1 Kings, 6

1. 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.

1. In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, Solomon began to build the temple of Yahweh.

2. And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof [was] threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty [cubits], and the height thereof thirty cubits.

2. The House which King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty wide, and thirty high.

3. 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.

3. The vestibule fronting the Sanctuary was twenty cubits long from side to side, the width of the temple, and ten cubits deep in front of the House.

4. And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

4. He made windows with recessed frames for the House.

5. 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:

5. Solomon had a structure built adjoining the walls all around the House and enclosing both Sanctuary and Inner Sanctuary. He also made lateral rooms all around.

6. 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.

6. The lowest story was five cubits wide; the middle, six cubits wide; and the third, seven cubits wide. Around the exterior of the temple, he made offsets on the wall so that the supporting beams need not be inserted into walls of the temple.

7. 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 axe [nor] any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

7. The House was built with stones prepared at the quarry so that no hammer, or axe, or any iron implement was heard in the temple during the construction.

8. 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.

8. The entrance to the lowest story was on the right side of the House. A staircase led up to the middle story; and from the middle story, to the third.

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

9. So, Solomon built the House and finished it, making the ceiling of the House from cedar beams and planks.

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

10. Each story of the structure which he built surrounding the House was five cubits high joined to the House with cedar timber.

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

11. The word of Yahweh was directed to Solomon,

12. [Concerning] this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:

12. "If you observe my statutes, obey my ordinances, keep all my commands and follow them, I will fulfill everything I said to David your father regarding this House.

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

13. There I will be in the midst of the Israelites and not forsake my people Israel."

14. So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

14. So, Solomon built the House and finished it.

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

15. He covered the interior walls of the temple with cedar boards; so that in the interior from the floor of the House to the rafters of the ceiling only wood could be seen. The floor also was covered with cypress boards.

16. 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].

16. Solomon covered twenty cubits of the rear of the House with cedar boards from floor to rafter to serve as an inner sanctuary - the Most Holy Place.

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

17. The front of the house, that is the Sanctuary, was forty cubits long.

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

18. In all the interior of the House, the cedar was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers; all was of cedar and no stone was to be seen.

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

19. The inner sanctuary in the innermost part of the building had been destined to house the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.

20. 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.

20. It was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, overlaid with pure gold. He also made an altar of cedar.

21. 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.

21. Solomon overlaid the interior of the House with pure gold. He closed the inner sanctuary with golden chains and overlaid it with gold.

22. 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.

22. Solomon overlaid the entire House with gold. He also overlaid with gold the whole altar in the inner sanctuary.

23. And within the oracle he made two cherubims [of] olive tree, [each] ten cubits high.

23. In the inner sanctuary, Solomon made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

24. 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 unto the uttermost part of the other [were] ten cubits.

24. The length of the wings of each cherub was five cubits each, hence, ten cubits from tip to tip.

25. And the other cherub [was] ten cubits: both the cherubims [were] of one measure and one size.

25. Both cherubim had the same measurement and the same form,

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

26. both being ten cubits high.

27. And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, 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 midst of the house.

27. When the cherubim were put in the innermost part of the House their wings were so spread out that a wing of one touched one wall, while a wing of the other touched the other wall. Their other wings touched each other at the center of the House.

28. And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

28. The cherubim were also overlaid with gold.

29. And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.

29. Solomon had all the surrounding walls of the House carved with figures of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers both in the interior and exterior rooms.

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

30. He also had the floor of the House, in both the interior and exterior rooms, overlaid with gold.

31. 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].

31. Solomon had doors made of olive wood for the entrance to the inner sanctuary of which the lintel and doorposts formed the fifth part.

32. The two doors also [were of] olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid [them] with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

32. He covered the two olive wood doors with carvings of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. He then overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and the palm trees.

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

33. He did the same for the olive wood doorposts at the entrance to the sanctuary, which formed the fourth part of the door.

34. 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.

34. Both the right and left side of the door had two folding panels of cypress wood.

35. And he carved [thereon] cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered [them] with gold fitted upon the carved work.

35. He had cherubim, palm trees and open flowers carved on them and overlaid the carvings with gold evenly applied.

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

36. As for the interior court, Solomon had it built with three courses of hewn stone and one course of cedar beams.

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

37. In the month of Ziv of the fourth year, the foundation of Yahweh's House was laid.

38. 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.

38. In the month of Bul, the eighth month of the eleventh year, the House was finished, complete and according to all specifications. It took Solomon seven years to build it.