1 Kings 6-8

New American Standard Bible 1995

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.

Solomon’s Palace

7 Now ^(V)Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. ^2 (W)He built the house of the forest of Lebanon; its length was 100 ^[r]cubits and its width 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. ³ It was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the 45 pillars, 15 in each row. ⁴ There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three ranks. ⁵ All the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window in three ranks.

⁶ Then he made ^(X)the hall of pillars; its length was 50 cubits and its width 30 cubits, and a porch was in front of them and pillars and a ^(Y)threshold in front of them.

⁷ He made the hall of the ^(Z)throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and ^(AA)it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

⁸ His house where he was to live, the other court inward from the hall, was of the same workmanship. ^(AB)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, ^(AC)whom Solomon had married.

⁹ All these were of costly stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court.

¹⁰ The foundation was of costly stones, even large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. ¹¹ And above were costly stones, stone cut according to measure, and cedar. ¹² So ^(AD)the great court all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams even as the inner court of the house of the Lord, and ^(AE)the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

¹³ Now ^(AF)King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. ^14 (AG)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and ^(AH)he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and ^(AI)performed all his work.

¹⁵ He fashioned ^(AJ)the two pillars of bronze; ^(AK)eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits ^[s]measured the circumference of both. ¹⁶ He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five ^[t]cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits. ¹⁷ There were nets of network and twisted threads of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. ¹⁸ So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. ¹⁹ The capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. ²⁰ There were capitals on the two pillars, even above and close to the ^[u]rounded projection which was beside the network; and ^(AL)the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around ^[v]both capitals. ^21 (AM)Thus he set up the pillars at the ^(AN)porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it ^[w]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it ^[x]Boaz. ²² On the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

^23 (AO)Now he made the sea of ^(AP)cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and ^[y]thirty cubits in circumference. ²⁴ Under its brim ^(AQ)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, ^(AR)completely surrounding the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast ^[z]with the rest. ^25 (AS)It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. ²⁶ It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold two thousand baths.

²⁷ Then ^(AT)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits. ²⁸ This was the design of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the ^[aa]frames, ²⁹ and on the borders which were between the ^[ab]frames were lions, oxen and cherubim; and on the ^[ac]frames there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. ³⁰ Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. ³¹ Its opening inside the crown at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. ³² The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. ³³ The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. ³⁴ Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. ³⁵ On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a ^[ad]cubit high, and on the top of the stand its ^[ae]stays and its borders were part of it. ³⁶ He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. ^37 (AU)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form.

^38 (AV)He made ten basins of bronze, one basin held forty baths; each basin was four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. ³⁹ Then he set the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.

⁴⁰ Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the Lord: ⁴¹ the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the ^(AW)two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; ⁴² and the ^(AX)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; ⁴³ and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; ⁴⁴ and ^(AY)the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; ⁴⁵ and ^(AZ)the pails and the shovels and the bowls; even all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lord were of polished bronze. ^46 (BA)In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between ^(BB)Succoth and ^(BC)Zarethan. ⁴⁷ Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; ^(BD)the weight of the bronze could not be ascertained.

⁴⁸ Solomon made all the furniture which was in the house of the Lord: ^(BE)the golden altar and the golden table on which was the ^(BF)bread of the Presence; ⁴⁹ and the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and ^(BG)the flowers and the lamps and the tongs, of gold; ⁵⁰ and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the ^(BH)firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold.

