1In the four hundred and eightieth 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, he began to build the house of the Lord. (2Ch 3:1; Ac 7:47)2The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits[1] long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. (2Ch 3:3)3The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house.4And he made for the house windows with recessed frames.[2] (Eze 40:16; Eze 41:16; Eze 41:26)5He also built a structure[3] against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. (1Ki 6:16; 1Ki 6:19; 1Ki 6:23; 1Ki 6:31; 1Ki 7:49; 1Ki 8:6; 1Ki 8:8; 2Ch 4:20; 2Ch 5:7; 2Ch 5:9; Ps 28:2; Eze 41:5; Eze 41:6)6The lowest story[4] was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.7When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. (De 27:5; 1Ki 5:18)8The entrance for the lowest[5] story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third.9So he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar. (1Ki 6:14; 1Ki 6:38)10He built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.11Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon,12“Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. (2Sa 7:13; 1Ki 2:4; 1Ki 9:4; 1Ch 22:10)13And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” (Ex 25:8; De 31:6; De 31:8; Jos 1:5)14So Solomon built the house and finished it. (1Ki 6:9; 1Ki 6:38)15He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. (1Ki 7:7)16He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. (Ex 26:33; 1Ki 7:50; 1Ki 8:6; 2Ch 3:8; Eze 45:3; Heb 9:3)17The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long.18The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. (1Ki 7:24)19The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.20The inner sanctuary[6] was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid[7] an altar of cedar.21And Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold.22And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold. (Ex 30:1; Ex 30:3; Ex 30:6)23In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high. (Ex 37:7; 2Ch 3:10)24Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other.25The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form.26The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub.27He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. And the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house. (Ex 25:20; Ex 37:9; 1Ki 8:7; 2Ch 5:8)28And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.29Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms.30The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms.31For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.[8]32He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.33So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square,34and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. (Eze 41:24)35On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work.36He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams. (1Ki 7:12)37In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. (1Ki 6:1)38And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.
1 Kings 6
New International Version
Solomon builds the temple
1In the four hundred and eightieth[1] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord.2The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[2]3The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[3] and projected ten cubits[4] from the front of the temple.4He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls.5Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.6The lowest floor was five cubits[5] wide, the middle floor six cubits[6] and the third floor seven.[7] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.7In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.8The entrance to the lowest[8] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.9So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks.10And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.11The word of the Lord came to Solomon:12‘As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfil through you the promise I gave to David your father.13And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.’14So Solomon built the temple and completed it.15He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, panelling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.16He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.17The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[9] long.18The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.19He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there.20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.21Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.22So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.23For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high.24One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits – ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip.25The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape.26The height of each cherub was ten cubits.27He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.28He overlaid the cherubim with gold.29On the walls all round the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.30He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.31For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary.32And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.33In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one quarter of the width of the hall.34He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets.35He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.36And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.37The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.38In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.