1 Kings 6

1 Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of King Solomon's reign, in the month of Ziv, Solomon began building the Temple of the Lord.

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were 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 Temple King Solomon built for the Lord measured sixty cubits long by twenty cubits wide by thirty cubits high.

And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.

3 The entrance room at the front of the Temple was twenty cubits wide. It ran the whole width of the Temple and projected out ten cubits in front of the Temple.

And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.

4 He had latticed windows made to be placed high up in the Temple.

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

5 He also had a structure built against the outer wall of the Temple, both the outer and the inner sanctuary, to provide a series of side rooms.

And against the wall of the house he built a side-structure round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the sanctuary; and he made side-chambers round about;

6 The ground floor measured five cubits wide, the first floor six cubits, and the second floor seven cubits. In addition he had offset ledges placed all the way around the outside, so that beams would not have to be inserted into the Temple walls.

the nethermost story of the side-structure was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made rebatements in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house. —

7 When the Temple was built the stones were finished at the quarry so that no noise from any hammer, ax, or any iron tool was heard in the Temple during construction.

For the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready 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 entrance to the ground floor was on the south side of the Temple. Stairs led to the first floor, and then on to the second floor.

The door for the lowest row of chambers was in the right side of the house and they went up by winding stairs into the middle row, and out of the middle into the third.

9 So Solomon finished building the Temple, covering it with a roof made of cedar rafters and planks.

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

10 He built the external structure along the whole of the Temple. It was five cubits high, joined to the Temple with cedar joists.

And he built the stories of the side-structure against all the house, each five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

11 The Lord sent this message to Solomon, telling him,

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

12 “About this Temple you are building: if you follow what I have said, fulfilling my requirements and keeping my commandments in what you do, I will keep the promise I made to your father David through you.

'As for this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in My statutes, and execute Mine ordinances, and keep all My commandments to walk in them; then will I establish My word with thee, which I spoke unto David thy father;

13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon Israel, my people.”

in that I will dwell therein among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.'

14 Solomon finished building the Temple.

So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

15 He lined the walls with cedar panels from floor to ceiling and he covered the floor of the Temple with cypress boards.

And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house unto the joists of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress.

16 He sectioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the Temple with boards of cedar from floor to ceiling, making an inner sanctuary as the Most Holy Place.

And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor unto the joists; he even built them for himself within, for a Sanctuary, even for the most holy place.

17 The main Temple in front of this room measured forty cubits long.

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

18 The cedar panels inside the Temple were decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers. Everything was lined with cedar—none of the stone was visible.

And the cedar on the house within was carved with knops and open flowers; all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

19 He also had the inner sanctuary made within the Temple where the Ark of the Lord's Agreement would be placed.

And he prepared the Sanctuary in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

20 The inner sanctuary measured twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He had the interior covered with a coating with pure gold, as well as the altar of cedar.

And before the Sanctuary which was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof, overlaid with pure gold, he set an altar, which he covered with cedar.

21 Solomon had the whole of the inside of the Temple covered with pure gold, He had gold chains stretched across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was also covered with gold.

So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold; and he drew chains of gold across the wall before the Sanctuary; and he overlaid it with gold.

22 He covered the whole inside of the Temple with a coating of gold until it was all finished. He also covered with gold the entire altar for the inner sanctuary.

And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished; also the whole altar that belonged to the Sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 He had two cherubim made out of olive wood for the inner sanctuary, each one ten cubits tall.

And in the Sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high.

24 Both wings of the cherub measured five cubits, making a total wingspan of ten cubits.

And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

25 The other cherub was also ten cubits tall, since they were identical both in size and shape.

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

26 Both cherubs were ten cubits tall.

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

27 He had the cherubim placed inside the inner sanctuary of the Temple. Since their wings were fully spread, a wing of the first cherub touched one wall, a wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the Temple their wings touched.

And 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 The cherubim were also covered with a gold coating.

And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He had all the Temple walls, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, carved with designs of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.

And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without.

30 He also had the floor of the Temple floor covered with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

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

31 He had doors of olive wood made for the entrance to the inner sanctuary, together with a lintel and doorposts that had five sides.

And for the entrance of the Sanctuary he made doors of olive-wood, the door-posts within the frame having five angles.

32 These olive wood double doors had carved into them designs of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The cherubim and palm trees carvings were covered with beaten gold.

And as for the two doors of olive-wood, he carved upon them carvings of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees.

33 Similarly he had four-sided doorposts of olive wood made for the entrance to the sanctuary.

So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, within a frame four-square;

34 Its doors were made of cypress wood, each with two hinged panels.

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.

35 He had them carved with designs of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and covered them with gold beaten evenly over the carvings.

And he carved thereon cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted upon the graven work.

36 Solomon had the inner courtyard built with three courses of dressed stone and one of cedar beams.

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

37 The foundation of the Lord's Temple was laid in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, in the month of Ziv.

In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Ziv.

38 The Temple was finished exactly as specified and planned in Solomon's eleventh year, in the eighth month, the month of Bul. So it took him seven years to build the Temple.

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