

4:22. And the provision of Solomon, for each day, was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal;

4:23. Ten fat oxen, and twenty out of the pastures, and a hundred rams; besides venison of harts, roes, and buffles, and fatted fowls.

4:24. For he had all the country which was beyond the river, from Thaphsa to Gazan, and all the kings of those countries: and he had peace on every side round about.

4:25. And Juda, and Israel, dwelt without any fear, every one under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan to Bersabee, all the days of Solomon.

4:26. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand for the saddle.

4:27. And the foresaid governors of the king fed them; and they furnished the necessaries also for king Solomon's table, with great care, in their time.

4:28. They brought barley also, and straw for the horses and beasts, to the place where the king was, according as it was appointed them.

4:29. And G.o.d gave to Solomon wisdom, and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, as the sand that is on the sea sh.o.r.e.

4:30. And the wisdom of Solomon surpa.s.sed the wisdom of all the Orientals, and of the Egyptians;

4:31. And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dorda, the sons of Mahol, and he was renowned in all nations round about.

4:32. Solomon also spoke three thousand parables: and his poems were a thousand and five.

Three thousand parables, etc... These works are all lost, excepting some part of the parables extant in the book of Proverbs; and his chief poem called the Canticle of Canticles.

4:33. And he treated about trees, from the cedar that is in Liba.n.u.s, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall: and he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

4:34. And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom.

3 Kings Chapter 5

Hiram king of Tyre agreeth to furnish timber and workmen for building the temple: the number of workmen and overseers.

5:1. And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent his servants to Solomon: for he heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram had always been David's friend.

5:2. Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

5:3. Thou knowest the will of David, my father, and that he could not build a house to the name of the Lord his G.o.d, because of the wars that were round about him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.

5:4. But now the Lord my G.o.d hath given me rest round about; and there is no adversary nor evil occurrence.

5:5. Wherefore I purpose to build a temple to the name of the Lord my G.o.d, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon the throne, in thy place, he shall build a house to my name.

5:6. Give orders, therefore, that thy servants cut me down cedar trees, out of Liba.n.u.s, and let my servants be with thy servants: and I will give thee the hire of thy servants whatsoever thou wilt ask: for thou knowest how there is not among my people a man that has skill to hew wood like to the Sidonians.

5:7. Now when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said: Blessed be the Lord G.o.d this day, who hath given to David a very wise son over this numerous people.

5:8. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have heard all thou hast desired of me; and I will do all thy desire concerning cedar trees, and fir trees.

5:9. My servants shall bring them down from Liba.n.u.s to the sea: and I will put them together in floats, on the sea, and convey them to the place, which thou shalt signify to me, and will land them there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt allow me necessaries to furnish food for my household.

5:10. So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees, and fir trees, according to all his desire.

5:11. And Solomon allowed Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat, for provision for his house, and twenty measures of the purest oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram every year.

5:12. And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they two made a league together.

5:13. And king Solomon chose workmen out of all Israel, and the levy was of thirty thousand men.

5:14. And he sent them to Liba.n.u.s, ten thousand every month, by turns, so that two months they were at home: and Adoniram was over this levy.

5:15. And Solomon had seventy thousand to carry burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountain:

5:16. Besides the overseers who were over every work, in number three thousand and three hundred, that ruled over the people, and them that did the work.

5:17. And the king commanded that they should bring great stones, costly stones, for the foundation of the temple, and should square them:

5:18. And the masons of Solomon, and the masons of Hiram, hewed them: and the Giblians prepared timber and stones to build the house.

3 Kings Chapter 6

The building of Solomon's temple.

6:1. And it came to pa.s.s in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month Zio, (the same is the second month) he began to build a house to the Lord.

6:2. And the house, which king Solomon built to the Lord, was threescore cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height.

6:3. And there was a porch before the temple, of twenty cubits in length, according to the measure of the breadth of the temple: and it was ten cubits in breadth, before the face of the temple.

6:4. And he made in the temple oblique windows.

6:5. And upon the wall of the temple, he built floors round about, in the walls of the house, round about the temple and the oracle, and he made chambers in the sides round about.

Upon the wall, i. e., joining to the wall.-Ibid. He built floors round about... Chambers or cells adjoining to the temple, for the use of the temple and of the priests, so contrived as to be between the inward and outward wall of the temple, in three stories, one above another.-Ibid.

The oracle... The inner temple or holy of holies, where G.o.d gave his oracles.

6:6. The floor that was underneath was five cubits in breadth, and the middle floor was six cubits in breadth, and the third floor was seven cubits in breadth. And he put beams in the house round about on the outside, that they might not be fastened in the walls of the temple.

6:7. And the house, when it was in building, was built of stones, hewed and made ready: so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house when it was in building.

Made ready, etc... So the stones for the building of G.o.d's eternal temple in the heavenly Jerusalem, (who are the faithful,) must first be hewn and polished here by many trials and sufferings, before they can be admitted to have a place in that celestial structure.

6:8. The door, for the middle side, was on the right hand of the house: and by winding stairs they went up to the middle room, and from the middle to the third.