1 Kings 5; 1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 2; 2 Chronicles 3

1 Kings 5

1 Hiram was the king of Tyre. He heard that Solomon had been anointed as king. He heard that Solomon had become the next king after his father David. Hiram had always been David's friend. So Hiram sent his messengers to Solomon.

2 Then Solomon sent a message back to Hiram. It said,

3 "As you know, my father David had to fight many battles. His enemies attacked him from every side. So he couldn't build a temple where the LORD his God would put his Name. That wouldn't be possible until the LORD had put his enemies under his control.

4 "But now the LORD my God has given me peace and rest on every side. We don't have any enemies. And we don't have any other major problems either.

5 So I'm planning to build a temple. I want to build it for the Name of the LORD my God. That's what he told my father David he wanted me to do. He said, 'I will put your son on the throne in your place. He will build a temple. I will put my Name there.'

6 "So give your men orders to cut down cedar trees in Lebanon for me. My men will work with yours. I'll pay you for your men's work. I'll pay any amount you decide on. As you know, we don't have anyone who is as skilled in cutting down trees as the men of Sidon are."

7 When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was very pleased. He said, "May the LORD be praised today. He has given David a wise son to rule over that great nation."

8 So Hiram sent a message to Solomon. It said, "I have received the message you sent me. I'll do everything you want me to. I'll provide the cedar and pine logs.

9 My men will bring them from Lebanon down to the Mediterranean Sea. I'll make them into rafts. I'll float them to the place you want me to. When the rafts arrive, I'll separate the logs from each other. Then you can take them away. "And here's what I want in return. Provide food for all of the people in my palace."

10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all of the cedar and pine logs he wanted.

11 Solomon gave Hiram 125,000 bushels of wheat as food for the people in his palace. He also gave him 115,000 gallons of oil that was made from pressed olives. He did that for Hiram year after year.

12 The LORD made Solomon wise, just as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon. The two of them made a peace treaty.

13 King Solomon forced men from all over Israel to work hard for him. There were 30,000 of them.

14 He sent them off to Lebanon in groups of 10,000 each month. They spent one month in Lebanon. Then they spent two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the people who were forced to work.

15 Solomon had 70,000 people who carried things. He had 80,000 who cut stones in the hills.

16 He had 3,300 men who were in charge of the project. They also directed the workers.

17 The people did what the king commanded. They removed large blocks of fine stone from a rock pit. They used them to provide a foundation for the temple.

18 The skilled workers of Solomon and Hiram cut and prepared the logs and stones. They would later be used in building the temple. The people of Byblos helped the workers.

1 Kings 6

1 Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord. It was 480 years after the people of Israel had come out of Egypt. It was in the fourth year of Solomon's rule over Israel. He started in the second month. That was the month of Ziv.

2 The temple King Solomon built for the LORD was 90 feet long. It was 30 feet wide. And it was 45 feet high.

3 The temple had a porch in front of the main hall. The porch was as wide as the temple itself. It was 30 feet wide. It came out 15 feet from the front of the temple.

4 Solomon made narrow windows high up in the temple walls.

5 He built side rooms around the temple. They were built against the walls of the main hall and the Most Holy Room.

6 On the first floor the side rooms were seven and a half feet wide. On the second floor they were nine feet wide. And on the third floor they were ten and a half feet wide. Solomon made the walls of the temple thinner as they went up floor by floor. The result was ledges along the walls. So the floor beams of the side rooms rested on the ledges. The beams didn't go into the temple walls.

7 All of the stones that were used for building the temple were shaped where they were cut. So hammers, chisels and other iron tools couldn't be heard where the temple was being built.

8 The entrance to the first floor was on the south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the second floor. From there it went on up to the third floor.

9 So Solomon built the temple and finished it. He made its roof out of beams and cedar boards.

10 He built side rooms all along the temple. Each room was seven and a half feet high. They were joined to the temple by cedar beams.

