Study Desk

And so it came to pass, in the four hundred and eightieth year, by the coming forth of the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year (in the month of Zif, the same, being the second month) of the reign of Solomon over Israel, that he began to build the house unto Yahweh.

Now, the house which King Solomon built unto Yahweh, was sixty cubits in length, and twenty in breadth, - and thirty cubits in height.

And, the porch in front of the temple of the house, was twenty cubits in length, according to the breadth of the house, - ten cubits in breadth, in front of the house.

And he made to the house windows, with closed bars.

And he built - by the wall of the house - a gallery, round about, against the walls of the house, round about, both to the temple, and to the shrine, - and he made side chambers round about.

The, lowest gallery, was five cubits broad, and, the middle, six cubits broad, and, the third, seven cubits broad, - for he put, ledges, against the house round about, on the outer side, so as not to make fastenings in the walls of the house.

Now, the house, when it was in building, with whole quarry-stones, was built, - neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tools of iron, was heard in the house, when it was in building.

The entrance of the lowest story, was on the right side of the house, - and, by winding stairs, went they up unto the middle story , and, out of the middle, into, the third.

So he built the house, and finished it, - and ceiled the house with planks and beams of cedar;

and built the gallery against all the house, five cubits in height, - and so fastened the house, with timber of cedar.

Then came the word of Yahweh unto Solomon, saying:

Concerning this house, which thou art building, If thou wilt walk in my statutes, and, my regulations, wilt practise, and so observe all my commandments, by walking in them, Then will I establish my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father;

and will make my habitation in the midst of the sons of Israel, - and will not forsake my people Israel.

Thus Solomon built the house, and finished it;

and he built the walls of the house on the inside, with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house, unto the cross-beams of the ceiling, he overlaid it with wood, on the inside, - and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of fir.

And he built twenty cubits, at the hinder part of the house, with boards of cedar, from the floor as far as the cross-beams, - and he built it within, for a shrine, even for the holy of holies;

but, forty cubits, was the house itself, - the same, was the temple, before the oracle.

And, the cedar for the house within, was carved with colocynths, and with festoons of flowers, - the whole, was cedar, there was no stone to be seen.

And, the shrine in the midst of the house within, made he ready, - for placing there, the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.

And, the interior of the shrine, was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it, with pure gold, - and overlaid the altar with cedar.

Thus then did Solomon overlay the house within, with pure gold, - and he drew chains of gold across the front of the shrine, and overlaid it with gold;

yea, all the house, overlaid he with gold, until he had made all the house into one whole, - even all the altar that was by the shrine, overlaid he with gold.

And he made, within the shrine, two cherubim of wild olive wood, - ten cubits in height;

and, five cubits, was the one wing of the cherub, and, five cubits, the second wing of the cherub, - ten cubits, from the one end of his wings unto the other end of his wings.

Ten cubits, also was the second cherub, - of one size and one shape, were the two cherubim.

The height of the one cherub, was ten cubits, - and, so, of the second cherub.

And he placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the cherubim stretched forth their wings, - so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub, was touching the other wall, - and, their wings in the midst of the house, were touching, wing to wing.

And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

And, all the walls of the house round about, carved he with figures of cherubim, and palm-trees, and festoons of flowers, - within and without.

Even the floor of the house, overlaid he with gold, - within and without.

And, the entrance of the shrine, made he with doors, of wild olive-wood, the pillars and posts being a fifth.

The two doors, also were of olive-wood, and he carved upon them carvings of cherubim, and palm-trees, and festoons of flowers, and overlaid them with gold, - yea he spread out, over the cherubim and over the palm-trees, the gold.

So, also, made he for the entrance of the temple, with posts of wild olive-wood, - a fourth part.

And, the two doors, were of fir wood, - the two leaves of the one door, were folding, and, the two leaves of the other door, were folding.

And he carved cherubim, and palm-trees, and festoons of flowers, and overlaid them with gold, smoothed out on the carved work.

And he built the inner court, with three rows of hewn stone, - and a row of beams of cedar.

In the fourth year, was laid the foundation of the house of Yahweh, - in the month Zif;

and, in the eleventh year, in the month Bul - the same, is the eighth month, was the house finished, as to all the particulars thereof, and as to all the appointments thereof, - so then he built it in seven years.