The Building of the Temple

6 ^(A)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel 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, that he ^[a]began to build the house of the Lord. ² As for the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty ^[b]cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits. ³ The porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits ^[c]in length, ^[d]corresponding to the width of the house, and its ^[e]depth along the front of the house was ten cubits. ⁴ Also for the house ^(B)he made windows with artistic frames. ^5 (C)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the ^(D)inner sanctuary; thus he made ^(E)side chambers all around. ⁶ The lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he ^[f]made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not ^[g]be inserted in the walls of the house.

^7 (F)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone ^[h]prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

⁸ The doorway for the ^[i]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. ⁹ So ^(G)he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and ^[j]planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He also built the stories against the whole house, each five ^[k]cubits high; and they ^[l]were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.

¹¹ Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, ¹² “Concerning this house which you are building, ^(H)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. ^13 (I)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and ^(J)will not forsake My people Israel.”

^14 (K)So Solomon built the house and finished it. ¹⁵ Then he ^(L)built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ^[m]ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress. ^16 (M)He built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ^[n]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, even as ^(N)the most holy place. ¹⁷ The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty ^[o]cubits long. ¹⁸ There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of ^(O)gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen. ¹⁹ Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. ^20 [p]The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar. ²¹ So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. ²² He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also ^(P)the whole altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

^23 (Q)Also in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. ²⁴ Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. ²⁵ The other cherub was ten cubits; both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form. ²⁶ The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. ²⁷ He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and ^(R)the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. So their wings were touching each other in the center of the house. ²⁸ He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹ Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries. ³⁰ He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inner and outer sanctuaries.

³¹ For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel and five-sided doorposts. ³² So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

³³ So also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood ³⁴ and ^(S)two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two ^[q]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. ³⁵ He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work. ^36 (T)He built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

^37 (U)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. ³⁸ In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

Put On the New Self

3 Therefore if you have been ^(A)raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, ^(B)seated at the right hand of God. ^2 [a](C)Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. ³ For you have ^(D)died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, ^(E)who is our life, is revealed, ^(F)then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

^5 (G)Therefore ^[b]consider ^(H)the members of your earthly body as dead to ^[c](I)immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which ^[d]amounts to idolatry. ⁶ For it is because of these things that ^(J)the wrath of God will come ^[e]upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ and ^(K)in them you also once walked, when you were living ^[f]in them. ⁸ But now you also, ^(L)put them all aside: ^(M)anger, wrath, malice, slander, and ^(N)abusive speech from your mouth. ^9 [g](O)Do not lie to one another, since you ^(P)laid aside the old ^[h]self with its evil practices, ¹⁰ and have ^(Q)put on the new self who is being ^[i](R)renewed to a true knowledge ^(S)according to the image of the One who ^(T)created him— ¹¹ a renewal in which ^(U)there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, ^(V)circumcised and uncircumcised, ^[j](W)barbarian, Scythian, ^(X)slave and freeman, but ^(Y)Christ is all, and in all.

¹² So, as those who have been ^(Z)chosen of God, holy and beloved, ^(AA)put on a ^(AB)heart of compassion, kindness, ^(AC)humility, gentleness and ^[k](AD)patience; ^13 (AE)bearing with one another, and ^(AF)forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; ^(AG)just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. ¹⁴ Beyond all these things put on love, which is ^[l](AH)the perfect bond of ^(AI)unity. ¹⁵ Let ^(AJ)the peace of Christ ^[m]rule in your hearts, to which ^[n]indeed you were called in ^(AK)one body; and ^[o]be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AL)the word of ^[p]Christ richly dwell within you, ^[q]with all wisdom ^(AM)teaching and admonishing ^[r]one another ^(AN)with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AO)singing ^[s]with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ^17 (AP)Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AQ)giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Family Relations

^18 (AR)Wives, ^(AS)be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ^19 (AT)Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. ^20 (AU)Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing ^[t]to the Lord. ^21 (AV)Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

^22 (AW)Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters ^[u]on earth, ^(AX)not with ^[v]external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, do your work ^[w]heartily, ^(AY)as for the Lord ^[x]rather than for men, ^24 (AZ)knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward ^[y]of ^(BA)the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you ^(BB)serve. ²⁵ For ^(BC)he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and ^[z](BD)that without partiality.

Fellow Workers

4 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, ^(BE)knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

^2 (BF)Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; ³ praying at the same time ^(BG)for us as well, that God will open up to us a ^(BH)door for ^(BI)the word, so that we may speak forth ^(BJ)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also ^(BK)been imprisoned; ⁴ that I may make it clear ^(BL)in the way I ought to speak.

^5 [aa](BM)Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward ^(BN)outsiders, ^[ab](BO)making the most of the opportunity. ^6 (BP)Let your speech always be ^[ac]with grace, as though seasoned with ^(BQ)salt, so that you will know how you should ^(BR)respond to each person.

^7 (BS)As to all my affairs, ^(BT)Tychicus, our ^(BU)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. ^8 (BV)For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may ^(BW)encourage your hearts; ^9 [ad]and with him ^(BX)Onesimus, our faithful and ^(BY)beloved brother, ^(BZ)who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

^10 (CA)Aristarchus, my ^(CB)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also ^(CC)Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received ^[ae]instructions; ^(CD)if he comes to you, welcome him); ¹¹ and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only ^(CE)fellow workers for the kingdom of God ^(CF)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. ^12 (CG)Epaphras, ^(CH)who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always ^(CI)laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may ^[af]stand ^[ag](CJ)perfect and ^[ah]fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I testify for him that he has ^[ai]a deep concern for you and for those who are in ^(CK)Laodicea and Hierapolis. ^14 (CL)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also ^(CM)Demas. ¹⁵ Greet the brethren who are in ^(CN)Laodicea and also ^[aj]Nympha and ^(CO)the church that is in ^[ak]her house. ^16 (CP)When ^[al]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part ^(CQ)read ^[am]my letter that is coming from ^(CR)Laodicea. ¹⁷ Say to ^(CS)Archippus, “Take heed to the ^(CT)ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may ^[an]fulfill it.”

^18 [ao]I, Paul, ^(CU)write this greeting with my own hand. ^(CV)Remember my ^[ap](CW)imprisonment. ^(CX)Grace be with you.