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.

It happened 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, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

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

The house which king Solomon built for the LORD, its length was one hundred three feet and four inches, and its breadth thirty-four feet and five inches, and its height fifty-one feet and eight inches.

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.

The porch before the temple of the house, thirty-four feet and five inches was its length, according to the breadth of the house. Seventeen feet and three inches was its breadth before the house.

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

For the house he made windows of fixed lattice work.

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:

Against the wall of the house he built stories 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.

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 lowest story was eight feet and seven inches broad, and the middle was ten feet and four inches broad, and the third was twelve feet and one inch broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not have hold 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.)

The house, when it was in building, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron 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.

And the door for the lowest side-rooms was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, 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 he covered the house with beams and planks 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.

He built the stories against all the house, each eight feet and seven inches high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

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

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.

"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 will I establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

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

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

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

So Solomon built the house, and finished 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.

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; and he covered 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.

He built thirty-four feet and five inches on the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the beams, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.

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

In front of the temple sanctuary was sixty-eight feet and eleven inches.

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 inside of the house was cedar, carved with buds and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone 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.

He prepared an inner sanctuary in the midst of the house within, to set there 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 before the sanctuary was thirty-four feet and five inches in length, and thirty-four feet and five inches in breadth, and thirty-four feet and five inches in its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. And he made the altar of cedar.

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.

So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, 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).

The whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

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

In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each seventeen feet and three inches 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.

Eight feet and seven inches was the one wing of the cherub, and eight feet and seven inches the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were seventeen feet and three inches.

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

The other cherub was seventeen feet and three inches: 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 seventeen feet and three inches, and so was it 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.

He set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, 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 midst of the house.

28 These winged ones were plated over with gold.

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.

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

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

The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

So also he made for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;

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

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

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

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

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

He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone, and a course 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.

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 fashion. So was he seven years in building it.