New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had designated, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
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Then Solomon made a start at building the house of the Lord on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, where the Lord had been seen by his father David, in the place which David had made ready in the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 He began to build on the second day of the second month of the fourth year of his reign.
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The building was started in the second month in the fourth year of his rule.
3 These are Solomon's measurements for building the house of God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.
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And Solomon put the base of the house of God in position; by the older measure it was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.
4 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, across the width of the house; and its height was one hundred twenty cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold.
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And the covered way in front of the house was twenty cubits long, as wide as the house, and a hundred and twenty cubits high, all plated inside with the best gold.
5 The nave he lined with cypress, covered it with fine gold, and made palms and chains on it.
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And the greater house was roofed with cypress-wood, plated with the best gold and ornamented with designs of palm-trees and chains.
6 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold from Parvaim.
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And the house was made beautiful with stones of great value, and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors; and he carved cherubim on the walls.
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All the house was plated with gold, the supports, the steps, the walls and the doors; and the walls were ornamented with designs of winged ones.
8 He made the most holy place; its length, corresponding to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; he overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.
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And he made the most holy place; it was twenty cubits long, and twenty cubits wide, like the greater house, and was plated all over with the best gold; six hundred talents were used for it.
9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
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And fifty shekels weight of gold was used for the nails. He had all the higher rooms plated with gold.
10 In the most holy place he made two carved cherubim and overlaid them with gold.
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And in the most holy place he made images of two winged beings, covering them with gold.
11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, five cubits long, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub;
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Their outstretched wings were twenty cubits across; one wing, five cubits long, touching the wall of the house, and the other, of the same size, meeting the wing of the other winged one.
12 and of this cherub, one wing, five cubits long, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also five cubits long, was joined to the wing of the first cherub.
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And in the same way, the wings of the other, five cubits long, were stretched out, one touching the wall and the other meeting the wing of the first winged one.
13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits; the cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave.
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Their outstretched wings were twenty cubits across; they were placed upright on their feet, facing the inner part of the house.
14 And Solomon made the curtain of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and worked cherubim into it.
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And he made the veil of blue and purple and red, of the best linen, worked with winged ones.
15 In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each.
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And in front of the house he made two pillars, thirty-five cubits high, with crowns on the tops of them, five cubits high.
16 He made encircling chains and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
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And he made chains, like neck ornaments, and put them on the tops of the pillars, and a hundred apples on the chains.
17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right, the other on the left; the one on the right he called Jachin, and the one on the left, Boaz.
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He put up the pillars in front of the Temple, one on the right side and one on the left, naming the one on the right Jachin and that on the left Boaz.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.