11 A message came to Solomon from the LORD. The LORD said,

12 "You are now building this temple. Follow my orders. Keep my rules. Obey all of my commands. Then I will make the promise I gave your father David come true. I will do it through you.

13 I will live among my people Israel. I will not desert them."

14 So Solomon built the temple and finished it.

15 He put cedar boards on its inside walls. He covered them from floor to ceiling. He covered the temple floor with pine boards.

16 He put up a wall 30 feet from the back of the temple. He made it with cedar boards from floor to ceiling. That formed a room inside the temple. It was the Most Holy Room.

17 The main hall in front of the room was 60 feet long.

18 The inside of the temple was covered with cedar wood. Gourds and open flowers were carved on the wood. Everything was cedar. There wasn't any stone showing anywhere.

19 Solomon prepared the Most Holy Room inside the temple. That's where the ark of the covenant of the LORD would be placed.

20 The Most Holy Room was 30 feet long. It was 30 feet wide. And it was 30 feet high. Solomon covered the inside of it with pure gold. He prepared the cedar altar for burning incense. He covered it with gold.

21 Solomon covered the inside of the main hall with pure gold. He placed gold chains across the front of the Most Holy Room. That room was covered with gold.

22 So Solomon covered the inside of the whole temple with gold. He also covered the altar for burning incense with gold. It was right in front of the Most Holy Room.

23 For the Most Holy Room Solomon made a pair of cherubim. He made them out of olive wood. Each cherub was 15 feet high.

24 One wing of the first cherub was seven and a half feet long. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. So the wings measured 15 feet from tip to tip.

25 The second cherub's wings also measured 15 feet from tip to tip. The two cherubim had the same size and shape.

26 Each cherub was 15 feet high.

27 Solomon placed the cherubim inside the Most Holy Room in the temple. Their wings were spread out. The wing tip of one cherub touched one wall. The wing tip of the other touched the other wall. The tips of their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.

28 Solomon covered the cherubim with gold.

29 On the walls that were all around the temple he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. He carved them on the walls of the Most Holy Room and the main hall.

30 He also covered the floors of those two rooms with gold.

31 For the entrance to the Most Holy Room he made two doors out of olive wood. Each doorpost had five sides.

32 On the two olive wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. He covered the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

33 In the same way he made olive wood doorposts for the entrance to the main hall. Each doorpost had four sides.

34 He also made two pine doors. Each door had two parts. They turned in bases that were shaped like cups.

35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on the doors. He covered the doors with gold. He hammered the gold evenly over the carvings.

36 He used blocks of stone to build a wall around the inside courtyard. The first three layers of the wall were made out of stone. The top layer was made out of beautiful cedar wood.

37 The foundation of the LORD's temple was laid in Solomon's fourth year. It was in the month of Ziv.

38 The temple was finished in his 11th year. It was in the month of Bul. That was the eighth month. Everything was finished just as the plans required. Solomon had spent seven years building the temple.

2 Chronicles 2

1 Solomon gave orders to build a temple. That's where the LORD would put his Name. Solomon also gave orders to build a royal palace for himself.

2 He chose 70,000 men to carry things. He chose 80,000 to cut stones in the hills. He put 3,600 men in charge of them.

3 Solomon sent a message to Hiram. Hiram was king of Tyre. The message said, "Send me cedar logs, just as you did for my father David. You sent him cedar to build a palace to live in.

4 Now I'm about to build a temple. The Name of the LORD my God will be there. I'll set the temple apart for him. "Sweet-smelling incense will be burned in front of him there. The holy bread will be set out at regular times. Burnt offerings will be sacrificed there every morning and evening. They will be sacrificed every Sabbath day. They will be sacrificed at every New Moon Feast. And they will be sacrificed at every yearly appointed feast of the LORD our God. That's a law for Israel that will last for all time to come.

5 "The temple I'm going to build will be beautiful. That's because our God is greater than all other gods.

