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

1 Hiram, the king of Tyre, had always been David's friend. When Hiram heard that Solomon had been made king in David's place, he sent his messengers to Solomon.

2 Solomon sent this message back to King Hiram:

3 "You remember my father David had to fight many wars with the countries around him, so he was never able to build a temple for worshiping the Lord his God. David was waiting until the Lord allowed him to defeat all his enemies.

4 But now the Lord my God has given me peace on all sides of my country. I have no enemies now, and no danger threatens my people.

5 "The Lord promised my father David, 'I will make your son king after you, and he will build a temple for worshiping me.' Now, I plan to build that temple for worshiping the Lord my God.

6 So send your men to cut down cedar trees for me from Lebanon. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay them whatever wages you decide. We don't have anyone who can cut down trees as well as the people of Sidon."

7 When Hiram heard what Solomon asked, he was very happy. He said, "Praise the Lord today! He has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation!"

8 Then Hiram sent back this message to Solomon: "I received the message you sent, and I will give you all the cedar and pine trees you want.

9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. There I will tie them together and float them along the shore to the place you choose. Then I will separate the logs there, and you can take them away. In return it is my wish that you give food to all those who live with me."

10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much cedar and pine as he wanted.

11 And Solomon gave Hiram about one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat each year to feed the people who lived with him. Solomon also gave him about one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of pure olive oil every year.

12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; these two kings made a treaty between themselves.

13 King Solomon forced thirty thousand men of Israel to help in this work.

14 He sent a group of ten thousand men each month to Lebanon. Each group worked in Lebanon one month, then went home for two months. A man named Adoniram was in charge.

15 Solomon forced eighty thousand men to work in the hill country, cutting stone, and he had seventy thousand men to carry the stones.

16 There were also thirty-three hundred men who directed the workers.

17 King Solomon commanded them to cut large blocks of fine stone to be used for the foundation of the Temple.

18 Solomon's and Hiram's builders and the men from Byblos carved the stones and prepared the stones and the logs for building the Temple.

1 Solomon began to build the Temple four hundred eighty years after the people of Israel had left Egypt. This was during the fourth year of King Solomon's rule over Israel. It was the second month, the month of Ziv.

2 The Temple was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high.

3 The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was fifteen feet deep and thirty feet wide. This room ran along the front of the Temple itself. Its width was equal to that of the Temple.

4 The Temple also had windows that opened and closed.

5 Solomon also built some side rooms against the walls of the main room and the inner room of the Temple. He built rooms all around.

6 The rooms on the bottom floor were seven and one-half feet wide. Those on the middle floor were nine feet wide, and the rooms above them were ten and one-half feet wide. The Temple wall that formed the side of each room was thinner than the wall in the room below. These rooms were pushed against the Temple wall, but they did not have their main beams built into this wall.

7 The stones were prepared at the same place where they were cut from the ground. Since these stones were the only ones used to build the Temple, there was no noise of hammers, axes, or any other iron tools at the Temple.

8 The entrance to the lower rooms beside the Temple was on the south side. From there, stairs went up to the second-floor rooms. And from there, stairs went on to the third-floor rooms.

9 Solomon put a roof made from beams and cedar boards on the Temple. So he finished building the Temple

10 as well as the bottom floor that was beside the Temple. This bottom floor was seven and one-half feet high and was attached to the Temple by cedar beams.

11 The Lord said to Solomon:

12 "If you obey all my laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised your father David.

13 I will live among the Israelites in this Temple, and I will never leave my people Israel."

14 So Solomon finished building the Temple.

15 The inside walls were covered from floor to ceiling with cedar boards. The floor was made from pine boards.

16 A room thirty feet long was built in the back part of the Temple. This room, called the Most Holy Place, was separated from the rest of the Temple by cedar boards which reached from floor to ceiling.

17 The main room, the one in front of the Most Holy Place, was sixty feet long.

18 Everything inside the Temple was covered with cedar, which was carved with pictures of flowers and plants. A person could not see the stones of the wall, only the cedar.

19 Solomon prepared the inner room at the back of the Temple to keep the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord.

20 This inner room was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high. He covered this room with pure gold, and he also covered the altar of cedar.

21 He covered the inside of the Temple with pure gold, placing gold chains across the front of the inner room, which was also covered with gold.

22 So all the inside of the Temple, as well as the altar of the Most Holy Place, was covered with gold.

23 Solomon made two creatures from olive wood and placed them in the Most Holy Place. Each creature was fifteen feet tall

24 and had two wings. Each wing was seven and one-half feet long, so it was fifteen feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other.

25 The creatures were the same size and shape;

26 each was fifteen feet tall.

27 These creatures were put beside each other in the Most Holy Place with their wings spread out. One creature's wing touched one wall, and the other creature's wing touched the other wall with their wings touching each other in the middle of the room.

