Bible Time

¹And it came to pass in year 480 after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in year 4 of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is month 2, that he began to build the house of the LORD. ²And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was 60 cubits, and the breadth thereof 20 cubits, and the height thereof 30 cubits. ³And the porch before the temple of the house, 20 cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and 10 cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. ⁴And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

⁵And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about: ⁶The nethermost chamber was 5 cubits broad, and the middle was 6 cubits broad, and number 3 was 7 cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house. ⁷And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. ⁸The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into number 3. ⁹So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. ¹⁰And then he built chambers against all the house, 5 cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

¹¹And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, ¹²Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: ¹³And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. ¹⁴So Solomon built the house, and finished it. ¹⁵And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. ¹⁶And he built 20 cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. ¹⁷And the house, that is, the temple before it, was 40 cubits long. ¹⁸And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. ¹⁹And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. ²⁰And the oracle in the forepart was 20 cubits in length, and 20 cubits in breadth, and 20 cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar. ²¹So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. ²²And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

²³And within the oracle he made 2 cherubims of olive tree, each 10 cubits high. ²⁴And 5 cubits was the 1 wing of the cherub, and 5 cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the 1 wing unto the uttermost part of the other were 10 cubits. ²⁵And the other cherub was 10 cubits: both the cherubims were of 1 measure and 1 size. ²⁶The height of the 1 cherub was 10 cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. ²⁷And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the 1 touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched 1 another in the midst of the house. ²⁸And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. ²⁹And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. ³⁰And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.

³¹And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree the lintel and side posts were a 1/5 part of the wall. ³²The 2 doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. ³³So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a 1/4 part of the wall. ³⁴And the 2 doors were of fir tree: the 2 leaves of the 1 door were folding, and the 2 leaves of the other door were folding. ³⁵And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

³⁶And he built the inner court with 3 rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.

³⁷In year 4 was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: ³⁸And in year 11, in the month Bul, which is month 8, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he 7 years in building it.