1 Kings 6 — FBV

6Verse 1Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of King Solomon's reign, in the month of Ziv, Solomon began building the Temple of the Lord.^{Verse 2}The Temple King Solomon built for the Lord measured sixty cubits long by twenty cubits wide by thirty cubits high.^{Verse 3}The entrance room at the front of the Temple was twenty cubits wide. It ran the whole width of the Temple and projected out ten cubits in front of the Temple.^{Verse 4}He had latticed windows made to be placed high up in the Temple.^{Verse 5}He also had a structure built against the outer wall of the Temple, both the outer and the inner sanctuary, to provide a series of side rooms.^{Verse 6}The ground floor measured five cubits wide, the first floor six cubits, and the second floor seven cubits. In addition he had offset ledges placed all the way around the outside, so that beams would not have to be inserted into the Temple walls.^{Verse 7}When the Temple was built the stones were finished at the quarry so that no noise from any hammer, ax, or any iron tool was heard in the Temple during construction.^{Verse 8}The entrance to the ground floor was on the south side of the Temple. Stairs led to the first floor, and then on to the second floor.^{Verse 9}So Solomon finished building the Temple, covering it with a roof made of cedar rafters and planks.^{Verse 10}He built the external structure along the whole of the Temple. It was five cubits high, joined to the Temple with cedar joists.^{Verse 11}The Lord sent this message to Solomon, telling him,^{Verse 12}“About this Temple you are building: if you follow what I have said, fulfilling my requirements and keeping my commandments in what you do, I will keep the promise I made to your father David through you.^{Verse 13}I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon Israel, my people.”^{Verse 14}Solomon finished building the Temple.^{Verse 15}He lined the walls with cedar panels from floor to ceiling and he covered the floor of the Temple with cypress boards.^{Verse 16}He sectioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the Temple with boards of cedar from floor to ceiling, making an inner sanctuary as the Most Holy Place.^{Verse 17}The main Temple in front of this room measured forty cubits long.^{Verse 18}The cedar panels inside the Temple were decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers. Everything was lined with cedar—none of the stone was visible.^{Verse 19}He also had the inner sanctuary made within the Temple where the Ark of the Lord's Agreement would be placed.^{Verse 20}The inner sanctuary measured twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He had the interior covered with a coating with pure gold, as well as the altar of cedar.^{Verse 21}Solomon had the whole of the inside of the Temple covered with pure gold, He had gold chains stretched across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was also covered with gold.^{Verse 22}He covered the whole inside of the Temple with a coating of gold until it was all finished. He also covered with gold the entire altar for the inner sanctuary.^{Verse 23}He had two cherubim made out of olive wood for the inner sanctuary, each one ten cubits tall.^{Verse 24}Both wings of the cherub measured five cubits, making a total wingspan of ten cubits.^{Verse 25}The other cherub was also ten cubits tall, since they were identical both in size and shape.^{Verse 26}Both cherubs were ten cubits tall.^{Verse 27}He had the cherubim placed inside the inner sanctuary of the Temple. Since their wings were fully spread, a wing of the first cherub touched one wall, a wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the Temple their wings touched.^{Verse 28}The cherubim were also covered with a gold coating.^{Verse 29}He had all the Temple walls, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, carved with designs of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.^{Verse 30}He also had the floor of the Temple covered with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.^{Verse 31}He had doors of olive wood made for the entrance to the inner sanctuary, together with a lintel and doorposts that had five sides.^{Verse 32}These olive wood double doors had carved into them designs of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The cherubim and palm trees carvings were covered with beaten gold.^{Verse 33}Similarly he had four-sided doorposts of olive wood made for the entrance to the sanctuary.^{Verse 34}Its doors were made of cypress wood, each with two hinged panels.^{Verse 35}He had them carved with designs of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and covered them with gold beaten evenly over the carvings.^{Verse 36}Solomon had the inner courtyard built with three courses of dressed stone and one of cedar beams.^{Verse 37}The foundation of the Lord's Temple was laid in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, in the month of Ziv.^{Verse 38}The Temple was finished exactly as specified and planned in Solomon's eleventh year, in the eighth month, the month of Bul. So it took him seven years to build the Temple.