1 Kings 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Solomon Builds the Temple
6 In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.(A) 2 The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.(B) 3 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits wide, across the width of the house. Its depth was ten cubits in front of the house. 4 For the house he made windows with recessed frames.[a](C) 5 He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary, and he made side chambers all around.(D) 6 The lowest story[b] was five cubits wide, the middle one was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide, for around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.
7 The house was built with stone finished at the quarry so that neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron was heard in the temple while it was being built.(E)
8 The entrance for the lower[c] story was on the south side of the house: one went up by winding stairs to the middle story and from the middle story to the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it; he roofed the house with beams and planks of cedar.(F) 10 He built the structure against the whole house, each story[d] five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.
11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances, and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my promise with you that I made to your father David.(G) 13 I will dwell among the Israelites and will not forsake my people Israel.”(H)
14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.(I) 15 He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the rafters of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the rafters, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the most holy place.(J) 17 The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18 The cedar within the house had carvings of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar; no stone was seen.(K) 19 The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 20 The interior of the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar.[e] 21 Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, then he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 Next he overlaid the whole house with gold, in order that the whole house might be perfect; even the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.(L)
The Furnishings of the Temple
23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high.(M) 24 Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house; the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one was touching the one wall and a wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall; their other wings toward the center of the house were touching wing to wing.(N) 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 He carved the walls of the house all around about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. 30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, in the inner and outer rooms.
31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.[f] 32 He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; he overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.
33 So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, four-sided each, 34 and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.(O) 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, overlaying them with gold evenly applied upon the carved work. 36 He built the inner court with three courses of dressed stone to one course of cedar beams.(P)
37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv.(Q) 38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.
1 Kings 6
Common English Bible
Solomon builds the temple
6 In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the month of Ziv, the second month,[a] in the fourth year of Solomon’s rule over Israel, he built the Lord’s temple. 2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 3 The porch in front of the temple’s main hall was thirty feet long. It ran across the whole width of the temple and extended fifteen feet in front of the temple. 4 He made recessed and latticed windows[b] for the temple 5 and built side rooms against the temple walls around both the main hall and the most holy place. 6 The lower walls were seven and a half feet wide. At the second floor the walls were nine feet wide, and at the third floor they were ten and a half feet wide. He made niches around the outside of the temple so the beams wouldn’t be inserted into the temple walls.[c] 7 When the temple was built, they did all the stonecutting at the quarry. No hammers, axes, or any iron tools were heard in the temple during its construction. 8 The door to the stairs was at the south side of the temple. Winding stairs went up to the second floor and from there to the third floor. 9 He completed the temple with a roof of cedar beams and cross-planks.[d] 10 Then he built the side rooms all around the temple. They were seven and a half feet high. He attached them to the temple with cedarwood.
11 The Lord’s word came to Solomon, 12 Regarding this temple that you are building: If you follow my laws, enact my regulations, and keep all my commands faithfully, then I will fulfill for you my promise that I made to your father David. 13 I will live among the Israelites. I won’t abandon my people Israel.
14 So Solomon constructed the temple and completed it. 15 He built the walls within the temple with cedar planks, paneled from the floor to the ceiling. He overlaid the floor of the temple with pine planks. 16 At the back of the temple he built thirty feet of cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling. Solomon built the inner sanctuary, the most holy place. 17 In front of this, the main hall was sixty feet. 18 The cedar inside the temple was carved with gourds and blossoming flowers. The whole thing was cedar. No stone was seen. 19 He set up the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that he could put the chest containing the Lord’s covenant there. 20 The inner sanctuary was thirty feet in length, width, and height. Solomon overlaid it with pure gold and covered the altar with cedar.[e] 21 Solomon covered the temple’s interior with pure gold. He placed gold chains in front of the inner sanctuary and covered it with gold. 22 He overlaid the whole temple inside with gold until the temple was completely covered. He covered the whole altar that was in the inner sanctuary with gold. 23 He made two winged creatures of olive wood for the inner sanctuary, each fifteen feet high. 24 The wings of the first winged creature were each seven and a half feet long. It was fifteen feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other. 25 The second winged creature also measured fifteen feet. Both winged creatures had identical measurements and form. 26 The height of both winged creatures was fifteen feet. 27 Solomon placed the winged creatures inside the temple. Their wings spread out so that the wing of the one touched one wall and the wing of the other touched the other wall. In the middle of the temple, the wings of the two winged creatures touched each other. 28 He covered the winged creatures with gold.
29 Solomon carved all the walls of the temple—inner and outer rooms—with engravings of winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers. 30 He also covered the floor of the temple with gold, in both the inner and the outer rooms. 31 He made the doors of the inner sanctuary from olive wood and carved the doorframes with five recesses.[f] 32 He overlaid the two olive-wood doors with gold-plated carvings of winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers. 33 He made the door of the main hall with doorframes of olive wood with four recesses.[g] 34 The two doors of pinewood each pivoted on a socket. 35 Solomon carved winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers, and covered them with gold. 36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone followed by one row of trimmed cedar.
37 Solomon laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple in the fourth year in the month of Ziv.[h] 38 He finished the temple in all its details and measurements in the eleventh year during the eighth month, the month of Bul.[i] He built it in seven years.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 6:1 April–May, Iyar; Ziv is a month from a Canaanite calendar.
- 1 Kings 6:4 Heb architectural and decorative terminology in 6:4-6 and elsewhere in chaps 6–7 is often uncertain.
- 1 Kings 6:6 Heb uncertain; Heb lacks the beams.
- 1 Kings 6:9 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 6:20 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 6:31 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 6:33 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 6:37 April–May, Iyar; Ziv is a month in the Canaanite calendar.
- 1 Kings 6:38 October–November, Heshvan; Bul is a month in the Canaanite calendar.
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