1 I n 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.

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build Yahweh’s house.

2 T he 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.

The house which king Solomon built for Yahweh had a length of sixty cubits, and its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits.

3 A ll 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.

The porch in front of the temple of the house had a length of twenty cubits, which was along the width of the house. Ten cubits was its width in front of the house.

4 H e made windows for the house with beautiful cross-pieces.

He made windows of fixed lattice work for the house.

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

Against the wall of the house, he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side rooms all around.

6 T he 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.

The lowest floor 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, that the beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

7 T he 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.

The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or ax or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction.

8 T he 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.

The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house. They went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third.

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

So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

10 H e 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.

He built the floors all along the house, each five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

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

Yahweh’s word came to Solomon, saying,

12 “ 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.

“Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

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

I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”

14 S o Solomon built the house and finished it.

So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

15 H e 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.

He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with cypress boards.

16 A n 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.

He built twenty cubits on the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built them for it within, for an inner sanctuary, even for the most holy place.

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

In front of the temple sanctuary was forty cubits.

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

There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers. All was cedar. No stone was visible.

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

He prepared an inner sanctuary in the middle of the house within, to set the ark of Yahweh’s covenant there.

20 T he 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.

Within the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold; and he covered the altar with cedar.

21 S olomon 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.

So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold. He drew chains of gold across before the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold.

22 H e 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.

He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. He also overlaid the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary with gold.

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

In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

24 O ne 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.

Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub. From the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was ten cubits.

25 I t 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.

The other cherub was ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

26 E ach of the cherubim was almost three times taller than a man.

One cherub was ten cubits high, and so was the other cherub.

27 H e 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.

He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house.

28 H e covered the cherubim with gold.

He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 T hen 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.

He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and outside.

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

He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and outside.

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

For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.

32 H e 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.

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. He spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

33 F or the doorway of the center room he made four-sided side pieces of olive wood

He also did so for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;

34 a nd two doors of cypress wood. Each door had two moving parts.

and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

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

He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.

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

He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and a course of cedar beams.

37 I n the fourth year the base of the house was laid in the month of Ziv.

The foundation of Yahweh’s house was laid in the fourth year, in the month Ziv.

38 I n 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.

In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts, and according to all its specifications. So he spent seven years building it.