New Heart English Bible

1Kings 6

1 It happened in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

2 The house which king Solomon built for the LORD, its length was one hundred three feet and four inches, and its breadth thirty-four feet and five inches, and its height fifty-one feet and eight inches.

3 The porch before the temple of the house, thirty-four feet and five inches was its length, according to the breadth of the house. Seventeen feet and three inches was its breadth before the house.

4 For the house he made windows of fixed lattice work.

5 Against the wall of the house he built stories all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side-rooms all around.

6 The lowest story was eight feet and seven inches broad, and the middle was ten feet and four inches broad, and the third was twelve feet and one inch broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.

7 The house, when it was in building, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

8 And the door for the lowest side-rooms was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third.

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

10 He built the stories against all the house, each eight feet and seven inches high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

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

12 "Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

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

14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

15 He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir.

16 He built thirty-four feet and five inches on the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the beams, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.

17 In front of the temple sanctuary was sixty-eight feet and eleven inches.

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

19 He prepared an inner sanctuary in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

20 And before the sanctuary was thirty-four feet and five inches in length, and thirty-four feet and five inches in breadth, and thirty-four feet and five inches in its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. And he made the altar of cedar.

21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold.

22 The whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each seventeen feet and three inches high.

24 Eight feet and seven inches was the one wing of the cherub, and eight feet and seven inches the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were seventeen feet and three inches.

25 The other cherub was seventeen feet and three inches: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

26 The height of the one cherub was seventeen feet and three inches, and so was it of the other cherub.

27 He set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, 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.

28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, inside and outside.

30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood: the lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.

32 So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim, and on the palm trees.

33 So also he made for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;

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

35 He carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.

36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone, and a course of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Ziv.

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