1 Kings 6–7

Building the Temple

6Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year ^fafter the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv. ^gh2The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord ⁱwas 90 feet ^jlong, 30 feet ^kwide, and 45 feet ^lhigh. ^m3The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was 30 feet ⁿlong extending across the temple’s width, and 15 feet deep ^oin front of the temple. ^p4He also made windows with beveled frames ^qfor the temple. ^r

⁵He then built a chambered structure ^salong the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. ^tAnd he made side chambers ^uall around. ^v6The lowest chamber was 7½ feet ^wwide, the middle was nine feet ^xwide, and the third was 10½ feet ^ywide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. ⁷The 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. ^z

⁸The door for the lowest ^aside chamber was on the right side of the temple. They ^bwent up a stairway ^cto the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third. ⁹When he finished building the temple, ^dhe paneled it with boards and planks of cedar. ¹⁰He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; ^eeach story was 7½ feet ^fhigh.

¹¹The word of the Lord came to Solomon: ^g12“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, ^hI will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David. ⁱ¹³I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people Israel.” ^j

¹⁴When Solomon finished building the temple, ^kl15he 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. ^m16Then he lined 30 feet ⁿof the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling, ^oand he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place. ^p17The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place, ^qwas 60 feet ^rlong. ¹⁸The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds ^sand flower blossoms. Everything was cedar; ^tnot a stone could be seen.

¹⁹He prepared the inner sanctuary ^uinside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant ^vthere. ²⁰The interior of the sanctuary was 30 feet ^wlong, 30 feet ^xwide, and 30 feet ^yhigh; he overlaid it with pure gold. ^zHe also overlaid the cedar altar. ²¹Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung ^agold chains ^bacross the front of the inner sanctuary ^cand overlaid it with gold. ²²So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar ^dthat belongs to the inner sanctuary.

²³In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim ^e15 feet ^fhigh out of olive wood. ²⁴One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long, ^gand the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet ^hfrom tip to tip. ²⁵The second cherub also was 15 feet; ⁱboth cherubim had the same size and shape. ²⁶The first cherub’s height was 15 feet ^jand so was the second cherub’s. ²⁷Then 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 ^kwall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing. ^l28He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings—cherubim, ^mpalm trees and flower blossoms—in both the inner and outer sanctuaries. ³⁰He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

³¹For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors. ⁿThe pillars of the doorposts were five-sided. ^o32The 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. ³³In the same way, he made four-sided ^polive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance. ³⁴The two doors ^qwere made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels. ³⁵He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving. ³⁶He built the inner courtyard ^rwith three rows of dressed stone ^sand a row of trimmed cedar beams.

³⁷The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv. ³⁸In his eleventh year in the eighth month, in the month of Bul, ^tthe temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification. ^uSo he built it in seven years. ^v

Solomon’s Palace Complex

7Solomon completed his entire palace complex after 13 years of construction. ^w2He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. ^xIt was 150 feet ^ylong, 75 feet ^zwide, and 45 feet ^ahigh on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. ³It was paneled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on 45 pillars, 15 per row. ⁴There were three rows of window frames, facing each other ^bin three tiers. ^cd5All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other ^ein three tiers. ^f6He made the hall of pillars 75 feet ^glong and 45 feet ^hwide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars ⁱwas in front of them. ⁷He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge ^j—the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. ^k8Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife. ^lm

⁹All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. ¹⁰The foundation was made of large, costly stones 12 and 15 feet ⁿlong. ¹¹Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. ¹²Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams. ^o

¹³King Solomon had Hiram ^pqbrought from Tyre. ¹⁴He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze craftsman. Hiram had great skill, ^runderstanding, and knowledge to do every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work. ^s

The Bronze Pillars

¹⁵He cast two hollow bronze pillars: ^teach 27 feet ^uhigh and 18 feet ^vin circumference. ^wx16He also made two capitals ^yof cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 7½ feet ^zwas the height of the first capital, and 7½ feet ^awas also the height of the second capital. ¹⁷The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths ^bmade of chainwork—seven for the first capital and seven for the second.

¹⁸He made the pillars with two encircling rows of pomegranates on the one grating to cover the capital on top; he did the same for the second capital. ¹⁹And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, six feet ^chigh. ²⁰The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and 200 pomegranates ^dwere in rows encircling each ^ecapital. ²¹He set up the pillars at the portico ^fof the sanctuary: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin; ^gthen he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. ^hi22The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed. ^j

The Reservoir

²³He made the cast metal reservoir, ^kl15 feet ^mfrom brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7½ feet ⁿhigh and 45 feet ^oin circumference. ²⁴Ornamental gourds ^pencircled it below the brim, 10 every half yard, ^qcompletely encircling the reservoir. ^rThe gourds were cast in two rows when the reservoir was cast. ²⁵It stood on 12 oxen, ^sthree facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The reservoir was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center. ²⁶The reservoir was three inches ^tthick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom. It held 11,000 gallons. ^u

The Bronze Water Carts

²⁷Then he made 10 bronze water carts. ^vwEach water cart was six feet ^xlong, six feet ^ywide, and 4½ feet ^zhigh. ²⁸This was the design of the carts: They had frames; the frames were between the cross-pieces, ²⁹and on the frames between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim. ^aOn the cross-pieces there was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging ^bwork. ³⁰Each cart ^chad four bronze wheels with bronze axles. Underneath the four corners of the basin were cast supports, each next to a wreath. ³¹And the water cart’s opening inside the crown on top was 18 inches ^dwide. The opening was round, made as a pedestal 27 inches ^ewide. On it were carvings, but their frames were square, not round. ³²There were four wheels under the frames, and the wheel axles were part of the water cart; each wheel was 27 inches ^ftall. ³³The wheels’ design was similar to that of chariot wheels: their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. ³⁴Four supports were at the four corners of each water cart; each support was one piece with the water cart. ³⁵At the top of the cart was a band nine inches ^ghigh encircling it; also, at the top of the cart, its braces and its frames were one piece with it. ³⁶He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees ^hon the plates of its braces and on its frames, wherever each had space, with encircling wreaths. ³⁷In this way…