1 Kings 6

Solomon Builds the Temple

1 And it came to pass in the year four hundred and eighty after the sons of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the beginning of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2 And the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 3 And the porch before the temple of the house was twenty cubits long, according to the width of the house; and its width was ten cubits before the house. 4 And for the house he made windows broad within and narrow without. 5 And against the wall of the house, he built wings round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made chambers round about. 6 The lower wing was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide, for without in the wall of the house, he had made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.

7 And the house, when it was built, was put together of perfect stones made ready before they were brought there; so that there was no hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was being built.

8 The door for the middle wing was in the right side of the house; and they went up with winding stairs into the middle wing and out of the middle into the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it and covered the house with work of cedar placed in order. 10 And then he built the wing against all the house, five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

11 And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes and execute my rights and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then I will perform my word with thee, which I spoke unto David thy father; 13 and I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house and the walls of the ceiling; and he covered them on the inside with wood and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 16 And he built twenty cubits on the end of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar; and he built an oracle in the house, which is the holy of holies. 17 And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. 18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with wild gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. 19 And he prepared the oracle in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length and twenty cubits wide and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold and likewise covered the altar which was of cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold, and he closed the door of the oracle with chains of gold, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house; also the whole altar that was in front of the oracle he overlaid with gold.

23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 And one wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits; from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. 25 Likewise, the other cherub was ten cubits, for both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house, and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, 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 midst of the house. 28 And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.

31 And at the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and side posts had five sides. 32 The two doors were of olive wood, and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and overlaid them with gold and covered the cherubims and the palm trees with gold.

33 In the same manner he made posts of olive wood at the entrance of the temple with four sides. 34 The two doors were of fir; the two sides of the one door were rounded, and the two leaves of the other door were rounded. 35 And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work. 36 And he built the inner court with three orders of hewed stone and an order of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month Zif. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and with everything necessary. So he was seven years in building it.

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