1 Kings 6

1 And it comes to pass, in the four hundred and eightieth year of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year—in the month of Ziv, it [is] the second month—of the reigning of Solomon over Israel, that he builds the house for YHWH.

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.

2 As for the house that King Solomon has built for YHWH, its length [is] sixty cubits, and its breadth twenty, and its height thirty cubits.

And the house which the king built to the Lord [was] forty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and its height five and twenty cubits.

3 As for the porch on the front of the temple of the house, its length [is] twenty cubits on the front of the breadth of the house; its breadth [is] ten by the cubit on the front of the house;

And the porch in front of the temple—twenty cubits [was] its length according to the breadth of the house in front of the house: and he built the house, and finished it.

4 and he makes frames of narrowing windows for the house.

And he made to the house secret windows inclining inward.

5 And he builds a couch against the wall of the house all around, [even] the walls of the house all around, of the temple and of the oracle, and makes sides all around.

And against the wall of the house he set chambers round about the temple and the ark.

6 The lowest couch, its breadth [is] five by the cubit; and the middle, its breadth [is] six by the cubit; and the third, its breadth [is] seven by the cubit, for he has put withdrawings of the house all around outside—not to lay hold on the walls of the house.

The under side [was] five cubits broad, and the middle [part] six, and the third [was] seven cubits broad; for he formed an interval to the house round about without the house, that they might not touch the walls of the house.

7 And the house, in its being built, has been built of perfect stone [that was] brought; and hammer and the axe—any instrument of iron—was not heard in the house in its being built.

And the house was built in the construction of it with rough hewn stones: and there was not heard in the house in the building of it hammer or axe, or any iron tool.

8 The opening of the middle side [is] at the right shoulder of the house, and with windings they go up on the middle one, and from the middle one to the third.

And the porch of the under side [was] below the right wing of the house, and [there was] a winding ascent into the middle [chamber], and from the middle to the third story.

9 And he builds the house, and completes it, and covers the house [with] beams and rows of cedars.

So he built the house and finished it; and he made the ceiling of the house with cedars.

10 And he builds the couch against all the house, its breadth [is] five cubits, and it takes hold of the house by cedar-wood.

And he made the partitions through all the house, each five cubits high, and enclosed each partition with cedar boards.

11 And the word of YHWH is to Solomon, saying,

12 “This house that you are building—if you walk in My statutes, and do My judgments, indeed, have done all My commands, to walk in them, then I have established My word with you, which I spoke to your father David,

13 and have dwelt in the midst of the sons of Israel, and do not forsake My people Israel.”

14 And Solomon builds the house and completes it;

15 and he builds the walls of the house within with beams of cedar, from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling; he has overlaid the inside with wood, and covers the floor of the house with ribs of fir.

And he framed the walls of the house within with cedar boards, from the floor of the house and on to the inner walls and to the beams: he lined the parts enclosed with boards within, and compassed the inward parts of the house with planks of fir.

16 And he builds the twenty cubits on the sides of the house with ribs of cedar, from the floor to the walls; and he builds for it within, for the oracle, for the Holy of Holies.

And he built the twenty cubits from the top of the wall, one side from the floor to the beams, and he made it from the oracle to the most holy place.

17 And [this area of] the house was forty by the cubit; it [is the area of] the temple before My face.

And the temple was forty cubits [in extent],

18 And the cedar for the house within [is] carvings of knobs and openings of flowers; the whole [is] cedar, there is not a stone seen.

19 And he has prepared the oracle in the midst of the house within, to put the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH there.

in front of the oracle in the midst of the house within, [in order] to put there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

20 And before the oracle [is] twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and its height [is] twenty cubits; and he overlays it with gold refined, and overlays the altar with cedar.

The length [was] twenty cubits, and the breadth [was] twenty cubits, and the height of it was twenty cubits. And he covered it with perfect gold, and he made an altar in front of the oracle, and covered it with gold.

21 And Solomon overlays the house within with gold refined, and causes [it] to pass over in chains of gold before the oracle, and overlays it with gold.

And he covered the whole house with gold, till he had finished [gilding] the whole house.

22 And he has overlaid the whole of the house with gold, until the completion of all the house; and the whole of the altar that the oracle has, he has overlaid with gold.

23 And he makes two cherubim of the oil-tree within the oracle; their height [is] ten cubits;

And he made in the oracle two cherubs of ten cubits measured size.

24 and the first wing of the cherub [is] five cubits, and the second wing of the cherub five cubits—ten cubits from the ends of his wings even to the ends of his wings;

And the wing of one cherub was five cubits, and his other wing was five cubits; ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing.

25 and the second cherub [is] ten by the cubit; one measure and one form [are] of the two cherubim,

Thus it was with the other cherub, both were alike finished with one measure.

26 the height of the first cherub [is] ten by the cubit, and so [is] the second cherub;

And the height of the one cherub [was] ten cubits, and so [was it] with the second cherub.

27 and he sets the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and they spread out the wings of the cherubim, and a wing of the first comes against the wall, and a wing of the second cherub is coming against the second wall, and their wings [stretched] into the midst of the house, coming wing against wing;

And both the cherubs [were] in the midst of the innermost part of the house; and they spread out their wings, and one wing touched the wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings in the midst of the house touched each other.

28 and he overlays the cherubim with gold,

And he covered the cherubs with gold.

29 and he has carved all around the walls of the house with engravings of carvings, cherubim, and palm trees, and openings of flowers, inside and outside.

He graved all the walls of the house round about with the graving of cherubs, and [he sculptured] palm trees within and without [the house].

30 And he has overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and outside;

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

31 as for the opening of the oracle, he made doors of the oil-tree; the lintel [and] doorposts [are] a fifth [of the wall].

And for the door-way of the oracle he made doors of juniper wood, [there were] porches in a four-fold way.

32 And the two doors [are] of the oil-tree, and he has carved on them carvings of cherubim, and palm-trees, and openings of flowers, and overlaid with gold, and he causes the gold to go down on the cherubim and on the palm-trees.

33 And so he has made for the opening of the temple, doorposts of the oil-tree, from the fourth [of the wall].

34 And the two doors [are] of fir-tree, the two sides of the first door are revolving, and the two hangings of the second door are revolving.

In both the doors [were] planks of fir; the one door had two leaves and their hinges, and the other door had two leaves and turned [on hinges],

35 And he has carved cherubim, and palms, and openings of flowers, and overlaid the carved work with straightened gold.

being carved with cherubs, and [there were] palm-trees and open flower-leaves, and it [was] overlaid with gold gilt upon the engraving.

36 And he builds the inner court, three rows of hewn work, and a row of beams of cedar.

And he built the inner court, three rows of hewn stones, and a row of wrought cedar round about, and he made the curtain of the court of the porch of the house that was in front of the temple.

37 In the fourth year the house of YHWH has been founded, in the month of Ziv,

38 and in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul (the eighth month), the house has been finished in all its matters, and in all its ordinances, and he builds it [in] seven years.