1 Kings 6
1 480 years after the Israeli people left Egypt, during the fourth year that Solomon ruled Israel, early in May, Solomon’s workers began to build the temple.
And it cometh 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 Zif, it [is] the second month — of the reigning of Solomon over Israel, that he buildeth the house for Jehovah.
2 Inside, [the main part of] the temple was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
As to the house that king Solomon hath built for Jehovah, sixty cubits [is] its length, and twenty its breadth, and thirty cubits its height.
3 The entrance room was 15 feet long and 30 feet wide, just as wide as the main part of the temple.
As to the porch on the front of the temple of the house, twenty cubits [is] its length on the front of the breadth of the house; ten by the cubit [is] its breadth on the front of the house;
4 There were windows in [the walls of] the temple. The windows were narrower on the outside than on the inside.
and he maketh for the house windows of narrow lights.
5 Against the two sides and against the back of the temple walls, they built a structure/building that had rooms in it. [This structure had three levels/stories and each was 7-1/2 feet high].
And he buildeth against the wall of the house a couch round about, [even] the walls of the house round about, of the temple and of the oracle, and maketh sides round about.
6 [Each room in] the lowest level/story was 7-1/2 feet wide. [Each room in] the middle level/story was nine feet wide. [The rooms in] the top level/story were 10-1/2 feet wide. The wall of the temple at the top level/story was thinner than the wall at the middle level/story, and the wall of the middle level/story was thinner than the wall at the bottom level/story. The result was that the rooms could be supported by the wall underneath them, and did not require wooden beams to support them.
The lowest couch, five by the cubit [is] its breadth; and the middle, six by the cubit [is] its breadth; and the third, seven by the cubit [is] its breadth, for withdrawings he hath put to the house round about, without — not to lay hold on the walls of the house.
7 The huge stones for [the foundation of] the temple were cut and shaped at the quarry [to become very smooth]. The result was that while the workers were building the temple there was no noise, because they did not use hammers or chisels or any other iron tools there.
And the house, in its being built, of perfect stone brought [thither] hath been built, and hammer, and the axe — any instrument of iron — was not heard in the house, in its being built.
8 The entrance to the bottom level/story [of that attached structure] was on the south side of the temple. There were stairs from the bottom level/story to the middle and top level/story.
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 unto the third.
9 So Solomon’s [workers] finished building the [framework of the] temple. They made the ceiling from cedar beams and boards.
And he buildeth the house, and completeth it, and covereth the house [with] beams and rows of cedars.
10 They built the structure that had three levels/stories, that was against the walls of the temple. Each level/story was 7-1/2 feet high, and was joined to the temple with cedar beams.
And he buildeth the couch against all the house, five cubits [is] its height, and it taketh hold of the house by cedar-wood.
11 Then Yahweh said this to Solomon:
And the word of Jehovah is unto Solomon, saying,
12 “[I want to tell you] about this temple that you are building. If you continually obey all my statutes and laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised to your father David.
'This house that thou art building — if thou dost walk in My statutes, and My judgments dost do, yea, hast done all My commands, to walk in them, then I have established My word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father,
13 I will live among the Israeli people, [in this temple, ] and I will never abandon them.”
and have tabernacled in the midst of the sons of Israel, and do not forsake My people Israel.'
14 Solomon’s [workers] finished building the temple.
And Solomon buildeth the house and completeth it;
15 On the inside, they lined/covered the walls with cedar boards. They lined/covered them from the floor to the ceiling. They made the floor from cypress boards.
and he buildeth the walls of the house within with beams of cedar, from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling; he hath overlaid with wood the inside, and covereth the floor of the house with ribs of fir.
16 Inside the back part of the temple they built an inner room, called the Very Holy Place. It was 30 feet long. All the walls of this room were lined with cedar boards.
And he buildeth the twenty cubits on the sides of the house with ribs of cedar, from the floor unto the walls; and he buildeth for it within, for the oracle, for the holy of holies.
17 In front of the Very Holy Place there was a room that was 60 feet long.
And forty by the cubit was the house, it [is] the temple before [it].
18 The cedar [boards on the walls] inside the temple were decorated with carvings of gourds and flowers. [The walls were] completely covered with cedar boards, with the result that the stones [of the walls behind them] could not be seen.
