1 Kings 6

1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year that Solomon was king of Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, the building of the Lord's house was started.

And it came to pass, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the going forth of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, of the reign of Solomon over Israel, that he built the house unto the Lord.

2 The house which Solomon made for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.

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

3 The covered way before the Temple of the house was twenty cubits long, as wide as the house, and ten cubits wide in front of the house.

And the porch before the temple of the house, was twenty cubits in length, in front of the breadth of the house; and ten cubits in breadth at the east side of the house.

4 And for the house he made windows, with network across.

And he made for the house windows wide without and narrow within.

5 And against the walls all round, and against the walls of the Temple and of the inmost room, he put up wings, with side rooms all round:

And he built on the wall of the house a gallery round about, on the walls of the house round about, of the temple and of the most holy place: and he made side-chambers round about.

6 The lowest line of them being five cubits wide, the middle six cubits wide and the third seven cubits; for there was a space all round the outside walls of the house so that the boards supporting the rooms did not have to be fixed in the walls of the house.

The nethermost gallery was five cubits in breadth, and the middle was six cubits in breadth, and the third was seven cubits in breadth; for projections had he made to the house round about on the outside, so as to fasten nothing in the walls of the house.

7 (And the stones used in the building of the house were squared at the place where they were cut out; there was no sound of hammer or axe or any iron instrument while they were building the house.)

And the house, when it was in building, was built of entire stones as they had been prepared at the quarry: so that neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron was heard in the house, while it was in building.

8 The door to the lowest side rooms was in the right side of the house; and they went up by twisting steps into the middle rooms, and from the middle into the third.

The door for the middle [gallery] sidechamber was in the right side of the house: and with winding stairs they went up into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.

9 So he put up the house and made it complete, roofing it with boards of cedar-wood.

So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with hollow tiles, and with boards of cedar.

10 And he put up the line of side rooms against the walls of the house, fifteen cubits high, resting against the house on boards of cedar-wood.

And he built the gallery against all the house, [each] five cubits in height; and it was fastened on to the house with timber of cedar.

11 (And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,

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

12 About this house which you are building: if you will keep my laws and give effect to my decisions and be guided by my rules, I will give effect to my word which I gave to David your father.

This house which thou art building—if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them: then will I perform my word with thee, which I have spoken unto David thy father.

13 And I will be ever among the children of Israel, and will not go away from my people.

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

14 So Solomon made the building of the house complete.)

So did Solomon build the house, and finish it.

15 The walls of the house were covered inside with cedar-wood boards; from the floor to the roof of the house they were covered inside with wood; and the floor was covered with boards of cypress-wood.

And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to where the walls touched the ceiling did he overlay it on the inside with wood; and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of fir.

16 And at the back of the house a further space of twenty cubits was shut in with boards of cedar-wood, for the inmost room.

And he built the twenty cubits on the lower side of the house with boards of cedar, from the floor to the battlements; and he built it within, for the debir, for the holy of holies.

17 And the house, that is, the Temple, in front of the holy place was forty cubits long.

And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.

18 (All the inside of the house was cedar-wood, ornamented with designs of buds and flowers; no stonework was to be seen inside.)

And the cedar on the house within was carved with colocynths and opening flowers; all was cedar, no stone was seen.

19 And he made ready an inmost room in the middle of the house, in which to put the ark of the agreement of the Lord.

And the debir in the house within did he prepare, to set therein the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

20 And the inmost room was twenty cubits square and twenty cubits high, plated over with clear gold, and he made an altar of cedar-wood, plating it with gold.

And the interior of the debir was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits was its height: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and he overlaid the altar with cedar-wood.

21 Solomon had all the inside of the house covered with gold, and he put chains of gold across in front of the inmost room, which itself was covered with gold.

And Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he barred by means of chains of gold the front of the debir; and he overlaid it with gold.

22 Plates of gold were put all through the house till it was covered completely (and the altar in the inmost room was all covered with gold).

And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that was before the debir did he overlay with gold.

23 In the inmost room he made two winged beings of olive-wood, ten cubits high;

And within the debir he made two cherubims of oleaster-wood, each ten cubits high.

24 With outstretched wings five cubits wide; the distance from the edge of one wing to the edge of the other was ten cubits.

And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: [there were] ten cubits from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other.

25 The two winged ones were ten cubits high, of the same size and form.

And the other cherub was also ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

26 The two of them were ten cubits high.

The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so that of the other cherub.

27 These were placed inside the inner house, their outstretched wings touching the walls of the house, one touching one wall and one the other, while their other wings were touching in the middle.

And he set the cherubim within the innermost part of the house: and they spread forth the wings of the cherubim, 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 toward the middle of the house touched one another.

28 These winged ones were plated over with gold.

And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 And all the walls of the house inside and out were ornamented with forms of winged ones and palm-trees and open flowers.

And on all the wall of the house round about he carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and opening flowers, in the debir and in the temple.

30 And the floor of the house was covered with gold, inside and out.

And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold for the debir and for the temple.

31 For the way into the inmost room he made doors of olive-wood, the arch and the door supports forming a five-sided opening.

And for the entrance of the debir he made doors of oleaster-wood: the lintel with the side-posts forming five sides.

32 On the olive-wood doors were cut designs of winged ones and palm-trees and open flowers, all of them, with the doors, plated with gold.

And also upon the two doors of oleaster-wood he carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and opening flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread the gold, by beating, upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees.

33 Then he made pillars of olive-wood for the way into the Temple; the pillars were square:

So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of oleaster-wood in shape of a square;

34 And two folding doors of cypress-wood, with two leaves.

And two doors of fir-wood: the one door having two leaves which were folding, and the other door having two leaves which were folding.

35 These were ornamented with designs of winged ones and palm-trees and open flowers, plated over with gold.

And he carved thereon cherubim, and palm-trees and opening flowers: and he overlaid them with gold fitting upon the carved work.

36 And the inner space was walled with three lines of squared stones and a line of cedar-wood boards.

And he built the inner court of three rows of hewn stone, and one row of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year the base of the house was put in its place, in the month Ziv.

In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month Ziv;

38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the building of the house was complete in every detail, as it had been designed. So he was seven years building it.

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