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1 KIN G S 7
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary at the far
end of the Temple, where the Ark of the Lord’s
Covenant would be placed. 20 This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet
high. He overlaid the inside with solid gold. He
also overlaid the altar made of cedar.* 21 Then
Solomon overlaid the rest of the Temple’s interior with solid gold, and he made gold chains
to protect the entrance* to the Most Holy Place.
22 So he finished overlaying the entire Temple
with gold, including the altar that belonged to
the Most Holy Place.
23 He made two cherubim of wild olive* wood,
each 15 feet* tall, and placed them in the inner
sanctuary. 24 The wingspan of each of the cherubim was 15 feet, each wing being 71⁄2 feet* long.
25 The two cherubim were identical in shape
and size; 26 each was 15 feet tall. 27 He placed
them side by side in the inner sanctuary of the
Temple. Their outspread wings reached from
wall to wall, while their inner wings touched
at the center of the room. 28 He overlaid the two
cherubim with gold.
29 He decorated all the walls of the inner
sanctuary and the main room with carvings of
cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30 He
overlaid the floor in both rooms with gold.
31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, he
made double doors of wild olive wood with fivesided doorposts.* 32 These double doors were
decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm
trees, and open flowers. The doors, including
the decorations of cherubim and palm trees,
were overlaid with gold.
33 Then he made four-sided doorposts of
wild olive wood for the entrance to the Temple.
34 There were two folding doors of cypress wood,
and each door was hinged to fold back upon
itself. 35 These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers—all overlaid evenly with gold.
36 The walls of the inner courtyard were built
so that there was one layer of cedar beams between every three layers of finished stone.
37 The foundation of the Lord’s Temple was
laid in midspring, in the month of Ziv,* during
the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. 38 The entire building was completed in every detail by
midautumn, in the month of Bul,* during the
eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years
to build the Temple.
Solomon Builds His Palace
Solomon also built a palace for himself,
and it took him thirteen years to complete
the construction.
2 One of Solomon’s buildings was called the
Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet
long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.* There
were four rows of cedar pillars, and great cedar
beams rested on the pillars. 3 The hall had a
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cedar roof. Above the beams on the pillars were
forty-five side rooms,* arranged in three tiers of
fifteen each. 4 On each end of the long hall were
three rows of windows facing each other. 5 All
the doorways and doorposts* had rectangular
frames and were arranged in sets of three, facing each other.
6 Solomon also built the Hall of Pillars, which
was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide.* There was a
porch in front, along with a canopy supported
by pillars.
7 Solomon also built the throne room, known
as the Hall of Justice, where he sat to hear legal
matters. It was paneled with cedar from floor to
ceiling.* 8 Solomon’s living quarters surrounded
a courtyard behind this hall, and they were constructed the same way. He also built similar living quarters for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he
had married.
9 From foundation to eaves, all these buildings were built from huge blocks of high-quality
stone, cut with saws and trimmed to exact measure on all sides. 10 Some of the huge foundation
stones were 15 feet long, and some were 12 feet*
long. 11 The blocks of high-quality stone used in
the walls were also cut to measure, and cedar
beams were also used. 12 The walls of the great
courtyard were built so that there was one layer
of cedar beams between every three layers of
finished stone, just like the walls of the inner
courtyard of the Lord’s Temple with its entry
room.
Furnishings for the Temple
13 King Solomon then asked for a man named
Huram* to come from Tyre. 14 He was half Israelite, since his mother was a widow from
the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been
a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. Huram was
extremely skillful and talented in any work in
bronze, and he came to do all the metal work
for King Solomon.
15 Huram cast two bronze pillars, each 27 feet
tall and 18 feet in circumference.* 16 For the
tops of the pillars he cast bronze capitals, each
6:20 Or overlaid the altar with cedar. The meaning of the
Hebrew is uncertain. 6:21 Or to draw curtains across.
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 6:23a Or pine;
Hebrew reads oil tree; also in 6:31, 33. 6:23b Hebrew
10 cubits [4.6 meters]; also in 6:24, 26. 6:24 Hebrew 5 cubits
[2.3 meters]. 6:31 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
6:37 Hebrew was laid in the month of Ziv. This month of the
ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the
months of April and May. 6:38 Hebrew by the month of Bul,
which is the eighth month. This month of the ancient Hebrew
lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of October
and November. 7:2 Hebrew 100 cubits [46 meters] long,
50 cubits [23 meters] wide, and 30 cubits [13.8 meters] high.
7:3 Or 45 rafters, or 45 beams, or 45 pillars. The architectural
details in 7:2-6 can be interpreted in many different ways.
7:5 Greek version reads windows. 7:6 Hebrew 50 cubits
[23 meters] long and 30 cubits [13.8 meters] wide. 7:7 As
in Syriac version and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads from
floor to floor. 7:10 Hebrew 10 cubits [4.6 meters] . . . 8 cubits
[3.7 meters]. 7:13 Hebrew Hiram (also in 7:40, 45);
compare 2 Chr 2:13. This is not the same person mentioned
in 5:1. 7:15 Hebrew 18 cubits [8.3 meters] tall and 12 cubits
[5.5 meters] in circumference.