2Ch 3 | EE | STEP | Then Solomon began to build the LORD‘s house in Jerusalem on the mountain called Moriah. That is where the LORD appeared to his father David. David had bought that place and he had prepared it. Before that, it was the place where Ornan made his wheat seeds separate from their hard coat. (Ornan belonged to the people called Jebusites.)

2 Chronicles 3

Solomon begins to build

1 Then Solomon began to build the LORD‘s house in Jerusalem on the mountain called Moriah. That is where the LORD appeared to his father David. David had bought that place and he had prepared it. Before that, it was the place where Ornan made his wheat seeds separate from their hard coat. (Ornan belonged to the people called Jebusites.) 2 Solomon began to build in the 4th year after he began to rule Israel. It was the 2nd day of the 2nd month. ^{▼▼3:2 Solomon began to build the temple in the 4th year of his rule. This was about 966 BC.} ^{▼▼3:2 Moriah was also the place where God had asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:2)}

3 Solomon put the strong stones for the floor of God’s house in the ground. He made it about 27 metres (90 feet) long and 9 metres (30 feet) wide. (He measured it with the old thing called a cubit.)

4 The large entrance at the front of the temple was about 9 metres (30 feet) long and 54 metres (180 feet) high. It went across the whole front of the temple. He covered it inside with the best gold. ^{▼▼3:4 Some students think that the entrance was only 9 metres (30 feet) high.}

Inside the temple

5 He covered the walls inside the biggest room with pine wood. Then he covered that with good gold. Then his workers drew pictures of palm trees and chains in the gold. 6 He used valuable stones to make the temple beautiful. The gold that he used came from Parvaim. 7 He covered the temple with gold. He covered the beams in the temple‘s ceiling with gold. And he put gold under the doors. And he covered the walls and doors with gold. He cut pictures of cherubs on the walls.

The Most Holy Place

8 He built the Most Holy Place. It measured 9 metres (30 feet) long and 9 metres wide. It was as long as the temple was wide. He covered the walls inside with about 20,000 kilos (45,000 pounds) of the best gold. 9 The gold for the nails had a weight of about 0.6 kilos (1.25 pounds). Also, he covered the walls of the rooms above with gold.

10 In the Most Holy Place, he made models of two cherubs and he covered them with gold. 11 ^{▼▼This verse is empty because in this translation its contents have been moved to form part of verse 2Ch 3:13.} ^{▼▼In this translation, this verse contains text which in some other translations appears in verses 2Ch 3:11-2Ch 3:13.}12 ^{▼▼This verse is empty because in this translation its contents have been moved to form part of verse 2Ch 3:13.} ^{▼▼In this translation, this verse contains text which in some other translations appears in verses 2Ch 3:11-2Ch 3:13.}13 They stood side by side in the Most Holy Place with their faces towards the biggest room. Each cherub had 2 wings about 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) long. They held their wings out at their sides. One wing of a cherub touched a wing of the other cherub. The other wing of each cherub touched a wall of the Most Holy Place. Both pairs of wings measured 9 metres (30 feet) together.

14 He made a blue, purple and dark red linen curtain with pictures of cherubs on it.

The two bronze pillars

15 He made two pillars at the front of the temple. They were about 16 metres (52 feet) long. Each pillar had a top part about 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) long.

16 He made chains and he put them on the top parts of the pillars. And he made 100 models of fruits called pomegranates. And he put them on the chains. 17 Then he put the pillars up on each side of the temple‘s entrance. He put one pillar on the right side and he put the other pillar on the left side. The pillar on the right side he called Jachin, and the pillar on the left side he called Boaz. ^{▼▼3:17 Jachin probably means ‘He (God) establishes or He sets up.’ And Boaz probably means ‘He (God) gives strength’.}