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 At the back of the temple they made the Very Holy Place, where the Sacred Chest would be put.
And the oracle in the midst of the house within he hath prepared, to put there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah.
20 That room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. They covered the walls with [very thin sheets of] pure gold. [For burning incense] they also made an altar of cedar [boards].
And before the oracle [is] twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits [is] its height; and he overlayeth it with gold refined, and overlayeth the altar with cedar.
21 Solomon told them to cover the other walls inside the temple with [very thin sheets of] pure gold and to fasten gold chains across the entrance to the Very Holy Place.
And Solomon overlayeth the house within with gold refined, and causeth [it] to pass over in chains of gold before the oracle, and overlayeth it with gold.
22 They covered all the walls of the temple and the altar that was outside the Very Holy Place with [very thin sheets of] gold.
And the whole of the house he hath overlaid with gold, till the completion of all the house; and the whole of the altar that the oracle hath, he hath overlaid with gold.
23 Inside the Very Holy Place, they made from olive tree wood [large statues of] two creatures with wings. Each one was 15 feet tall.
And he maketh within the oracle two cherubs, of the oil-tree, ten cubits [is] their height;
24 They each were the same size and had the same shape. They each had two wings [which were spread out]. Each wing was 7-1/2 feet long, with the result that the distance between the outer ends of the two wings was 15 feet.
and five cubits [is] the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the second wing of the cherub, ten cubits from the ends of its wings even unto the ends of its wings;
and ten by the cubit [is] the second cherub, one measure and one form [are] to the two cherubs,
the height of the one cherub [is] ten by the cubit, and so [is] the second cherub;
27 They put those statues next to each other in the Very Holy Place so that the wing of the one touched the one wing of the other in the center of the room, and the outer wings touched the walls.
and he setteth the cherubs in the midst of the inner house, and they spread out the wings of the cherubs, and a wing of the one cometh against the wall, and a wing of the second cherub is coming against the second wall, and their wings [are] unto the midst of the house, coming wing against wing;
28 They covered the statues with [very thin sheets of] gold.
and he overlayeth the cherubs with gold,
29 [Solomon told them to] decorate the walls of the main room and the Very Holy Place by carving representations of winged creatures and palm trees and flowers.
and all the walls of the house round about he hath carved with openings of carvings, cherubs, and palm trees, and openings of flowers, within and without.
30 They also covered the floor of both rooms with [very thin sheets of] gold.
And the floor of the house he hath overlaid with gold, within and without;
31 They made a set of doors from olive tree wood, and placed them at the entrance to the Very Holy Place. The doorposts joined at the top to form a pointed arch.
as to the opening of the oracle, he made doors of the oil-tree; the lintel, side-posts, a fifth.
32 The doors were decorated by carving on them representations of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers. All of these things were covered with [very thin sheets of] gold.
And the two doors [are] of the oil-tree, and he hath carved upon them carvings of cherubs, and palm-trees, and openings of flowers, and overlaid with gold, and he causeth the gold to go down on the cherubs and on the palm-trees.
33 They made a rectangular door frame from olive tree wood, and put it [between the entrance room and] the main room.
And so he hath made for the opening of the temple, side-posts of the oil-tree, from the fourth.
34 They made two folding doors from cypress wood [and fastened them to the door frame].
And the two doors [are] of fir-tree, the two sides of the one door are revolving, and the two hangings of the second door are revolving.
35 The doors were also decorated with wood carvings of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers, and they were also covered evenly with [very thin sheets of] gold.
And he hath carved cherubs, and palms, and openings of flowers, and overlaid with straightened gold the graved work.
36 They built a courtyard in front of the temple. The walls around the courtyard were made of cedar and stone; to make the walls, between each layer of cedar beams they put down two layers of stone.
And he buildeth the inner court, three rows of hewn work, and a row of beams of cedar.
37 They laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh in early May, in the fourth year [that Solomon ruled].
In the fourth year hath the house of Jehovah been founded, in the month Zif,
38 In the eleventh year [that he ruled], in the middle of October, they finished building the temple and all of its parts, doing exactly what Solomon told them to do. It required seven years to build it.
and in the eleventh year, in the month Bul — [that is] the eighth month — hath the house been finished in all its matters, and in all its ordinances, and he buildeth it seven years.
