Solomon builds the temple

1Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing-floor of Araunah3:1 Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David. 2He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

3The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide3:3 That is, about 27 metres long and 9 metres wide (using the cubit of the old standard). 4The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits3:4 That is, about 9 metres; also in verses 8, 11 and 13 long across the width of the building and twenty3:4 Some Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew and a hundred and twenty cubits high.

He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5He panelled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree and chain designs. 6He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. 7He overlaid the ceiling beams, door-frames, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

8He built the Most Holy Place, its length corresponding to the width of the temple – twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents3:8 That is, about 21 metric tons of fine gold. 9The gold nails weighed fifty shekels.3:9 That is, about 575 grams He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.

10For the Most Holy Place he made a pair of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. 11The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits3:11 That is, about 2.3 metres; also in verse 15 long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. 13The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.3:13 Or facing inwards

14He made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it.

15For the front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits3:15 That is, about 16 metres long, each with a capital five cubits high. 16He made interwoven chains3:16 Or possibly made chains in the inner sanctuary; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains. 17He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin3:17 Jakin probably means he establishes. and the one to the north Boaz.3:17 Boaz probably means in him is strength.