1 Kings 6

1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the LORD’s house.

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month Zio (the same is the second month), he began to build a house to the Lord.

2 The house which King Solomon built for the LORD had a length of sixty cubits, and its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits.

And the house, which king Solomon built to the Lord, was threescore cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height.

3 The porch in front of the temple of the house had a length of twenty cubits, which was along the width of the house. Ten cubits was its width in front of the house.

And there was a porch before the temple of twenty cubits in length, according to the measure of the breadth of the temple: and it was ten cubits in breadth before the face of the temple.

4 He made windows of fixed lattice work for the house.

And he made in the temple oblique windows.

5 Against the wall of the house, he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side rooms all around.

And upon the wall of the temple he built floors round about, in the walls of the house round about the temple and the oracle, and he made sides round about.

6 The lowest floor was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

The floor that was underneath, was five cubits in breadth, and the middle floor was six cubits in breadth, and the third door was seven cubits in breadth. And he put beams in the house round about on the outside, that they might not be fastened in the walls of the temple.

7 The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or ax or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction.

And the house, when it was in building, was built of stones hewed and made ready: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house when it was in building.

8 The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house. They went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third.

The door for the middle side was on the right hand of the house: and by winding stairs they went up to the middle room, and from the middle to the third.

9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

So he built the house, and finished it: and he covered the house with roofs of cedar.

10 He built the floors all along the house, each five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timbers of cedar.

And he built a floor over all the house five cubits in height, and he covered the house with timber of cedar.

11 The LORD’s word came to Solomon, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying:

12 “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

This house, which thou buildest, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments, walking in them, I will fulfill my word to thee which I spoke to David thy father.

13 I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”

And I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.

So Solomon built the house and finished it.

15 He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood. He covered the floor of the house with cypress boards.

And he built the walls of the house on the inside, with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house to the top of the walls, and to the roots, he covered it with boards of cedar on the inside: and he covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.

16 He built twenty cubits of the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this within, for an inner sanctuary, even for the most holy place.

And he built up twenty cubits with boards of cedar at the hinder part of the temple, from the floor to the top: and made the inner house of the oracle to be the holy of holies.

17 In front of the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long.

And the temple itself before the doors of the oracle was forty cubits long.

18 There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers. All was cedar. No stone was visible.

And all the house was covered within with cedar, having the turnings, and the joints thereof artfully wrought and carvings projecting out: all was covered with boards of cedar: and no stone could be seen in the wall at all.

19 He prepared an inner sanctuary in the middle of the house within, to set the ark of the LORD’s covenant there.

And he made the oracle in the midst of the house, in the inner part, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

20 Within the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in its height. He overlaid it with pure gold. He covered the altar with cedar.

Now the oracle was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height. And he covered and overlaid it with most pure gold. And the altar also he covered with cedar.

21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold. He drew chains of gold across before the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold.

And the house before the oracle he overlaid with most pure gold, and fastened on the plates with nails of gold.

22 He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. He also overlaid the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary with gold.

And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold: the whole altar of the oracle he covered also with gold.

23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

And he made in the oracle two cherubims of olive tree, of ten cubits in height.

24 Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits was the length of the other wing of the cherub. From the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was ten cubits.

One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub was five cubits: that is, in all ten cubits, from the extremity of one wing to the extremity of the other wing.

25 The other cherub was ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

The second cherub also was ten cubits: and the measure, and the work was the same in both the cherubims:

26 One cherub was ten cubits high, and so was the other cherub.

That is to say, one cherub was ten cubits high, and in like manner the other cherub.

27 He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house.

And he set the cherubims in the midst of the inner temple: and the cherubims stretched forth their wings, and the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall: and the other wings in the midst of the temple touched one another.

28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

29 He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and outside.

And all the walls of the temple round about he carved with divers figures and carvings: and he made in them cherubims and palm trees, and divers representations, as it were standing out, and coming forth from the wall.

30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and outside.

And the floor of the house he also overlaid with gold within and without.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.

And in the entrance of the oracle he made little doors of olive tree, and posts of five corners,

32 So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold. He spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

And two doors of olive tree: and he carved upon them figures of cherubims, and figures of palm trees, and carvings very much projecting: and he overlaid them with gold: and he covered both the cherubims and the palm trees, and the other things with gold.

33 He also made the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall,

And he made in the entrance of the temple posts of olive tree foursquare:

34 and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

And two doors of fir tree, one of each side: and each door was double, and so opened with folding leaves.

35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.

And he carved cherubims, and palm trees, and carved work standing very much out: and he overlaid all with golden plates in square work by rule.

36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and a course of cedar beams.

And he built the inner court with three rows of polished stones, and one row of beams of cedar.

37 The foundation of the LORD’s house was laid in the fourth year, in the month Ziv.

In the fourth year was the house of the Lord founded in the month Zio:

38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its specifications. So he spent seven years building it.

And in the eleventh year in the month Bul (which is the eighth month) the house was finished in all the works thereof, and in all the appurtenances thereof: and he was seven years in building it.