1 Kings 6

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 In the four hundred and eightieth year from the departure of the Israelites from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, the construction of the temple of the LORD was begun.	1 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.
2 The temple which King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide, and twenty-five high.	2 The house which King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
3 The porch in front of the temple was twenty cubits from side to side, along the width of the nave, and ten cubits deep in front of the temple.	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 Splayed windows with trellises were made for the temple,	4 And he made for the house windows with recessed frames.
5 and adjoining the wall of the temple, which enclosed the nave and the sanctuary, an annex of several stories was built.	5 He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running round the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary; and he made side chambers all around.
6 Its lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle one six cubits wide, the third seven cubits wide, because there were offsets along the outside of the temple so that the beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple.	6 The lowest story 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 (The temple was built of stone dressed at the quarry, so that no hammer, axe, or iron tool was to be heard in the temple during its construction.)	7 When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry; so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the temple, while it was being built.
8 The entrance to the lowest floor of the annex was at the right side of the temple, and stairs with intermediate landings led up to the middle story and from the middle story to the third.	8 The entrance for the lowest 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 When the temple was built to its full height, it was roofed in with rafters and boards of cedar.	9 So he built the house, and finished it; and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar.
10 The annex, with its lowest story five cubits high, was built all along the outside of the temple, to which it was joined by cedar beams.	10 He built the structure against the whole house, each story five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.
11 This word of the LORD came to Solomon:	11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon,
12 "As to this temple you are building--if you observe my statutes, carry out my ordinances, keep and obey all my commands, I will fulfill toward you the promise I made to your father David.	12 "Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my ordinances and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.
13 I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites and will not forsake my people Israel."	13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel."
14 When Solomon finished building the temple,	14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15 its walls were lined from floor to ceiling beams with cedar paneling, and its floor was laid with fir planking.	15 He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the rafters of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress.
16 At the rear of the temple a space of twenty cubits was set off by cedar partitions from the floor to the rafters, enclosing the sanctuary, the holy of holies.	16 He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the rafters, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the most holy place.
17 The nave, or part of the temple in front of the sanctuary, was forty cubits long.	17 The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long.
18 The cedar in the interior of the temple was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers; all was of cedar, and no stone was to be seen.	18 The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, no stone was seen.
19 In the innermost part of the temple was located the sanctuary to house the ark of the LORD'S covenant,	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 twenty cubits long, twenty wide, and twenty high.	20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high; and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also made an altar of cedar.
21 Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold. He made in front of the sanctuary a cedar altar, overlaid it with gold, and looped it with golden chains.	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 The entire temple was overlaid with gold so that it was completely covered with it; the whole altar before the sanctuary was also overlaid with gold.	22 And he overlaid the whole house 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 sanctuary were two cherubim, each ten cubits high, made of olive wood.	23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high.
24 Each wing of a cherub measured five cubits so that the space from wing tip to wing tip of each was ten cubits.	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 cherubim were identical in size and shape,	25 The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form.
26 and each was exactly ten cubits high.	26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub.
27 The cherubim were placed in the inmost part of the temple, with their wings spread wide, so that one wing of each cherub touched a side wall while the other wing, pointing toward the middle of the room, touched the corresponding wing of the second cherub.	27 He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house; and 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 The cherubim, too, were overlaid with gold.	28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 The walls on all sides of both the inner and the outer rooms had carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.	29 He carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms.
30 The floor of both the inner and the outer rooms was overlaid with gold.	30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms.
31 At the entrance of the sanctuary, doors of olive wood were made; the doorframes had beveled posts.	31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts formed a pentagon.
32 The two doors were of olive wood, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The doors were overlaid with gold, which was also molded to the cherubim and the palm trees.	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 upon the cherubim and upon the palm trees.
33 The same was done at the entrance to the nave, where the doorposts of olive wood were rectangular.	33 So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square,
34 The two doors were of fir wood; each door was banded by a metal strap, front and back,	34 and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35 and had carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, over which gold was evenly applied.	35 On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied upon the carved work.
36 The inner court was walled off by means of three courses of hewn stones and one course of cedar beams.	36 He built the inner court with three courses of hewn stone and one course of cedar beams.
37 The foundations of the LORD'S temple were laid in the month of Ziv	37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv.
38 in the fourth year, and it was completed in all particulars, exactly according to plan, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, in the eleventh year. Thus it took Solomon seven years to build it.	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.