1 Kings 6

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

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

10 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,

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

14 So did Solomon build the house, and finish it.

15 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 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 before it, was forty cubits long.

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

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

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

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

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

27 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 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 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 he overlaid with gold for the debir and for the temple.

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

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

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

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

37 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, was the house finished throughout all its parts, and according to all its requirements. So was he building it seven years.