Translation, 1 Kings 7:1-22

Another flawed, wooden, speculative, error-ridden translation from Kings, which may still be helpful to someone. I’ve tried to reflect the difficulties and confusions that arise from the Hebrew text, and believe I had succeeded at least in that.

Now his house Shlomoh built thirteen years. And he finished all his house.

And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon One hundred cubits its length And fifty cubits its width And thirty cubits its height. On four rows of standing-pillars of cedar And cut-beams Of cedar On the standing-pillars. And it was covered in cedar from above on the ribs Which were on the standing-pillars Forty and five, Five and ten the row.

And looking down, three rows, And vision-portal to vision-portal, three feet/paces. And all the openings and doorposts squared, looking down And front (circumcised?) vision-portal to vision portal, three feet/paces.

Now the vestibule of standing-pillars he made Fifty cubits its length And thirty cubits its width And a vestibule on their face And standing-pillars And a cloud-canopy on their face.

And the vestibule of the throne which he judged there The vestibule of judgment He made. And he covered with cedar from the floor until the floor.

Now his house which he lived there A courtyard the other (one) from the house to the vestibule just as the thing made/construction this was. But the house he made for the daughter of Pharaoh Which Shlomoh took As this vestibule.

All these stones rare, according to measure hewn sawn with saws From the house and from outside. And from the foundation until the handbreadth/?? And from the outside until the great court. But from the foundation stones rare Great stones Stones of ten cubits And stones of eight cubits. But above stones rare According to measure hewn And cedar. Now the great court around Three rows of hewn (stone) And a row of cut-beams of cedar And to the court of the house of Yahweh inside (facing) And to the vestibule of the house.

And sent the king Shlomoh And he took Chiram from Tyre. A son of a woman, a widow, he (was) from the tribe of Naphtali And his father, a man of Tyre, A craftsman of bronze. And he was filled with wisdom And discernment And knowledge To do all work in bronze And he entered to the king Shlomoh And he did all his work.

And he fashioned two standing-pillars of bronze Eight and ten cubits the height of the one standing-pillar Now a cord of two and ten cubits Went around the second standing-pillar. And two crown-capitals he made To give on the head of the standing-pillars A casting of bronze Five cubits the height of the one crown-capital And five cubits the height of the second crown-capital. Nettings a thing made/construction of netting Great (things) A thing made/construction Chains To/for the crown-capitals Which (was) on the head of the standing-pillars. Seven to the one crown-capital And seven to the second crown-capital And he made the standing-pillars Now two rows around on the netting of the one To cover the crown-capital which is on the head of the pomegranates. And thus he made for the second crown-capital. Now the crown-capitals which were on the head of the standing-pillars A thing made/construction of lily in the vestibule, four cubits. Now the crown-capitals on the two standing-pillar also From above, close beside the belly Which (is) close beside the netting Now the pomegranates two hundreds Rows surrounding on the second crown-capital And he caused to rise the standing-pillars to the vestibule of the palace And he caused the rise the standing-pillar (on) the right And he called its name Yakin. And he caused to rise the standing pillar (on) the left And he called its name Bo?az. And on the head of the standing-pillars A thing made/construction of lily And he finished the work of the standing-pillars.