1 Kings

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year 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.

1It was 480 years after the people of Israel left Egypt. Solomon had been king of Israel for four years. In the month of Zif, the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD.

NoteZif and Bul are old names of months in Israel's calendar. Zif came in the spring, and Bul came in the fall.

2And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.

2The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long. It was twenty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.

NoteA cubit was about 18 inches, the length of a man's arm from elbow to fingertip. So the house was about 90 feet long.

3And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.

3A covered entrance stood in front of the main room. It was twenty cubits wide, the same width as the house. It stuck out ten cubits in front.

4And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

4He made narrow windows set high in the walls of the house.

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:

5He built small rooms against the outside walls, all the way around. They went around the main room and the inner room too.

NoteThe KJV calls the inner room the "oracle." Here that word does not mean a message. It means the room at the back of the house, the Most Holy Place.

6The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven 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.

6The bottom floor of rooms was five cubits wide. The middle floor was six cubits wide. The top floor was seven cubits wide. He made ledges on the outside wall to hold the beams. That way no holes were cut into 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.

7The stones were cut and shaped where they were dug out. Then workers carried them to the building site. So no hammer, axe, or iron tool was heard while the house was built.

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 the third.

8The door to the lowest side rooms was on the south side of the house. Stairs curved up to the middle floor. From there they went up to the top floor.

9So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.

9So Solomon built the house and finished it. He roofed it with beams and boards of cedar wood.

10And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

10He built side rooms along the whole house, each one five cubits high. Cedar beams joined them to the house.

11And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,

11Then the LORD spoke his word to Solomon. He said:

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:

12"About this house you are building: obey my rules. Do what I have said is right. Keep all my commands and live by them. Then I will keep the promise I made to your father David."

13And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

13"I will live among the people of Israel. I will never leave my people Israel."

14So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

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 ceiling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.

15He lined the inside walls with cedar boards, from the floor to the ceiling. He covered the floor with boards of fir wood.

16And he built twenty 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.

16At the back he shut off a space twenty cubits long. He used cedar boards from the floor to the ceiling. This made an inner room, the Most Holy Place.

17And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.

17The main room in front of that inner room was forty cubits long.

18And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

18The cedar inside was carved with knops and open flowers. Everything was cedar. No stone could be seen at all.

Note"Knops" means shapes carved to look like gourds, a fruit like a small squash.

19And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

19He got the inner room ready inside the house. The ark of the covenant would be placed there. The ark was the special chest that held God's agreement with Israel.

20And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.

20The inner room was twenty cubits long, twenty wide, and twenty high. He covered the inside with pure gold. He also covered the cedar altar with gold.

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.

21So Solomon covered the inside of the house with pure gold. He hung gold chains across the front of the inner room. That room was covered with gold too.

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.

22He covered the whole inside of the house with gold, until all the work was done. He also covered with gold the whole altar by the inner room.

23And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

23Inside that room he made two cherubim out of olive wood. Cherubim are winged creatures, something like angels. Each one was ten cubits tall.

24And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

24One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long. Its other wing was five cubits long too. So its wings spread ten cubits from tip to tip.

25And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.

25The second cherub also measured ten cubits. Both cherubim were the same size and the same shape.

26The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.

26Each cherub stood ten cubits tall.

27And 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.

27He set the cherubim inside the inner room, with their wings spread wide. One wing of the first cherub touched one wall. One wing of the second cherub touched the other wall. Their other wings touched each other in the middle of the room.

28And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

28He covered the cherubim 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.

29He carved the walls all around, in the inner room and the outer room. The carvings showed cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.

30And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.

30He covered the floor of the house with gold, in both rooms.

31And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.

31For the doorway into the inner room he made doors of olive wood. The frame around the doors had five sides.

32The two 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.

32Both doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them. Then he covered them with gold, pressed over the carvings.

33So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.

33He made doorposts of olive wood for the main room's door in the same way. That frame had four sides.

34And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

34The two doors were made of fir wood. Each door had two panels that folded.

35And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

35He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them. He covered them with gold, pressed evenly over the carved work.

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

36He built the inner yard with three rows of cut stone. On top he laid one row of cedar beams.

37In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:

37The base of the LORD's house was laid in Solomon's fourth year as king, in the month of Zif.

38And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

38In his eleventh year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the house was finished. Every part was done just the way it was planned. So Solomon spent seven years building it.