Building the Temple

6 Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year^(A) after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.^{[a](B) 2} The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord^(C) was ninety feet^[b] long, thirty feet^[c] wide, and forty-five feet^[d] high.^{(D) 3} The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was thirty feet long extending across the temple’s width, and fifteen feet deep^[e] in front of the temple.^{(E) 4} He also made windows with beveled frames^[f] for the temple.^(F)

⁵ He then built a chambered structure^[g] along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary.^(G) And he made side chambers^[h] all around.^{(H) 6} The lowest chamber was 7½ feet^[i] wide, the middle was 9 feet^[j] wide, and the third was 10½ feet^[k] wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. ⁷ The 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.^(I)

⁸ The door for the lowest^[l] side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They^[m] went up a stairway^[n] to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third. ⁹ When he finished building the temple,^(J) he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams;^(K) each story was 7½ feet high.

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to Solomon:^{(L) 12} “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,^(M) I will fulfill my promise to you, which I made to your father David.^{(N) 13} I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people Israel.”^(O)

¹⁴ When Solomon finished building the temple,^{[o](P) 15} he 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.^{(Q) 16} Then he lined thirty feet of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling,^[p] and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.^{(R) 17} The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place,^[q] was sixty feet^[r] long. ¹⁸ The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds^(S) and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar;^(T) not a stone could be seen.

¹⁹ He prepared the inner sanctuary^(U) inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant^(V) there. ²⁰ The interior of the sanctuary was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high; he overlaid it with pure gold.^(W) He also overlaid the cedar altar. ²¹ Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung^[s] gold chains^(X) across the front of the inner sanctuary^(Y) and overlaid it with gold. ²² So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar^(Z) that belongs to the inner sanctuary.

²³ In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim^(AA) 15 feet^[t] high out of olive wood. ²⁴ One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long, and the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet from tip to tip. ²⁵ The second cherub also was 15 feet; both cherubim had the same size and shape. ²⁶ The first cherub’s height was 15 feet and so was the second cherub’s. ²⁷ Then 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^[u] wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.^{(AB) 28} He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹ He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings—cherubim,^(AC) palm trees, and flower blossoms—in the inner and outer sanctuaries. ³⁰ He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries.

³¹ For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors.^(AD) The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.^{[v] 32} The 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. ³³ In the same way, he made four-sided^[w] olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance. ³⁴ The two doors^(AE) were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels. ³⁵ He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving. ³⁶ He built the inner courtyard^(AF) with three rows of dressed stone^(AG) and a row of trimmed cedar beams.

³⁷ The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv. ³⁸ In his eleventh year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month,^[x] the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification.^(AH) So he built it in seven years.^(AI)

Solomon’s Palace Complex

7 Solomon completed his entire palace complex after thirteen years of construction.^{(A) 2} He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon.^(B) It was one hundred fifty feet^[a] long, seventy-five feet^[b] wide, and forty-five feet^[c] high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. ³ It was paneled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on forty-five pillars, fifteen per row. ⁴ There were three rows of window frames, facing each other^[d] in three tiers.^{[e](C) 5} All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other^[f] in three tiers. ⁶ He made the hall of pillars seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars^[g] was in front of them. ⁷ He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge^(D)—the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.^{[h] 8} Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife.^[i](E)

⁹ All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. ¹⁰ The foundation was made of large, costly stones twelve and fifteen feet^[j] long. ¹¹ Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. ¹² Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.^(F)

¹³ King Solomon had Hiram^[k](G) brought from Tyre. ¹⁴ He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze craftsman. Hiram had great skill,^(H) understanding, and knowledge to do every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.^(I)

The Bronze Pillars

¹⁵ He cast two bronze pillars,^(J) each 27 feet^[l] high and 18 feet^[m] in circumference.^{[n](K) 16} He also made two capitals^(L) of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 7½ feet^[o] was the height of the first capital, and 7½ feet was also the height of the second capital. ¹⁷ The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths^[p] made of chainwork—seven for the first capital and seven for the second.

¹⁸ He made the pillars with two encircling rows of pomegranates on the one grating to cover the capital on top; he did the same for the second capital. ¹⁹ And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, six feet^[q] high. ²⁰ The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and two hundred pomegranates^(M) were in rows encircling each^[r] capital. ²¹ He set up the pillars at the portico^(N) of the sanctuary: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin;^[s] then he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz.^{[t](O) 22} The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed.^(P)