Read the Bible

¹ It happened in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Yisra'el were come out of the land of Mitzrayim, in the fourth year of Shlomo's reign over Yisra'el, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. ² The house which king Shlomo built for the LORD, the length of it was sixty cubits, and the breadth of it twenty [cubits], and the height of it thirty cubits. ³ The porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length of it, according to the breadth of the house; [and] ten cubits was the breadth of it before the house. ⁴ For the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work. ⁵ Against the wall of the house he built stories round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about. ⁶ The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets [in the wall] of the house round about, that [the beams] should not have hold in the walls of the house. ⁷ The house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. ⁸ The door for the middle side- chambers was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle [story], and out of the middle into the third. ⁹ So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

¹¹ The word of the LORD came to Shlomo, saying, ¹² Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my mitzvot to walk in them; then will I establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. ¹³ I will dwell among the children of Yisra'el, and will not forsake my people Yisra'el. ¹⁴ So Shlomo built the house, and finished it.

¹⁵ He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir. ¹⁶ He built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls [of the ceiling]: he built [them] for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place. ¹⁷ The house, that is, the temple before [the oracle], was forty cubits [long]. ¹⁸ There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. ¹⁹ He prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. ²⁰ Within the oracle was [a space of] twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height of it; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar. ²¹ So Shlomo overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. ²² The whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold. ²³ In the oracle he made two Keruvim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high. ²⁴ Five cubits was the one wing of the Keruv, and five cubits the other wing of the Keruv: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. ²⁵ The other Keruv was ten cubits: both the Keruvim were of one measure and one form. ²⁶ The height of the one Keruv was ten cubits, and so was it of the other Keruv. ²⁷ He set the Keruvim within the inner house; and the wings of the Keruvim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other Keruv touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. ²⁸ He overlaid the Keruvim with gold. ²⁹ He carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of Keruvim and palm trees and open flowers, inside and outside. ³⁰ The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside. ³¹ For the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive-wood: the lintel [and] door-posts were a fifth part [of the wall]. ³² So [he made] two doors of olive-wood; and he carved on them carvings of Keruvim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the Keruvim, and on the palm trees. ³³ So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, out of a fourth part [of the wall]; ³⁴ and two doors of fir-wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. ³⁵ He carved [thereon] Keruvim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work. ³⁶ He built the inner court with three courses of hewn stone, and a course of cedar beams. ³⁷ In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Ziv. ³⁸ In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts of it, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.