3Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord. He built it on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. That’s where the Lord had appeared to Solomon’s father David. He had appeared at the threshing floor of Araunah. Araunah was from Jebus. David had provided the threshing floor. ²Solomon began building the temple on the second day of the second month. It was in the fourth year of his rule.

³Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple. It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. Solomon’s men followed the standard measure that was used at that time. ⁴The porch in front of the temple was 30 feet across and 30 feet high.

Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold. ⁵He covered the inside of the main hall with pine boards. Then he covered the boards with fine gold. He decorated the hall with palm tree patterns and chain patterns. ⁶He decorated the temple with valuable jewels. The gold he used came from Parvaim. ⁷He covered the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold. He carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸He built the Most Holy Room. It was as long as the temple was wide. It was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide. He covered the inside of the Most Holy Room with 23 tons of fine gold. ⁹He also covered the upper parts with gold. The gold on the nails weighed 20 ounces.

¹⁰For the Most Holy Room, Solomon made a pair of carved cherubim. He covered them with gold. ¹¹The total length of the cherubim’s wings from tip to tip was 30 feet. One wing of the first cherub was seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the temple wall. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the wing tip of the other cherub.

¹²In the same way one wing of the second cherub was seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the other temple wall. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the wing tip of the first cherub. ¹³So the total length of the wings of the two cherubim was 30 feet from tip to tip. The cherubim stood facing the main hall.

¹⁴Solomon made the curtain out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen. A skilled worker sewed cherubim into its pattern.

¹⁵In front of the temple, Solomon made two pillars. Each pillar was 26 feet tall. Each had a decorated top that was seven and a half feet high. ¹⁶Solomon made chains that were linked together. He put them on top of the pillars. He also made 100 pomegranates. He fastened them to the chains.

¹⁷Solomon set the pillars up in front of the temple. One was on the south. The other was on the north. He named the one on the south Jakin. The one on the north he named Boaz.

More Facts About the Temple

4Solomon made a bronze altar that was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide and 15 feet high. ²He made a huge metal bowl for washing. Its shape was round. It measured 15 feet from rim to rim. It was seven and a half feet high. And it was 45 feet around. ³Below the rim there was a circle of bull figures around the bowl. In every 18 inches around the bowl there were ten bulls. The bulls were arranged in two rows. They were made as part of the bowl itself.

⁴The bowl stood on 12 bulls. Three of them faced north. Three faced west. Three faced south. And three faced east. The bowl rested on top of them. Their rear ends were toward the center. ⁵The bowl was three inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup. The rim was shaped like the bloom of a lily. The bowl held 17,500 gallons of water.

⁶Solomon made ten smaller bowls for washing. He placed five of them on the south side of the huge bowl. He placed the other five on the north side.

The things that were used for the burnt offerings were rinsed in the smaller bowls. But the priests used the huge bowl for washing.

⁷Solomon made ten gold lampstands. He followed the pattern the Lord had given him. He placed the lampstands in the temple. He put five of them on the south side. He put the other five on the north side.

⁸He made ten tables. He placed them in the temple. He put five of them on the south side. He put the other five on the north side. He also made 100 gold sprinkling bowls.

⁹He made the courtyard of the priests. He also made the large courtyard. He made doors for it. He covered the doors with bronze.

¹⁰He placed the huge bowl on the south side of the courtyard. He put it at the southeast corner.

¹¹He also made the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished the work he had started for King Solomon. Here’s what he made for God’s temple.

¹²He made the two pillars.

He made the two tops for the pillars. The tops were shaped like bowls.

He made the two sets of chains that were linked together. They decorated the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars.

¹³He made the 400 pomegranates for the two sets of chains. There were two rows of pomegranates for each chain. They decorated the bowl-shaped tops of the pillars.

¹⁴He made the stands and their bowls.

¹⁵He made the huge bowl. He made the 12 bulls that were under it.

¹⁶He made the pots, shovels and meat forks. He also made all of the articles that were connected with them.

Huram-Abi made all of those objects for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple. He made them out of bronze. Then he shined them up. ¹⁷The king had them made in clay molds. It was done on the flatlands of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan.

¹⁸Solomon made huge numbers of those articles. There were too many of them to weigh. No one even tried to weigh the bronze they were made out of.

¹⁹Solomon also made all of the articles that were in God’s temple.

He made the golden altar.

He made the tables for the holy bread.

²⁰He made the pure gold lampstands and their lamps. The lamps burned in front of the Most Holy Room, just as the law required.

²¹He made the gold flowers. He made the gold lamps and tongs. They were made out of solid gold.

²²He made the wick cutters, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and shallow cups for burning incense. All of them were made out of pure gold. He made the gold doors of the temple. They were the inner doors to the Most Holy Room and the doors of the main hall.

5Solomon finished all of the work for the Lord’s temple. Then he brought in the things his father David had set apart for the Lord. They included the silver and gold and all of the articles for God’s temple. Solomon placed them with the other treasures that were there.

Solomon Brings the Ark to the Temple

²Then Solomon sent for the elders of Israel. He told them to come to Jerusalem. They included all of the leaders of the tribes. They also included the chiefs of the families of Israel. Solomon wanted them to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion. Zion was the City of David. ³All of the men of Israel came together to where the king was. It was at the time of the Feast of Booths. The feast was held in the seventh month.

⁴All of the elders of Israel arrived. Then the Levites picked up the ark and carried it. ⁵They brought up the ark. They also brought up the Tent of Meeting and all of the sacred articles that were in the tent. The priests, who were Levites, carried everything up.

⁶The entire community of Israel had gathered around King Solomon. All of them were in front of the ark. They sacrificed huge numbers of sheep and cattle. There were so many that they couldn’t be recorded. In fact, they couldn’t even be counted.

⁷The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the Most Holy Room of the temple. They put it under the wings of the cherubim.

⁸The cherubim’s wings were spread out over the place where the ark was. They covered the ark. They also covered the poles that were used to carry it. ⁹The poles reached out from the ark. They were so long that their ends could be seen from in front of the Most Holy Room. But they couldn’t be seen from outside the Holy Room. They are still there to this very day.

¹⁰There wasn’t anything in the ark except the two tablets. Moses had placed them in it at Mount Horeb. That’s where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites. He made it after they came out of Egypt.

¹¹The priests left the Holy Room. All of the priests who were there had set themselves apart to the Lord. It didn’t matter what group they were in.

¹²All of the Levites who played music stood near the east side of the altar. They included Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives. They were dressed in fine linen. They were playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were joined by 120 priests who were blowing trumpets.

¹³The trumpet players and singers made music together as if they were only one voice. They praised the Lord. They gave thanks to him. Some of them played their trumpets, cymbals and other instruments. The others raised their voices to praise the Lord. They sang,

“He is good.

His faithful love continues forever.”

Then a cloud filled the temple of the Lord. ¹⁴The priests couldn’t do their work because of it. The glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.

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