1 Kings 6

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year ofSolomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began building the Temple ofYahweh.	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.
2 The temple which King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and twenty-five high.	2 The temple which King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide, and twenty-five high.
3 The portico in front of the Hekal of the Temple was twenty cubits long across the width of the Templeand ten cubits wide along the length of the Temple.	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.
4 He made windows for the Temple with frames and latticework.	4 Splayed windows with trellises were made for the temple,
5 He also built an annex against the Temple wal , right round the Hekal and Debir. He built lateral storeysal round;	5 and adjoining the wall of the temple, which enclosed the nave and the sanctuary, an annex of several stories was built.
6 the lowest lateral storey was five cubits wide, the middle one six cubits, and the third seven cubits, for hehad made the outside of the Temple wal correspondingly stepped back al round, so that the annex was notattached to the Temple wal s.	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.
7 (The building of the Temple was done with quarry -- dressed stone; no sound of hammer or pick or anyiron tool was to be heard in the Temple while it was being built.)	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.)
8 The entrance to the lowest storey was at the right-hand corner of the Temple; access to the middlestorey was by a spiral staircase, and so from the middle storey to the third.	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.
9 Having finished building the Temple, he roofed the Temple with a coffered ceiling of cedar wood.	9 When the temple was built to its full height, it was roofed in with rafters and boards of cedar.
10 Round the outside of the Temple he then built the annex which was five cubits high and was joined tothe Temple by cedar-wood beams.	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.
11 And the word of Yahweh came to Solomon,	11 This word of the LORD came to Solomon:
12 'With regard to this temple which you are now building, if you follow my statutes and obey myordinances and faithful y follow my commandments, I shal fulfil the promise which I made about you to yourfather David.	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.
13 And I shal make my home among the Israelites and never forsake Israel my people.'	13 I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites and will not forsake my people Israel."
14 Solomon finished building the Temple.	14 When Solomon finished building the temple,
15 He lined the inside of the Temple wal s with panels of cedar wood-panelling them on the inside fromthe floor of the Temple to the beams of the ceiling -- and laid the floor of the Temple with juniper planks.	15 its walls were lined from floor to ceiling beams with cedar paneling, and its floor was laid with fir planking.
16 The twenty cubits measured from the end of the Temple he built of cedar planks from the floor to thebeams, and this part was reserved as the Debir, the Holy of Holies.	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.
17 The Temple measured forty cubits -- the Hekal -- in front of the Debir.	17 The nave, or part of the temple in front of the sanctuary, was forty cubits long.
18 There was cedar wood round the inside of the Temple, ornamentally carved with gourds and rosettes;al was cedar wood, with no stone showing.	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.
19 In the inner part of the Temple he designed a Debir, to contain the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.	19 In the innermost part of the temple was located the sanctuary to house the ark of the LORD'S covenant,
20 The Debir was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty high, and he overlaid it on the insidewith pure gold. He made an altar of cedar wood	20 twenty cubits long, twenty wide, and twenty high.
21 in front of the Debir and overlaid it with gold.	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.
22 He overlaid the whole Temple with gold, the whole Temple entirely.	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.
23 In the Debir he made two great winged creatures of wild-olive wood. . .It was ten cubits high.	23 In the sanctuary were two cherubim, each ten cubits high, made of olive wood.
24 One winged creature's wing was five cubits long and the other wing five cubits: ten cubits from wing tipto wing tip.	24 Each wing of a cherub measured five cubits so that the space from wing tip to wing tip of each was ten cubits.
25 The other winged creature also measured ten cubits; both had the same measurements and the sameshape.	25 The cherubim were identical in size and shape,
26 The height of one was the same as the other's.	26 and each was exactly ten cubits high.
27 He placed them in the middle of the inner chamber; their wings were spread out so that the wing of onetouched one of the wal s and the wing of the other touched the other wall, while their wings met in the middle ofthe chamber wing to wing.	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.
28 And he overlaid them with gold.	28 The cherubim, too, were overlaid with gold.
29 Al round the Temple wal s he carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees and rosettes, both insideand outside.	29 The walls on all sides of both the inner and the outer rooms had carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
30 He overlaid the floor of the Temple with gold, both inside and outside.	30 The floor of both the inner and the outer rooms was overlaid with gold.
31 He made the door of the Debir with uprights of wild-olive wood, and door jambs with five indentedsections,	31 At the entrance of the sanctuary, doors of olive wood were made; the doorframes had beveled posts.
32 and the two leaves of wild-olive wood. He carved figures of great winged creatures, palm trees androsettes which he overlaid with gold, and he gilded winged creatures and palm trees.	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.
33 Similarly, he made uprights of wild-olive wood for the door of the Hekal, and door jambs with fourindented sections,	33 The same was done at the entrance to the nave, where the doorposts of olive wood were rectangular.
34 and the two leaves of juniper: one leaf had two ribs binding it, and the other had two ribs binding it.	34 The two doors were of fir wood; each door was banded by a metal strap, front and back,
35 He carved winged creatures, palm trees and rosettes, which he overlaid with gold laid evenly over thecarvings.	35 and had carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, over which gold was evenly applied.
36 He built the wal of the inner court in three courses of dressed stone and one course of cedar beams.	36 The inner court was walled off by means of three courses of hewn stones and one course of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year, in the month of Ziv, the foundations of the Temple were laid;	37 The foundations of the LORD'S temple were laid in the month of Ziv
38 in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul -- that is, the eighth month -- the Temple was completedexactly as it had been planned and designed. Solomon took seven years to build it.	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.