7Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years. ^2–3The Hall of the Forest of Lebanon^o was 44 metres long, 22 metres wide, and 13.5 metres high. It had three^p rows of cedar pillars, fifteen in each row, with cedar beams resting on them. The ceiling was of cedar, extending over store-rooms, which were supported by the pillars. ⁴In each of the two side walls there were three rows of windows. ⁵The doorways and the windows^q had rectangular frames, and the three rows of windows in each wall faced the opposite rows.

⁶The Hall of Columns was 22 metres long and 13.5 metres wide. It had a covered porch, supported by columns.

⁷The Throne Room, also called the Hall of Judgement, where Solomon decided cases, had cedar panels from the floor to the rafters.^r

⁸^*Solomon’s own quarters, in another court behind the Hall of Judgement, were made like the other buildings. He also built the same kind of house for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.

⁹All these buildings and the great court were made of fine stones from the foundations to the eaves. The stones were prepared at the quarry and cut to measure, with their inner and outer sides trimmed with saws. ¹⁰The foundations were made of large stones prepared at the quarry, some of them 3.5 metres long and others 4 metres long. ¹¹On top of them were other stones, cut to measure, and cedar beams. ¹²The palace court, the inner court of the Temple, and the entrance room of the Temple had walls with one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of cut stones.

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Footnotes

ohall of the forest of lebanon: A large ceremonial hall in the palace, probably so called because it was panelled in cedar.
pOne ancient translation three; Hebrew four.
qOne ancient translation windows; Hebrew doorposts.
rSome ancient translations rafters; Hebrew floor.

Cross references

*7.8: 1 K 3:1