1 Kings 6

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