⁷ The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.

⁵ “Then build an altar there to the Lord your God, using natural, uncut stones. You must not shape the stones with an iron tool. ⁶ Build the altar of uncut stones, and use it to offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God.

⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.^[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

¹² always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

⁵ God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

²³ He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

³¹ The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

¹⁷ At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple. ¹⁸ Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.