^51 (BI)Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the Lord was finished. And ^(BJ)Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

8 ^(BK)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all ^(BL)the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, ^(BM)to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from ^(BN)the city of David, which is Zion. ² All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at ^(BO)the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. ³ Then all the elders of Israel came, and ^(BP)the priests took up the ark. ⁴ They brought up the ark of the Lord and ^(BQ)the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁵ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, ^(BR)were with him before the ark, sacrificing ^[af]so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. ⁶ Then ^(BS)the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord ^(BT)to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, ^(BU)under the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. ⁸ But ^(BV)the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. ^9 (BW)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where ^(BX)the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, ^(BY)the cloud filled the house of the Lord, ¹¹ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Addresses the People

^12 (BZ)Then Solomon said,

¹⁴ Then the king ^[ag]faced about and ^(CD)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ¹⁵ He said, “^(CE)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(CF)who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying, ¹⁶ ‘^(CG)Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that ^(CH)My name might be there, but ^(CI)I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ ^17 (CJ)Now it was ^[ah]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was ^[ai]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was ^[aj]in your heart. ^19 (CK)Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who ^[ak]will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’ ²⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for ^(CL)I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord ^[al]promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ²¹ There I have set a place for the ark, ^(CM)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”

The Prayer of Dedication

²² Then ^(CN)Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and ^(CO)spread out his hands toward heaven. ²³ He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, ^(CP)there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, ^(CQ)keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, ²⁴ who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have ^[am]promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day. ²⁵ Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have ^[an]promised him, saying, ‘^[ao](CR)You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’ ²⁶ Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed ^(CS)which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

²⁷ “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, ^(CT)heaven and the ^[ap]highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! ²⁸ Yet have regard to the ^(CU)prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; ^29 (CV)that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward ^(CW)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. ^30 (CX)Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, ^(CY)when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and ^(CZ)forgive.

³¹ “^(DA)If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, ³² then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, ^(DB)condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

³³ “^(DC)When Your people Israel are ^[aq]defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, ^(DD)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, ³⁴ then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

³⁵ “^(DE)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, ³⁶ then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, ^(DF)indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And ^(DG)send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.

³⁷ “^(DH)If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their ^[ar]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, ³⁸ whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, ^[as]each knowing the ^[at]affliction of his own heart, and spreading his ^[au]hands toward this house; ³⁹ then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, ^(DI)whose heart You know, for ^(DJ)You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, ⁴⁰ that they may ^[av]fear You all the days that they live ^[aw]in the land which You have given to our fathers.

⁴¹ “Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake ⁴² (for they will hear of Your great name ^(DK)and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, ⁴³ hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order ^(DL)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to ^[ax]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that ^[ay]this house which I have built is called by Your name.

⁴⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against ^[az]their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and ^(DM)they pray to the Lord ^[ba]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, ⁴⁵ then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their ^[bb]cause.

⁴⁶ “When they sin against You (for ^(DN)there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that ^[bc]they take them away captive ^(DO)to the land of the enemy, far off or near; ^47 (DP)if they ^[bd]take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘^(DQ)We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; ^48 (DR)if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and ^(DS)pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; ⁴⁹ then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their ^[be]cause, ⁵⁰ and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and ^(DT)make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them ⁵¹ (^(DU)for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, ^(DV)from the midst of the iron furnace), ^52 (DW)that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. ⁵³ For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, ^(DX)as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord ^[bf]God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

^54 (DY)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, ^(DZ)he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his ^[bg]hands spread toward heaven. ⁵⁵ And he stood and ^(EA)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, ^(EB)according to all that He ^[bh]promised; ^(EC)not one word has ^[bi]failed of all His good ^[bj]promise, which He ^[bk]promised through Moses His servant. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; ^(ED)may He not leave us or forsake us, ⁵⁸ that ^(EE)He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the ^[bl]cause of His servant and the ^[bm]cause of His people Israel, ^[bn]as each day requires, ⁶⁰ so ^(EF)that all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(EG)the Lord is God; there is no one else. ^61 (EH)Let your heart therefore be ^[bo]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

^62 (EI)Now the king and all Israel with him ^(EJ)offered sacrifice before the Lord. ⁶³ Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. ^(EK)So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. ⁶⁴ On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, because there he ^[bp]offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings; for ^(EL)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.

⁶⁵ So ^(EM)Solomon observed the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly ^(EN)from the entrance of Hamath ^(EO)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had ^[bq]shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.