1 Kings, 6

1. In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began building the Temple of Yahweh.

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.

2. The temple which King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and twenty-five high.

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.

3. The portico in front of the Hekal of the Temple was twenty cubits long across the width of the Temple and ten cubits wide along the length of the Temple.

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.

4. He made windows for the Temple with frames and latticework.

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

5. He also built an annex against the Temple wall, right round the Hekal and Debir. He built lateral storeys all round;

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:

6. the lowest lateral storey was five cubits wide, the middle one six cubits, and the third seven cubits, for he had made the outside of the Temple wall correspondingly stepped back all round, so that the annex was not attached to the Temple walls.

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.

7. (The building of the Temple was done with quarry -- dressed stone; no sound of hammer or pick or any iron tool was to be heard in the Temple while it was being built.)

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.

8. The entrance to the lowest storey was at the right-hand corner of the Temple; access to the middle storey was by a spiral staircase, and so from the middle storey to the third.

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.

9. Having finished building the Temple, he roofed the Temple with a coffered ceiling of cedar wood.

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

10. Round the outside of the Temple he then built the annex which was five cubits high and was joined to the Temple by cedar-wood beams.

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

11. And the word of Yahweh came to Solomon,

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

12. 'With regard to this temple which you are now building, if you follow my statutes and obey my ordinances and faithfully follow my commandments, I shall fulfil the promise which I made about you to your father David.

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:

13. And I shall make my home among the Israelites and never forsake Israel my people.'

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

14. Solomon finished building the Temple.

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

15. He lined the inside of the Temple walls with panels of cedar wood-panelling them on the inside from the floor of the Temple to the beams of the ceiling -- and laid the floor of the Temple with juniper planks.

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.

16. The twenty cubits measured from the end of the Temple he built of cedar planks from the floor to the beams, and this part was reserved as the Debir, the Holy of Holies.

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].

17. The Temple measured forty cubits -- the Hekal -- in front of the Debir.

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

18. There was cedar wood round the inside of the Temple, ornamentally carved with gourds and rosettes; all was cedar wood, with no stone showing.

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

19. In the inner part of the Temple he designed a Debir, to contain the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.

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

20. The Debir was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty high, and he overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. He made an altar of cedar wood

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.

21. in front of the Debir and overlaid it with gold.

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.

22. He overlaid the whole Temple with gold, the whole Temple entirely.

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.

23. In the Debir he made two great winged creatures of wild-olive wood. . .It was ten cubits high.

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

24. One winged creature's wing was five cubits long and the other wing five cubits: ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip.

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.

25. The other winged creature also measured ten cubits; both had the same measurements and the same shape.

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

26. The height of one was the same as the other's.

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

27. He placed them in the middle of the inner chamber; their wings were spread out so that the wing of one touched one of the walls and the wing of the other touched the other wall, while their wings met in the middle of the chamber wing to wing.

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.

28. And he overlaid them with gold.

28. And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

29. All round the Temple walls he carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees and rosettes, both inside and outside.

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.

30. He overlaid the floor of the Temple with gold, both inside and outside.

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

31. He made the door of the Debir with uprights of wild-olive wood, and door jambs with five indented sections,

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].

32. and the two leaves of wild-olive wood. He carved figures of great winged creatures, palm trees and rosettes which he overlaid with gold, and he gilded winged creatures and palm trees.

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.

33. Similarly, he made uprights of wild-olive wood for the door of the Hekal, and door jambs with four indented sections,

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

34. and the two leaves of juniper: one leaf had two ribs binding it, and the other had two ribs binding it.

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.

35. He carved winged creatures, palm trees and rosettes, which he overlaid with gold laid evenly over the carvings.

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

36. He built the wall of the inner court in three courses of dressed stone and one course of cedar beams.

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

37. In the fourth year, in the month of Ziv, the foundations of the Temple were laid;

37. 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 -- that is, the eighth month -- the Temple was completed exactly as it had been planned and designed. Solomon took seven years to build it.

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.