6 So who is able to build a temple for him? After all, the heavens can't hold him. In fact, not even the highest heavens can hold him. So who am I to build a temple for him? It will only be a place to burn sacrifices to him.

7 "Send me someone who is skilled at working with gold, silver, bronze and iron. He must also be able to work with purple, blue and bright red yarn. He must be skilled in the art of carving. Send him to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers. My father David provided them to help me.

8 "Also send me cedar, pine and algum logs from Lebanon. I know that your men are skilled in cutting wood there. My men will work with yours.

9 They'll provide me with plenty of lumber. That's because the temple I'm building must be large and beautiful.

10 "I'll pay your servants. They will cut the wood. I'll pay them 125,000 bushels of wheat that has been ground up. I'll pay them 125,000 bushels of barley. I'll also pay them 115,000 gallons of wine and 115,000 gallons of olive oil."

11 King Hiram of Tyre replied to Solomon. He wrote a letter to him. It said, "The LORD loves his people. That's why he has made you their king."

12 Hiram continued, "I praise the Lord. He is the God of Israel. He made heaven and earth. He has given King David a wise son. You have good sense. You understand what is right. You will build a temple for the Lord. You will also build a palace for yourself.

13 "I'm sending Huram-Abi to you. He is very skillful.

14 His mother was from Dan. His father was from Tyre. He is trained to work with gold, silver, bronze and iron. He knows how to work with stone and wood. He can also work with purple, blue and bright red yarn and fine linen. He's skilled in all kinds of carving. He can follow any pattern you give him. He'll work with your skilled workers. He'll also work with those of your father David. David was my master.

15 "Now please send us what you promised. Send us the wheat, barley, olive oil and wine.

16 And we'll cut all of the logs from Lebanon you need. We'll make rafts out of them. We'll float them by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem."

17 Solomon counted all of the outsiders who were living in Israel. He did it after his father David had counted them. There were 153,600 of them.

18 He chose 70,000 to carry things. He chose 80,000 to cut stones in the hills. He put 3,600 men in charge of the people to keep them working.

2 Chronicles 3

1 Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord. He built it on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. That's where the LORD had appeared to Solomon's father David. He had appeared at the threshing floor of Araunah. Araunah was from Jebus. David had provided the threshing floor.

2 Solomon began building the temple on the second day of the second month. It was in the fourth year of his rule.

3 Solomon laid the foundation for God's temple. It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. Solomon's men followed the standard measure that was used at that time.

4 The porch in front of the temple was 30 feet across and 30 feet high. Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold.

5 He covered the inside of the main hall with pine boards. Then he covered the boards with fine gold. He decorated the hall with palm tree patterns and chain patterns.

6 He decorated the temple with valuable jewels. The gold he used came from Parvaim.

7 He covered the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold. He carved cherubim on the walls.

8 He built the Most Holy Room. It was as long as the temple was wide. It was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide. He covered the inside of the Most Holy Room with 23 tons of fine gold.

9 He also covered the upper parts with gold. The gold on the nails weighed 20 ounces.

10 For the Most Holy Room, Solomon made a pair of carved cherubim. He covered them with gold.

11 The total length of the cherubim's wings from tip to tip was 30 feet. One wing of the first cherub was seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the temple wall. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the wing tip of the other cherub.

12 In the same way one wing of the second cherub was seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the other temple wall. The other wing was also seven and a half feet long. Its tip touched the wing tip of the first cherub.

13 So the total length of the wings of the two cherubim was 30 feet from tip to tip. The cherubim stood facing the main hall.

14 Solomon made the curtain out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen. A skilled worker sewed cherubim into its pattern.

15 In front of the temple, Solomon made two pillars. Each pillar was 26 feet tall. Each had a decorated top that was seven and a half feet high.

16 Solomon made chains that were linked together. He put them on top of the pillars. He also made 100 pomegranates. He fastened them to the chains.

17 Solomon set the pillars up in front of the temple. One was on the south. The other was on the north. He named the one on the south Jakin. The one on the north he named Boaz.