The Message Bible MSG
New International Version NIV
8 The entrance to the ground floor was at the south end of The Temple; stairs led to the second floor and then to the third.
8
The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.
9 Solomon built and completed The Temple, finishing it off with roof beams and planks of cedar.
9
So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks.
10 The supporting structure along the outside walls was attached to The Temple with cedar beams and the rooms in it were seven and a half feet tall.
10
And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.
11 The word of God came to Solomon saying,
11
The word of the LORD came to Solomon:
12 "About this Temple you are building - what's important is that you live the way I've set out for you and do what I tell you, following my instructions carefully and obediently. Then I'll complete in you the promise I made to David your father.
12
“As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.
13 I'll personally take up my residence among the Israelites - I won't desert my people Israel."
13
And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
14 Solomon built and completed The Temple.
14
So Solomon built the temple and completed it.
15 He paneled the interior walls from floor to ceiling with cedar planks; for flooring he used cypress.
15
He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.
16 The thirty feet at the rear of The Temple he made into an Inner Sanctuary, cedar planks from floor to ceiling - the Holy of Holies.
16
He partitioned off 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.
17 The Main Sanctuary area in front was sixty feet long.
17
The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long.
18 The entire interior of The Temple was cedar, with carvings of fruits and flowers. All cedar - none of the stone was exposed.
18
The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.
19 The Inner Sanctuary within The Temple was for housing the Chest of the Covenant of God.
19
He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.
20 This Inner Sanctuary was a cube, thirty feet each way, all plated with gold. The Altar of cedar was also gold-plated.
20
The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.
21 Everywhere you looked there was pure gold: gold chains strung in front of the gold-plated Inner Sanctuary
21
Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.
22 - gold everywhere - walls, ceiling, floor, and Altar. Dazzling!
22
So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
23 Then he made two cherubim, gigantic angel-like figures, from olivewood. Each was fifteen feet tall.
23
For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.