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For he was wiser than everyone — wiser than Eitan the Ezrachi and wiser than Heiman, Kalkol and Darda the sons of Machol; so that his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.

But now Adonai my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor calamity. So now I intend to build a house for the name of Adonai my God, in keeping with what Adonai said to David my father, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, will be the one to build the house for my name.' Therefore, order your people to cut down cedar trees from the L'vanon for me. My servants will be with your servants. I will pay your servants according to everything you say; for you know that we have no one among us as skilled in felling trees as the Tzidonim." When Hiram heard Shlomo's message, he was very happy and said, "Blessed be Adonai today, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people." Then Hiram sent Shlomo this message: "I have heard the message you sent me, and I will do everything you want concerning cedar logs and cypress logs. My servants will bring them down from the L'vanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to whatever place you tell me and will have them broken up there, and you will receive them. You will compensate me by providing food for my household." So Hiram gave Shlomo all the cedar logs and cypress logs he wanted; and Shlomo gave Hiram 100,000 bushels of wheat as food for his household and a thousand gallons of oil from pressed olives — this is what Shlomo gave Hiram each year. Adonai gave Shlomo wisdom, as he had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Shlomo — the two of them formed an alliance together. King Shlomo conscripted 30,000 men from all Isra'el for forced labor. He sent them to the L'vanon in monthly relays of 10,000; they would stay a month in the L'vanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. Shlomo had 70,000 men to carry loads and another 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, besides Shlomo's 3,300 supervisors who were in charge of the people doing the work. The king gave orders; and they quarried large stones, expensive stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stone. Shlomo's and Hiram's builders, along with the men from G'val, worked the stones and prepared the timber and stones for building the house.

The hall fronting the temple of the house was thirty-five feet long, the same as the width of the house itself, so that its seventeen-and-a-half-foot width extended frontward from the house.

The lowest floor of the annex was eight-and-three-quarters feet wide, the middle floor ten-and-a-half feet wide and the third floor twelve-and-a-quarter feet wide; for he had made the outer part of the wall of the house step-shaped, so that the beams of the annex would not have to be attached to the house walls.

For the house, when under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; so that no hammer, chisel or iron tool of any kind was heard in the house while it was being built.

So he built the house, and after finishing it, he put its roof on — cedar planks over beams.

So Shlomo finished building the house.

In the inner part of the house he set up the sanctuary, so that the ark for the covenant of Adonai could be placed there.

Each of the two wings of one of the k'ruvim was eight-and-three quarters feet long, so that the distance from the end of one wing to the end of the other was seventeen-and-a-half feet.

He set the k'ruvim in the inner house; the wings of the k'ruvim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other keruv touched the other wall; their wings touched each other in the middle of the house.

There were three rows of window openings, placed so that the windows on facing walls were opposite each other at all three levels.

According to this design he made the ten trolleys; all of them were cast from a single mold, so that they had the same size and shape.

Shlomo did not weigh any of these objects, because there were so many of them; thus the total weight of the bronze could not be determined.

The poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day.

so that, because of the cloud, the cohanim could not stand up to perform their service; for the glory of Adonai filled the house of Adonai .

‘Since the day I brought my people Isra'el out of Egypt, I chose no city from any of the tribes of Isra'el in which to build a house, so that my name might be there; but I did choose David to be over my people Isra'el.'

You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father; you spoke with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand; so it is today.

Now therefore, Adonai , God of Isra'el, keep what you promised to your servant David, my father, when you said, ‘You will never lack a man in my presence to sit on the throne of Isra'el, if only your children are careful about what they do, so that they live in my presence, just as you have lived in my presence.'

"But can God actually live on the earth? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain you; so how much less this house I have built?

Even so, Adonai my God, pay attention to your servant's prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying before you today,