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23 Now he made the Sea (basin) of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, five cubits high and thirty cubits in circumference.(A) 24 Under its brim were gourds encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast in one piece with it. 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three west, three south, and three east; the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts pointed inward. 26 It was a hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand [a]baths.

27 Then Hiram made ten bronze stands [for smaller basins]; the length of each stand was four cubits, its width was four cubits and its height was three cubits. 28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders between the frames. 29 On the borders between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the frames there was a pedestal above. Beneath the lions and oxen were borders of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports [for a basin]. Beneath the basin were cast supports with borders at each side. 31 Its opening inside the crown at the top measured a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half. Also on its opening were carvings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 Underneath the borders were four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel: their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; the supports were part of the stand itself. 35 On the top of the stand there was a circular piece half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its supports and borders were part of it. 36 And on the surface of its supports and its borders Hiram engraved cherubim, lions, and palm-shaped decorations, according to the [available] space for each, with borders all around. 37 He made the ten stands like this: they all had one casting, one measure, and one form.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:26 I.e. a Hebrew liquid measurement, about twenty-two liters per bath.

23 He made the Sea(A) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(B) of thirty cubits[a] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(C) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[b] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[c]

27 He also made ten movable stands(D) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[d] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(E) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[e] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[f] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[g] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  2. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  3. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  4. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  5. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  6. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  7. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters

He also made ten [portable] basins in which to wash, and he put five on the right (south) side and five on the left (north). They would rinse things for the burnt offering in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.

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He then made ten basins(A) for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings(B) were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.

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17 Now the Chaldeans broke into pieces the pillars of bronze which belonged to the house of the Lord, and the bronze pedestals [which supported the ten basins] and the [enormous] bronze Sea, which were in the house of the Lord, and carried all the bronze to Babylon.

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17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,(A) the movable stands(B) and the bronze Sea(C) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.(D)

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