I learned long ago that you ordained your rules to last.

Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says: “Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic.

In the month Ziv of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple.

In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps and finished in the seventh month.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding!

For he set its foundation upon the seas, and established it upon the ocean currents.

He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; as secure as the earth, which he established permanently.

In earlier times you established the earth; the skies are your handiwork.

By wisdom the Lord laid the foundation of the earth; he established the heavens by understanding.

By royal order they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone.

The foundation was made of large valuable stones, measuring either 15 feet or 12 feet.

From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established.

The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the Lord and his anointed king.

From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.

The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains.

as the mountains rose up, and the valleys went down – to the place you appointed for them.

His legs are like pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.

How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

who commissions Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd to carry out all my wishes and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’”

Yes, my hand founded the earth; my right hand spread out the sky. I summon them; they stand together.