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)

Building the Temple

3 Then Solomon began^(A) to build the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah^(B) where the Lord^[a] had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan^[b] the Jebusite. ² He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign. ³ These are Solomon’s foundations^[c] for building God’s temple: the length^[d] was ninety feet,^[e] and the width thirty feet.^{[f] 4} The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was thirty feet wide; its height was thirty feet;^[g] he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold. ⁵ The larger room^[h] he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains. ⁶ He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim. ⁷ He overlaid the temple—the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors—with gold,^(C) and he carved cherubim on the walls.^(D)

The Most Holy Place

⁸ Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet.^(E) He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds^[i] of fine gold. ⁹ The weight of the nails was twenty ounces^[j] of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.

¹⁰ He made^(F) two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7½ feet,^[k] touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, touching the wing of the other cherub. ¹² The wing of the other^[l] cherub was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, reaching the wing of the other cherub. ¹³ The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.^[m]

¹⁴ He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.^(G)

The Bronze Pillars

¹⁵ In front of the temple^(H) he made two pillars, each 27 feet^[n] high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high. ¹⁶ He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars.^(I) He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. ¹⁷ Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin^[o] and the one on the left Boaz.^[p]

Greeting

1 Paul,^(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command^(B) of God our Savior^(C) and of Christ Jesus our hope:^(D)

² To Timothy,^(E) my true son in the faith.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the^[a] Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

False Doctrine and Misuse of the Law

³ As I urged you when I went to Macedonia,^(F) remain in Ephesus^(G) so that you may instruct certain people^(H) not to teach false doctrine ⁴ or to pay attention to myths^(I) and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan,^(J) which operates by faith. ⁵ Now the goal of our instruction is love^(K) that comes from a pure heart,^(L) a good conscience,^(M) and a sincere faith.^{(N) 6} Some have departed from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion. ⁷ They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on. ⁸ But we know that the law is good,^(O) provided one uses it legitimately. ⁹ We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious,^(P) for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral^(Q) and males who have sex with males,^(R) for slave traders, liars,^(S) perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching^{(T) 11} that conforms to the gospel^(U) concerning the glory of the blessed God,^(V) which was entrusted to me.^(W)

Paul’s Testimony

¹² I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened^(X) me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer,^(Y) a persecutor,^(Z) and an arrogant man.^(AA) But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This saying is trustworthy^(AB) and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world^(AC) to save sinners”^(AD)—and I am the worst of them.^{(AE) 16} But I received mercy^(AF) for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience^(AG) as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.^{(AH) 17} Now to the King^(AI) eternal,^(AJ) immortal,^(AK) invisible, the only^[b] God,^(AL) be honor^(AM) and glory^(AN) forever and ever. Amen.^(AO)

Engage in Battle

¹⁸ Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies^(AP) previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹ having faith^(AQ) and a good conscience,^(AR) which some^(AS) have rejected and have shipwrecked the faith. ²⁰ Among them are Hymenaeus^(AT) and Alexander,^(AU) whom I have delivered to Satan,^(AV) so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.