| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, during the month Ziv (the second month), he began building the LORD's temple. | 1It was in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that he began to construct the Temple of the LORD. This was 480 years after the people of Israel were rescued from their slavery in the land of Egypt. |
| 2The temple King Solomon built for the LORD was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. | 2The Temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. |
| 3The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet long, corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet wide, extending out from the front of the temple. | 3The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet wide, running across the entire width of the Temple. It projected outward 15 feet from the front of the Temple. |
| 4He made framed windows for the temple. | 4Solomon also made narrow recessed windows throughout the Temple. |
| 5He built an extension all around the walls of the temple's main hall and holy place and constructed side rooms in it. | 5He built a complex of rooms against the outer walls of the Temple, all the way around the sides and rear of the building. |
| 6The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet wide, the middle floor nine feet wide, and the third floor ten and a half feet wide. He made ledges on the temple's outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls. | 6The complex was three stories high, the bottom floor being 7 1/2 feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the top floor 10 1/2 feet wide. The rooms were connected to the walls of the Temple by beams resting on ledges built out from the wall. So the beams were not inserted into the walls themselves. |
| 7As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built. | 7The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site. |
| 8The entrance to the bottom level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up to the middle floor and then on up to the third floor. | 8The entrance to the bottom floor was on the south side of the Temple. There were winding stairs going up to the second floor, and another flight of stairs between the second and third floors. |
| 9He finished building the temple and covered it with rafters and boards made of cedar. | 9After completing the Temple structure, Solomon put in a ceiling made of cedar beams and planks. |
| 10He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams. | 10As already stated, he built a complex of rooms along the sides of the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each story of the complex was 7 1/2 feet high. |
| 11The LORD said to Solomon: | 11Then the LORD gave this message to Solomon: |
| 12"As for this temple you are building, if you follow my rules, observe my regulations, and obey all my commandments, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. | 12“Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. |
| 13I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." | 13I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.” The Temple’s Interior |
| 14So Solomon finished building the temple. | 14So Solomon finished building the Temple. |
| 15He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters of the ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens. | 15The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled with wood. He paneled the walls and ceilings with cedar, and he used planks of cypress for the floors. |
| 16He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place. He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters. | 16He partitioned off an inner sanctuary—the Most Holy Place—at the far end of the Temple. It was 30 feet deep and was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. |
| 17The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. | 17The main room of the Temple, outside the Most Holy Place, was 60 feet long. |
| 18The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible. | 18Cedar paneling completely covered the stone walls throughout the Temple, and the paneling was decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers. |
| 19He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD could be placed there. | 19He prepared the inner sanctuary at the far end of the Temple, where the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant would be placed. |
| 20The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, as well as the cedar altar. | 20This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He overlaid the inside with solid gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar. |
| 21Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary with gold. | 21Then Solomon overlaid the rest of the Temple’s interior with solid gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place. |
| 22He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside the inner sanctuary. | 22So he finished overlaying the entire Temple with gold, including the altar that belonged to the Most Holy Place. |
| 23In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet high. | 23He made two cherubim of wild olive wood, each 15 feet tall, and placed them in the inner sanctuary. |
| 24Each of the first cherub's wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. | 24The wingspan of each of the cherubim was 15 feet, each wing being 7 1/2 feet long. |
| 25The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. | 25The two cherubim were identical in shape and size; |
| 26Each cherub stood 15 feet high. | 26each was 15 feet tall. |
| 27He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub's wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub's wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub's other wing touched the second cherub's other wing in the middle of the room. | 27He placed them side by side in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. Their outspread wings reached from wall to wall, while their inner wings touched at the center of the room. |
| 28He plated the cherubs with gold. | 28He overlaid the two cherubim with gold. |
| 29On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, he carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. | 29He decorated all the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. |
| 30He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out. | 30He overlaid the floor in both rooms with gold. |
| 31He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. | 31For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, he made double doors of wild olive wood with five-sided doorposts. |
| 32On the two doors made of olive wood he carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold. | 32These double doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The doors, including the decorations of cherubim and palm trees, were overlaid with gold. |
| 33In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars. | 33Then he made four-sided doorposts of wild olive wood for the entrance to the Temple. |
| 34He also made two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. | 34There were two folding doors of cypress wood, and each door was hinged to fold back upon itself. |
| 35He carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. | 35These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers—all overlaid evenly with gold. |
| 36He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams. | 36The walls of the inner courtyard were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams between every three layers of finished stone. |
| 37In the month Ziv of the fourth year of Solomon's reign the foundation was laid for the LORD's temple. | 37The foundation of the LORD’s Temple was laid in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. |
| 38In the eleventh year, in the month Bul (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build. | 38The entire building was completed in every detail by midautumn, in the month of Bul, during the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple. |
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