Today is the 10th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you as we bring to a close another one of our weeks together.

Excited for all that is in front of us.

Grateful for all that we have been able to navigate through this year.

Excited to be here with you today around the Global Campfire as we take the next step forward.

And our next step leads us back into Solomon's reign and back into the Book of First Kings.

Solomon has built the Temple of the Most High God and he isn't done building.

So let's pick up the story first Kings chapter 7 today.

It took Solomon 13 years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.

He built the palace of the Forest of Lebanon, a hundred qubits long, 50 wide and 30 high,

with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams.

It was roved with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns, 45 beams, 15 to a row.

Its windows were placed high in sets of three facing each other.

All the doorways had rectangular frames. They were in the front part in sets of three facing each other.

He made a colonnade, 15 qubits long and 30 wide.

In front of it was a portico and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

He built the Throne Hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.

And the palace in which he was to live set further back was similar in design.

Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter whom he had married.

All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves,

were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces.

The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring 10 qubits and some 8.

Above were high-grade stones cut to size and cedar beams.

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