28 These two creatures were covered with gold.

29 All the walls around the Temple were carved with pictures of creatures with wings, as well as palm trees and flowers. This was true for both the main room and the inner room.

30 The floors of both rooms were covered with gold.

31 Doors made from olive wood were placed at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. These doors had five-sided frames.

32 Creatures with wings, as well as palm trees and flowers, were also carved on the two olive wood doors that were covered with gold. The creatures and the palm trees on the doors were covered with gold as well.

33 At the entrance to the main room there was a square door frame made of olive wood.

34 Two doors were made from pine. Each door had two parts so the doors folded.

35 The doors were covered with pictures of creatures with wings, as well as palm trees and flowers. All of the carvings were covered with gold, which was evenly spread over them.

36 The inner courtyard was enclosed by walls, which were made of three rows of cut stones and one row of cedar boards.

37 Work began on the Temple in Ziv, the second month, during the fourth year Solomon was king over Israel.

38 The Temple was finished during the eleventh year he was king, in the eighth month, the month of Bul. It was built exactly as it was planned. Solomon had spent seven years building it.

1 Solomon decided to build a temple as a place to worship the Lord and also a palace for himself.

2 He chose seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to cut stone in the hill country, and thirty-six hundred men to direct the workers.

3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of the city of Tyre: "Help me as you helped my father David by sending him cedar logs so he could build himself a palace to live in.

4 I will build a temple for worshiping the Lord my God, and I will give this temple to him. There we will burn sweet-smelling spices in his presence. We will continually set out the holy bread in God's presence. And we will burn sacrifices every morning and evening, on Sabbath days and New Moons, and on the other feast days commanded by the Lord our God. This is a rule for Israel to obey forever.

5 "The temple I build will be great, because our God is greater than all gods.

6 But no one can really build a house for our God. Not even the highest of heavens can hold him. How then can I build a temple for him except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?

7 "Now send me a man skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, red, and blue thread. He must also know how to make engravings. He will work with my skilled craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David chose.

8 "Also send me cedar, pine, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I know your servants are experienced at cutting down the trees in Lebanon, and my servants will help them.

9 Send me a lot of wood, because the temple I am going to build will be large and wonderful.

10 I will give your servants who cut the wood one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of barley, one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of wine, and one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of oil."

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered Solomon with this letter: "Solomon, because the Lord loves his people, he chose you to be their king."

12 Hiram also said: "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, one with wisdom and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 "I will send you a skilled and wise man named Huram-Abi.

14 His mother was from the people of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Huram-Abi is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and with purple, blue, and red thread, and expensive linen. He is skilled in making engravings and can make any design you show him. He will help your craftsmen and the craftsmen of your father David.

15 "Now send my servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine you promised.

16 We will cut as much wood from Lebanon as you need and will bring it on rafts by sea to Joppa. Then you may carry it to Jerusalem."

17 Solomon counted all the foreigners living in Israel. (This was after the time his father David had counted the people.) There were one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred foreigners in the country.

18 Solomon chose seventy thousand of them to carry loads, eighty thousand of them to cut stone in the mountains, and thirty-six hundred of them to direct the workers and to keep the people working.

1 Then Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. This was where the Lord had appeared to David, Solomon's father. Solomon built the Temple on the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Solomon began building in the second month of the fourth year he ruled Israel.

3 Solomon used these measurements for building the Temple of God. It was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, using the old measurement.

4 The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was thirty feet long and thirty feet high. He covered the inside of the porch with pure gold.

5 He put panels of pine on the walls of the main room and covered them with pure gold. Then he put designs of palm trees and chains in the gold.

6 He decorated the Temple with gems and gold from Parvaim.

7 He put gold on the Temple's ceiling beams, doorposts, walls, and doors, and he carved creatures with wings on the walls.

8 Then he made the Most Holy Place. It was thirty feet long and thirty feet wide, as wide as the Temple. He covered its walls with about forty-six thousand pounds of pure gold.

9 The gold nails weighed over a pound. He also covered the upper rooms with gold.

10 He made two creatures with wings for the Most Holy Place and covered them with gold.

11 The wings of the gold creatures were thirty feet across. One wing of one creature was seven and one-half feet long and touched the Temple wall. The creature's other wing was also seven and one-half feet long, and it touched a wing of the second creature.

12 One wing of the second creature touched the other side of the room and was also seven and one-half feet long. The second creature's other wing touched the first creature's wing, and it was also seven and one-half feet long.

13 Together, the creatures' wings were thirty feet across. The creatures stood on their feet, facing the main room.

14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and expensive linen, and he put designs of creatures with wings in it.

15 He made two pillars to stand in front of the Temple. They were about fifty-two feet tall, and the capital of each pillar was over seven feet tall.

16 He made a net of chains and put them on the tops of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains.

17 Then he put the pillars up in front of the Temple. One pillar stood on the south side, the other on the north. He named the south pillar He Establishes and the north pillar In Him Is Strength.