Solomon Builds the Temple

6 ^yIn 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, ^zhe began to build the house of the Lord. 2 ^aThe house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits¹ 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 ^bhe made for the house windows with recessed frames.² 5 ^cHe also built a structure³ against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and ^dthe inner sanctuary. And he made ^eside chambers all around. 6 The lowest story⁴ 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, ^fit 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 lowest⁵ 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 ^gSo 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, ^hif 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, ⁱwhich I spoke to David your father. 13 And ^jI will dwell among the children of Israel ^kand will not forsake my people Israel.”

14 ^lSo 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, ^mand he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 ⁿHe 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 ^othe 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 ^pgourds 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 sanctuary⁶ was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid⁷ 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. ^qAlso the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 ^rIn the inner sanctuary ^she 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. ^tAnd 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.⁸ 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. ^uThe 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 ^vHe built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams.

37 ^wIn 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.

Solomon Builds His Palace

7 Solomon was ^xbuilding his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.

2 He built ^ythe House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits¹ and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four² 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 windows³ had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 And he made ^zthe Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and ^aa 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. ^bIt was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.⁴

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 ^cwhom 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 ^dThe 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 ^ethe vestibule of the house.

The Temple Furnishings

13 And King Solomon sent and brought ^fHiram 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 ^ghe was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

15 ^hHe cast ⁱtwo pillars of bronze. ^jEighteen 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.⁵ 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 ^jthe 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 lattice⁶ for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18 Likewise he made pomegranates⁷ 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 ^ktwo hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21 ^lHe 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 ^mThen he made ⁿthe 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 ^ogourds, 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 ^ptwelve 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,⁸ and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.⁹

27 He also made the ^qten 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 ^qthe ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.

38 And he made ^rten 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 ^sHiram also made ^tthe 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 ^ulatticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42 and the ^vfour 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 ^wthe one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.

45 Now ^xthe 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 ^ySuccoth and ^zZarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; ^athe weight of the bronze was not ascertained.

48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: ^bthe golden altar, ^cthe golden table for ^dthe bread of the Presence, 49 ^ethe lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; ^fthe flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and ^gfire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, ^hthe 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 ⁱthe 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.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

8 ^jThen Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, ^kthe leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, ^lto bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of ^mthe city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at ⁿthe feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and ^othe priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the Lord, ^pthe tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, ^qsacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 ^rThen the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord ^sto its place in ^tthe inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 ^uAnd the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before ^tthe inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except ^vthe two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where ^wthe Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, ^xa cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Blesses the Lord

12 ^yThen Solomon said, “The Lord¹ has said that he would dwell ^zin thick darkness. 13 ^aI have indeed built you an exalted house, ^ba place for you to dwell in forever.” 14 Then the king turned around and ^cblessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. 15 And he said, ^d“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled ^ewhat he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 16 ^f‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, ^gthat my name might be there. ^hBut I chose David to be over my people Israel.’ 17 ⁱNow it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 ^jNevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ 20 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, ^kas the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, ^lin which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

22 Then Solomon ^mstood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and ⁿspread out his hands toward heaven, 23 and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, ^othere is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, ^pkeeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 24 you have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. ^eYou spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. 25 Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ^q‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’ 26 ^rNow therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.

27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, ^sheaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 ^tthat your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ^u‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take ^van oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, ^wcondemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

33 ^x“When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and ^yif they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 34 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers.

35 ^z“When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when ^ayou teach them ^bthe good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

37 ^c“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates,² whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, 39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (^dfor you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), 40 that they may fear you ^eall the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.