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 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 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 unto the Lord, was sixty cubits in length, and twenty in breadth, and thirty cubits in height.

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, 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 For the house he made windows with frames that made them more narrow at the outside than on the inside.

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

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 [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 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 hollow tiles, and with 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 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 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.

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

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

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.

So did Solomon build the house, and finish 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; 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 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 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 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 on the house within was carved with colocynths and opening flowers; all was cedar, no stone was seen.

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

And the debir in the house within did he prepare, to set therein 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 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 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.

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 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 all the house was finished: also the whole altar that was before the debir did he overlay with gold.

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

And within the debir he made two cherubims of oleaster-wood, 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: [there were] ten cubits from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other.

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 also ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

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

And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold for the debir and for the temple.

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

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

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.

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

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 cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

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 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 opening flowers: and he overlaid them with gold fitting upon 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 of three rows of hewn stone, and one 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 Ziv;

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 its parts, and according to all its requirements. So was he building it seven years.