1 Kings 6

¹Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

²Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

⁴⁷But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.

¹⁹And give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made provision.”

⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

³⁷The foundation of the house of the Lord was laid in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the month of Ziv.

¹⁶What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

¹In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He took me there.

²In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose southern slope was a structure that resembled a city.

¹Then the man brought me into the outer sanctuary and measured the side pillars to be six cubits wide on each side.

²The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. He also measured the length of the outer sanctuary to be forty cubits, and the width to be twenty cubits.

³In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,

⁴with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.

¹⁶The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height.

¹⁷And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.

¹⁵Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries on each side; it was a hundred cubits. The outer sanctuary, the inner sanctuary, and the porticoes facing the court,

²³and Jesus was walking in the temple courts in Solomon’s Colonnade.

⁵Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

¹¹Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat.

¹⁰they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

¹¹While the man clung to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and ran to them in the walkway called Solomon’s Colonnade.

³The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, according to the old standard.

⁴The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

¹⁶The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.

¹⁶as well as the thresholds and the beveled windows and the galleries all around with their three levels opposite the threshold, were overlaid with wood on all sides. They were paneled from the ground to the windows, and the windows were covered.

²⁶There were beveled windows and palm trees on the sidewalls of the portico. The side rooms of the temple also had canopies.

⁹My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.

¹⁶He partitioned off the twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

²Hear my cry for mercy when I call to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

¹⁹Solomon also prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there.

²⁰The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

³¹For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts.

⁹The poles of the ark extended far enough that their ends were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there to this day.

⁷Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.

⁵Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them.

⁶You shall build the altar of the Lord your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the Lord your God.

⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

¹⁷And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.

¹⁸So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.

²⁵Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.

²⁷Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.

²³What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—

⁶The side rooms were arranged one above another in three levels of thirty rooms each. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be fastened into the wall of the temple itself.

⁷The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive level, because the structure surrounding the temple ascended by stages corresponding to the narrowing of the temple wall as it rose upward. And so a stairway went up from the lowest story to the highest, through the middle one.

¹⁴So Solomon built the temple and finished it.

³⁸In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in every detail and according to every specification. So he built the temple in seven years.

¹⁰He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

²³if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

¹⁴So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.”

³And the Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.

⁴And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and uprightness, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,

¹²If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”

¹²And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

⁶Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

⁸And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.

¹¹And I will make My dwelling place among you, and My soul will not despise you.

³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

²⁷But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

³⁸In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in every detail and according to every specification. So he built the temple in seven years.

⁹So Solomon built the temple and finished it, roofing it with beams and planks of cedar.

⁴⁷But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.

⁴⁸However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:

⁷In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

⁶Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.

⁸Then he made the Most Holy Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.

³Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,

²And the Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

³From this holy portion, you are to measure off a length of 25,000 cubits and a width of 10,000 cubits, and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

³³And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

³⁴Put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.

²⁴Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

⁷Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.

²⁰Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the mercy seat atop the ark.

²¹Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and shielded off the ark of the Testimony, just as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁶He partitioned off the twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

²Hear my cry for mercy when I call to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

⁵Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.

³Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,

⁴containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

²²So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

¹“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

²It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece.

⁴⁸Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the Lord: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

²The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

³The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, extending across the width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits in front of the temple.

⁷He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸Then he made the Most Holy Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.

⁵Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.

²⁹Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

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

¹⁵In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high, each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.

³⁴And he overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. He also overlaid the crossbars with gold.

³²Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.

³³And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

¹“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

³Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.

²⁰The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

⁷He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸Then he made the Most Holy Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.

⁵Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

⁶Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.

⁷He made two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat,

⁸one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold.

²And the Lord said to the man clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.

³Now when the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court.

¹⁴Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

¹⁶“O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.

¹For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

⁹And the cherubim had wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the mercy seat.

²⁰And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.

⁸For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.

⁷For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.

¹¹The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub.

³²The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

²⁰Bless the Lord, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.

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

²He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.

³Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

⁹After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

¹⁷Instead of bronze I will bring you gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.

¹⁸The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.

¹⁹The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

¹¹“O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires.

¹²I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,

⁹I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

¹⁸will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth

¹⁸The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.

²⁹Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.

²³Both the outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary had double doors,

²⁴and each door had two swinging panels. There were two panels for one door and two for the other.

⁸Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.

¹²The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the Lord.

⁹You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long on one side,

¹⁰with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.

⁹Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely spun linen,

¹⁰with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

⁹He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the doors with bronze.

²But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

⁷Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the Lord, and there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar he had made could not hold all these offerings.

¹In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.

²Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

¹Solomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace.

¹⁴So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

¹⁵And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

⁹“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you.

⁸In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the Lord.

⁹So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

¹³Yes, He will build the temple of the Lord; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and rule. And He will be a priest on His throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two.’

¹⁴The crown will reside in the temple of the Lord as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the gracious son of Zephaniah.

²⁰“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”