1 N ow 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 began to build the house of the Lord.

In the 480th year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s rule over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.

2 A s for the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits.

The house which King Solomon built for the Lord was as long as thirty long steps, as wide as ten long steps, and eight times taller than a man.

3 T he porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its depth along the front of the house was ten cubits.

All along the front of the House of God was a porch ten long steps long and five long steps wide. It was as long as the house was wide.

4 A lso for the house he made windows with artistic frames.

He made windows for the house with beautiful cross-pieces.

5 A gainst the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the inner sanctuary; thus he made side chambers all around.

He made a building of rooms against the outer walls of three sides of the house. These rooms were three floors high.

6 T he 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 made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house.

The bottom floor was as wide as three steps. The second floor was as wide as three long steps. And the third floor was as wide as four steps. For around the outside of the house he made places for the large wood cross-pieces to rest on. That way they would not need to be put into holes in the walls of the house.

7 T he house, while it was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

The house was built of stone that was cut at the place where it was taken from the ground. There was no noise of a hammer or an ax or any iron object heard in the house while it was being built.

8 T he doorway for the 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.

The door for the first floor room was on the right side of the house. They would go up steps to the second floor, and from the second to the third.

9 S o he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

So he built the house and finished it. And he made the roof of the house of large pieces of cedar wood.

10 H e also built the stories against the whole house, each five cubits high; and they were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.

He built the three floors against the outside wall of the house. Each one was as high as a man could raise his hand. They were joined to the house with big pieces of cedar wood.

11 N ow the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying,

Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,

12 “ Concerning this house which you are building, 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.

“If you obey My Laws and keep My Word, then I will keep My promise with you, which I spoke to your father David about this house you are building.

13 I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

I will live among the sons of Israel. And I will not leave My people Israel alone.”

14 S o Solomon built the house and finished it.

So Solomon built the house and finished it.

15 T hen he built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress.

He built the walls of the house on the inside with pieces of cedar wood. He put wood over the inside walls from the floor of the house to the roof. And he put pieces of cypress wood over the floor of the house.

16 H e built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, even as the most holy place.

An inside room called the most holy place was built in the back part of the house with pieces of cedar wood, from the floor to the roof and as wide as ten long steps.

17 T he house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long.

The rest of the house, the center room in front of the most holy place, was as long as twenty long steps.

18 T here was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen.

There was cedar on the house within, cut to look like gourds and open flowers. It was all cedar. No stone was seen.

19 T hen he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

Then he built the most holy place inside the house, in which to put the special box of the agreement.

20 T he 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.

The most holy place was as long as ten long steps, as wide as ten long steps, and more than five times taller than a man. He covered it with pure gold. And he covered the altar with cedar.

21 S o 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.

Solomon covered the inside of the house with pure gold. He crossed the front of the most holy place with chains of gold, and he covered it with gold.

22 H e overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

He covered the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. And he covered the whole altar by the most holy place with gold.

23 A lso in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

In the most holy place he made two cherubim of olive wood. Each one was almost three times taller than a man.

24 F ive 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.

One wing of the cherub was as long as three steps. And the other wing of the cherub was as long as three steps. It was as far as five long steps from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing.

25 T he other cherub was ten cubits; both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form.

It was as much as five long steps between the ends of the wings of the other cherub also. Both the cherubim were the same height, length and width, and they looked alike.

26 T he height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub.

Each of the cherubim was almost three times taller than a man.

27 H e placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and 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.

He put the cherubim in the most holy place of the house. The wings of the cherubim were spread out. The wing of the one cherub 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 H e also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

He covered the cherubim with gold.

29 T hen he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries.

Then he cut pictures in all the walls around the house to look like cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, in the center room and the most holy place.

30 H e overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inner and outer sanctuaries.

He covered the floor of the house with gold, in the center room and the most holy place.

31 F or the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel and five-sided doorposts.

He made doors of olive wood for the most holy place. The top and sides of the door had five sides.

32 S o 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.

He cut pictures in the two doors of olive wood, to look like cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and covered them with gold. He spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

33 S o also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood

For the doorway of the center room he made four-sided side pieces of olive wood

34 a nd two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots.

and two doors of cypress wood. Each door had two moving parts.

35 H e carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work.

On them he cut pictures of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. And he covered the pictures with an even covering of gold.

36 H e built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

He built the inside place with three rows of cut stone and one row of large pieces of cedar wood.

37 I n the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv.

In the fourth year the base of the house was laid in the month of Ziv.

38 I n 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.

In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, all the parts of the house were finished just as all the plans had been made. Solomon took seven years to build it.