Through the Bible – Day 152

₁Solomon had a bronze altar made that was nine metres square and four and a half metres high. ₂He also gave orders to make a large metal bowl called the Sea. It was four and a half metres across, just over two metres deep, and thirteen and a half metres around. ₃Its outer edge was decorated with two rows of carvings of bulls, ten bulls to about every forty-five centimetres, all made from the same piece of metal as the bowl. ₄The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls, with three bulls facing outwards in each of four directions. ₅The sides of the bowl were seventy-five millimetres thick, and its rim was in the shape of a cup that curved outwards like flower petals. The bowl held about sixty thousand litres.

₆He 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 burnt on the altar as sacrifices, and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.

₇Ten gold lampstands were also made according to the plans. Solomon placed these lampstands inside the temple, five on each side of the main room. ₈He also made ten tables and placed them in the main room, five on each side. And he made a hundred small gold sprinkling bowls.

₉Solomon 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. ₁₀The large bowl called the Sea was placed near the south-east corner of the temple.

₁₁Huram made shovels, sprinkling bowls, and pans for hot ashes. Here is a list of the other furnishings he made for God's temple: ₁₂two columns, two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of these columns, two chain designs on the caps, ₁₃four hundred pomegranates for the chain designs, ₁₄the stands and the small bowls, ₁₅the large bowl and the twelve bulls that held it up, ₁₆pans for hot ashes, as well as shovels and meat forks.

Huram made all these things out of polished bronze ₁₇by pouring melted bronze into the clay moulds he had set up near the River Jordan, between Succoth and Zeredah.

₁₈There were so many bronze furnishings that no one ever knew how much bronze it took to make them.

₁₉Solomon also gave orders to make the following temple furnishings out of gold: the altar, the tables that held the sacred loaves of bread, ₂₀the lampstands and the lamps that burnt in front of the most holy place, ₂₁flower designs, lamps and tongs, ₂₂lamp snuffers, small sprinkling bowls, ladles, fire pans, and the doors to the most holy place and the main room of the temple.

₁After the LORD's temple was finished, Solomon put in its storage rooms everything that his father David had dedicated to the LORD, including the gold and silver, and the objects used in worship.

_2-3The sacred chest had been kept on Mount Zion, also known as the city of David. But Solomon decided to have the chest moved to the temple while everyone was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters during the seventh month.

Solomon called together all the important leaders of Israel. _4-5Then the priests and the Levites picked up the sacred chest, the sacred tent, and the objects used for worship, and they carried them to the temple. ₆Solomon and a crowd of people walked in front of the chest, and along the way they sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted.

₇The priests carried the chest into the most holy place and put it under the winged creatures, ₈whose wings covered the chest and the poles used for carrying it. ₉The poles were so long that they could be seen from just outside the most holy place, but not from anywhere else. And they stayed there from then on.

₁₀The only things kept in the chest were the two flat stones Moses had put there when the LORD made his agreement with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, after bringing them out of Egypt.

_11-13The priests of every group had gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean and acceptable to the LORD. The Levite musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, were wearing robes of fine linen. They were standing on the east side of the altar, playing cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. One hundred and twenty priests were with these musicians, and they were blowing trumpets.

They were praising the LORD by playing music and singing:

Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the holy place. ₁₄The LORD's glory was in that cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work.

₁Solomon prayed:

₃Solomon turned towards the people standing there. Then he blessed them _4-6and said:

_12-13Earlier, Solomon had a bronze platform made that was about two metres square and over a metre high, and he put it in the centre of the outer courtyard near the altar. Solomon stood on the platform facing the altar with everyone standing behind him. Then he lifted his arms towards heaven; he knelt down ₁₄and prayed:

₁It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to the Father. He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.

₂Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, decide to betray Jesus.

₃Jesus knew that he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had given him complete power. ₄So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ₅He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.

₆But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

₇Jesus answered, “You don't really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

₈“You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied.

“If I don't wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don't really belong to me.”

₉Peter said, “Lord, don't wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”

₁₀Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.” ₁₁Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”

₁₂After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said:

₂₁After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, “I tell you for certain that one of you will betray me.” ₂₂They were confused about what he meant. And they just stared at each other.

₂₃Jesus' favourite disciple was sitting next to him at the meal, ₂₄and Simon motioned for that disciple to find out which one Jesus meant. ₂₅So the disciple leaned towards Jesus and asked, “Lord, which one of us are you talking about?”

₂₆Jesus answered, “I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about.”

Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ₂₇At once Satan took control of Judas.

Jesus said, “Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do.” ₂₈No one at the meal understood what Jesus meant. ₂₉But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some money to the poor. ₃₀Judas took the piece of bread and went out.

It was already night.