1 Kings 6
Building the Temple
1Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.23The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high.45The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was thirty feet long extending across the temple’s width, and fifteen feet deep in front of the temple.67He also made windows with beveled frames for the temple.89He then built a chambered structure along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around.1011The lowest chamber was 7½ feet wide, the middle was 9 feet wide, and the third was 10½ feet wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.1213The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.14
15The door for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They went up a stairway to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third.1617When he finished building the temple, he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar.1819He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; each story was 7½ feet high.20
21The word of the Lord came to Solomon:2223“As for this temple you are building — if you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep all my commands by walking in them, I will fulfill my promise to you, which I made to your father David.2425I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people Israel.”26
27When Solomon finished building the temple,2829he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.3031Then he lined thirty feet of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling, and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.3233The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place, was sixty feet long.3435The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.36
37He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant there.3839The interior of the sanctuary was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the cedar altar.4041Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary and overlaid it with gold.4243So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar that belongs to the inner sanctuary.44
45In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim 15 feet high out of olive wood.4647One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long, and the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet from tip to tip.4849The second cherub also was 15 feet; both cherubim had the same size and shape.5051The first cherub’s height was 15 feet and so was the second cherub’s.5253Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.5455He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.56
57He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings — cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms — in the inner and outer sanctuaries.5859He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries.60
61For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors. The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.6263The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees.6465In the same way, he made four-sided olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance.6667The two doors were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels.6869He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving.7071He built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.72
73The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv.7475In his eleventh year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification. So he built it in seven years.76