1 Kings 6

1 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 Zif, which [is] the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

Then it happened that, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel departed from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, the house of the Lord began to be built.

2 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.

Now the house, which king Solomon was building to the Lord, was sixty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height.

3 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.

And a portico was before the temple, of twenty cubits in length, in accord with the measure of the width of the temple. And it had ten cubits of width before the face of the temple.

4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

And he made oblique windows in the temple.

5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, [against] the walls of the house round about, [both] of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:

And upon the wall of the temple, he built panels on all sides, in the walls of the house around the temple and the oracle. And he made side chambers all around.

6 The nethermost chamber [was] five cubits broad, and the middle [was] six cubits broad, and the third [was] seven cubits broad: for without [in the wall] of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that [the beams] should not be fastened in the walls of the house.

The flooring on the bottom level held five cubits in width, and the middle floor was six cubits in width, and the third floor held seven cubits in width. Then he positioned beams on the house all around the outside, in such a way that they would not be fastened to the walls of the temple.

7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe [nor] any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

Now the house, while it was being built, was made from cut and finished stones. And so, neither mallet, nor chisel, nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.

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

The door at the side of the middle section was to the right of the house. And they would ascend along winding stairs to the middle level, and from the middle level to the third level.

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

And he built the house, and finished it. And he overlaid the house with boards of cedar.

10 And [then] he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house [with] timber of cedar.

And he built a paneling over the entire house, five cubits in height, and he covered the house with cedar wood.

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

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

12 [Concerning] this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:

“Concerning this house, which you are building: if you will walk in my precepts, and carry out my judgments, and keep all my commandments, advancing by them, I will confirm my word to you, which I spoke to your father David.

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

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

14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

And so, Solomon built the house, and finished it.

15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: [and] he covered [them] on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.

And he built the walls of the house, on the interior, with panels of cedar, from the floor of the house, to the top of the walls, and even to the ceiling. He covered it with cedar wood on the interior. And he overlaid the floor of the house with panels of spruce.

16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built [them] for it within, [even] for the oracle, [even] for the most holy [place].

And he built panels of cedar, of twenty cubits, at the back part of the temple, from the floor even to the top. And he made the inner house of the oracle as the Holy of Holies.

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

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

18 And the cedar of the house within [was] carved with knops and open flowers: all [was] cedar; there was no stone seen.

And the entire house was clothed with cedar on the interior, having its turnings and junctures artfully wrought, with carvings projecting outward. Everything was clothed with panels of cedar. And no stone at all was able to be seen in the wall.

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

Now he made the oracle in the middle of the house, in the inner part, so that he might station the ark of the covenant of the Lord there.

20 And the oracle in the forepart [was] twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and [so] covered the altar [which was of] cedar.

And the oracle held twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height. And he covered and clothed it with the purest gold. Then, too, he clothed the altar in cedar.

21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.

Also, the house before the oracle, he covered with the purest gold, and he fastened the plates with nails of gold.

22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that [was] by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold. Moreover, the entire altar of the oracle he overlaid with gold.

23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims [of] olive tree, [each] ten cubits high.

And he made in the oracle two cherubim from wood of the olive tree, of ten cubits in height.

24 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.

One wing of a cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of a cherub was five cubits, that is, having ten cubits from the summit of one wing even to the summit of the other wing.

25 And the other cherub [was] ten cubits: both the cherubims [were] of one measure and one size.

Likewise, the second cherub was ten cubits. And the measure was equal and the work was one, in the two cherubim,

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

that is, one cherub had a height of ten cubits, and similarly the second cherub.

27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, 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.

And he stationed the cherubim in the middle of the inner temple. And the cherubim extended their wings, and the wing of the one was touching the wall, and the wing of the second cherub was touching the other wall. But the other wings, in the middle of the temple, were touching each another.

28 And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

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

And all the walls of the temple all around he engraved with diverse carvings and turnings. And he made in them cherubim, and palm trees, and various images, as if these were projecting out, and going forth from, the wall.

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

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

31 And for the entering of the oracle he made doors [of] olive tree: the lintel [and] side posts [were] a fifth part [of the wall].

And at the entrance of the oracle, he made little doors, from wood of the olive tree, with posts of five corners.

32 The two doors also [were of] olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid [them] with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

And there were two doors, from wood of the olive tree. And he carved upon them pictures of cherubim, and images of palm trees, and very prominent figures. And he overlaid these with gold. And he covered the cherubim, as well as the palm trees and the other things, with gold.

33 So also made he for the door of the temple posts [of] olive tree, a fourth part [of the wall].

And he made, at the entrance of the temple, posts from wood of the olive tree, with four corners,

34 And the two doors [were of] fir tree: the two leaves of the one door [were] folding, and the two leaves of the other door [were] folding.

and two doors, from wood of the spruce tree, on the other side. And each door was double, and so it opened by folding upon itself.

35 And he carved [thereon] cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered [them] with gold fitted upon the carved work.

And he carved cherubim, and palm trees, and very prominent engravings. And he covered everything with gold plates, worked to be perfectly square.

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

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

37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:

In the fourth year, the house of the Lord was founded, in the month of Ziv.

38 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.

And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was perfected in all its works and in all its equipment. And he built it for seven years.