1Solomon began work on the Temple. It was four hundred and eighty years after the people of Israel left Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the second month, the month of Ziv. 2The Temple Solomon built was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high inside. 3The entrance room was fifteen feet deep and thirty feet wide. It was as wide as the sanctuary. 4He made windows for the Temple. Their openings were narrower on the outside than on the inside. 5A third-story annex, seven and one half feet high, was built against the outside walls. It was on the sides and the back of the Temple. 6Each room in the lowest story was seven and one half feet wide. The middle story was nine feet wide. The top story was ten and one half feet wide. The Temple wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without having their beams built into it. 7The stones with which the Temple was built were prepared at the quarry. That way there was no noise made by hammers, axes, or any other iron tools as the Temple was built. 8The entrance to the lowest story of the annex was on the south side of the Temple. It had stairs leading up to the second and third stories. 9King Solomon finished building the Temple. He put in a ceiling made of beams and boards of cedar. 10The three-story annex, each story seven and one half feet high, was built against the outside walls of the Temple. Cedar beams were used to join it to them. 11Jehovah spoke 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 my people Israel in this Temple that you are building. I will never abandon them.« 14Solomon finished building the Temple. 15The inside walls were covered with cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling. The floor was made of pine. 16An inner room, called the Most Holy Place, was built in the rear of the Temple. It was thirty feet long and was partitioned off by cedar boards reaching from the floor to the ceiling. 17The room in front of the Most Holy Place was sixty feet long. 18The cedar panels were decorated with carvings of gourds and flowers. The entire interior was covered with cedar. The stones of the walls could not be seen. 19An inner room was built in the rear of the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant was to be placed there. 20This inner room was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high, all covered with pure gold. The altar was covered with cedar panels. 21The inside of the Temple was covered with gold. Gold chains were placed across the entrance of the inner room. 22The whole interior of the Temple was covered with gold, as well as the altar in the Most Holy Place. 23Two cherubim made of olive wood were placed in the Most Holy Place. Each one was fifteen feet tall. 24Each had two wings, each wing was seven and one half feet long. The distance from one wing tip to the other was fifteen feet. 25The other cherub was fifteen feet tall. 26Both were the same size and shape. 27They were placed side by side in the Most Holy Place. Their outstretched wings touched each other in the middle of the room, and the other two wings touched the walls. 28The two cherubim were covered with gold. 29The walls of the main room and of the inner room were all decorated with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers. 30Even the floor was covered with gold. 31A double door made of olive wood was hung at the entrance of the Most Holy Place. There was a pointed arch on top of the doorway. 32The doors were decorated with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers. The doors, the cherubim, and the palm trees were covered with gold. 33A rectangular doorframe of olive wood was made for the entrance to the main room. 34There were two folding doors made of pine 35and decorated with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, which were evenly covered with gold. 36An inner court was built in front of the Temple. They enclosed it with walls that had one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of stone. 37The foundation of the Temple was laid in the second month, the month of Ziv, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign. 38In the eighth month, the month of Bul, in the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, the Temple was completely finished exactly as it had been planned. It took Solomon seven years to build it.