1 Kings 6

1 So Solomon began to build the temple of Yahweh. This happened in the 480th year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.

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 The temple that King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

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

3 The portico in front of the temple's main hall was twenty cubits in length, equal to the width of the temple, and ten cubits deep 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 For the house he made windows with frames that made them more narrow at the outside than on the inside.

And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

5 Against the walls of the main chamber he built rooms around it, around both the outer room and the inner room. He built rooms all around the sides.

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:

6 The lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide. For on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house.

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.

7 The house was built of stones prepared at the quarry. No hammer, ax, or any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built.

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 ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

8 On the south side of the temple there was an entrance at the ground level, then one went up by stairs to the middle level, and from the middle to the third level.

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.

9 So Solomon built the temple and finished it; he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

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

10 He built the side rooms against the inner chambers of the temple, each side five cubits high; they were joined to the house with timbers of cedar.

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

11 The word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying,

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

12 “Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in my statutes and do justice, keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will confirm my promise with you that I had made to David your father.

Concerning this house which you are in building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with you, which I spoke to David your father:

13 I will live among the people of Israel and will not forsake them.”

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

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.

So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

15 Then he built the interior walls of the house with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with cypress boards.

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

16 He built twenty cubits onto the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this room to be the inner room, the most holy place.

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.

17 The main hall, that is, the holy place that was in front of the most holy place, was forty cubits long.

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

18 There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar inside. No stonework was visible on the inside.

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

19 Solomon prepared the inner room inside the house in order to place the ark of the covenant of Yahweh there.

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

20 The inner room was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height. Solomon overlaid the walls with pure gold and covered the altar with cedar wood.

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.

21 Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he placed chains of gold across the front of the inner room, and overlaid the front with gold.

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.

22 He overlaid the entire interior with gold until all the temple was finished. He also overlaid with gold the whole altar that belonged to the inner room.

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.

23 Solomon made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high, for the inner room.

And within the oracle he made two cherubim of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and its other wing was also five cubits long. So from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other there was a distance 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 to the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

25 The other cherub also had a wingspan ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of the same dimensions and shape.

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

26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits and the other cherub was the same.

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

27 Solomon placed the cherubim in the innermost room. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out so that the wing of one touched one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. Their wings touched one another in the middle of the most holy place.

And he set the cherubim within the inner house: and they stretched 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 touched one another in the middle of the house.

28 Solomon overlaid the cherubim with gold.

And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the walls of the house around about with figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, in the outer and inner rooms.

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 Solomon overlaid the floor of the house with gold, in both the outer and inner rooms.

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

31 Solomon made doors of olivewood for the entrance to the inner room. The lintel and doorposts had five indented sections.

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.

32 So he made two doors of olivewood, and he made on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and he spread the gold on the cherubim and palm trees.

The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold on the cherubim, and on the palm trees.

33 In this way, Solomon also made for the temple entrance doorposts of olive wood having four indented sections

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

34 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.

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.

35 He carved on them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he evenly overlaid gold on the carved work.

And he carved thereon cherubim and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted on the carved work.

36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

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

37 The foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.

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

38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and conforming to all its specifications. Solomon took 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.