1Ki 6-7, 2Ch 3-4 | ESV | STEP | In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt , in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel , in the month of Ziv , which is the second month , he began to build the house of the Lord .

1 ^aIn the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, ^bhe began to build the house of the Lord. 2 ^cThe house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. 3 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. 4 And ^ehe made for the house windows with recessed frames. ^{▼▼Or blocked lattice windows} 5 ^gHe also built a structure ^{▼▼Or platform; also verse 10} against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and ⁱthe inner sanctuary. And he made ^jside chambers all around. 6 The lowest story ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew structure, or platform} was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

7 When the house was built, ^lit was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The entrance for the lowest ^{▼▼Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew middle} story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third. 9 ⁿSo he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar. 10 He built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, ^oif you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, ^pwhich I spoke to David your father. 13 And ^qI will dwell among the children of Israel ^rand will not forsake my people Israel.”

14 ^sSo Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, ^tand he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 ^uHe built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as ^vthe Most Holy Place. 17 The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18 The cedar within the house was carved in the form of ^wgourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. 19 The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 20 The inner sanctuary ^{▼▼Vulgate; Hebrew and before the inner sanctuary} was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid ^{▼▼Septuagint made} an altar of cedar. 21 And Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. ^zAlso the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 ^aaIn the inner sanctuary ^abhe made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high. 24 Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. ^acAnd the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house. 28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. 30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms.

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided. ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain} 32 He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

33 So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, 34 and two doors of cypress wood. ^aeThe two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work. 36 ^afHe built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams.

37 ^agIn the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.

1 Kings 7

Solomon Builds His Palace

1 Solomon was ^ahbuilding his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.

2 He built ^aithe House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four ^{▼▼Septuagint three} rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. 5 All the doorways and windows ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew posts} had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 And he made ^amthe Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and ^ana canopy in front of them.

7 And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. ^aoIt was finished with cedar from floor to rafters. ^{▼▼Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew floor}

8 His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter ^aqwhom he had taken in marriage.

9 All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. 12 ^arThe great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and ^asthe vestibule of the house.

The Temple Furnishings

13 And King Solomon sent and brought ^atHiram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And ^auhe was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

15 ^avHe cast ^awtwo pillars of bronze. ^axEighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same. ^{▼▼Targum, Syriac (compare Septuagint and Jeremiah 52:21); Hebrew fingers. And a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of the second pillar} 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and ^azthe height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew seven; twice in this verse} for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18 Likewise he made pomegranates ^{▼▼Two manuscripts (compare Septuagint); Hebrew pillars} in two rows around the one latticework to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and he did the same with the other capital. 19 Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were ^bctwo hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21 ^bdHe set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 22 And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.

23 ^beThen he made ^bfthe sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24 Under its brim were ^bggourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 25 It stood on ^bhtwelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth, ^{▼▼A handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters} and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths. ^{▼▼A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters}

27 He also made the ^bkten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This was the construction of the stands: they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, 29 and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30 Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. 36 And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. 37 After this manner he made ^blthe ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.

38 And he made ^bmten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. 39 And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

40 ^bnHiram also made ^bothe pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two ^bplatticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42 and the ^bqfour hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 43 the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands; 44 and ^brthe one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.

45 Now ^bsthe pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the Lord, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between ^btSuccoth and ^buZarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; ^bvthe weight of the bronze was not ascertained.

48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: ^bwthe golden altar, ^bxthe golden table for ^bythe bread of the Presence, 49 ^bzthe lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; ^cathe flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and ^cbfire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, ^ccthe Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in ^cdthe things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 3

Solomon Builds the Temple

1 ^ceThen Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem ^cfon Mount Moriah, where the Lord ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew lacks the Lord} had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, ^chon the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Solomon’s ^cimeasurements ^{▼▼Syriac; Hebrew foundations} for building the house of God: ^ckthe length, in cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, ^{▼▼Compare 1 Kings 6:3; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain} and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. 5 ^cnThe nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold ^coand made palms and chains on it. 6 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. 7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors— ^cpand he carved cherubim on the walls.

8 ^cqAnd he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of fine gold. 9 The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels. ^{▼▼A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams} And he overlaid ^ctthe upper chambers with gold.

10 ^cuIn the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of wood ^{▼▼Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain} and overlaid ^{▼▼Hebrew they overlaid} them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; 12 and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim ^{▼▼Hebrew they} stood on their feet, ^cyfacing the nave. 14 ^czAnd he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.

15 ^daIn front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains like a necklace ^{▼▼Hebrew chains in the inner sanctuary} and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 ^dcHe set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.

2 Chronicles 4

The Temple’s Furnishings

1 He made ^ddan altar of bronze, twenty cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2 ^dfThen he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3 Under it were figures of gourds, ^{▼▼Compare 1 Kings 7:24; Hebrew oxen; twice in this verse} for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 4 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 5 Its thickness was a handbreadth. ^{▼▼A handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters} And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. ^diIt held 3,000 baths. ^{▼▼A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters} 6 ^dkHe also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.

7 And he made ten golden lampstands ^dlas prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. 8 ^dmHe also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. 9 He made ^dnthe court of the priests ^doand the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 ^dpAnd he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

11 ^dq, ^drHiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. ^dsSo Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: 12 the two pillars, ^dtthe bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 13 ^duand the 400 pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars. 14 ^dvHe made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, 15 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. 16 The pots, the shovels, ^dwthe forks, and all the equipment for these ^dx, ^dyHuram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord. 17 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. ^{▼▼Spelled Zarethan in 1 Kings 7:46} 18 ^eaSolomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought.

19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, ^ebthe tables for the bread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold ^ecto burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; 22 the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets ^{▼▼Compare 1 Kings 7:50; Hebrew the entrance of the house} of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.