I Kings 6

vayehi vishmonim shanah ve'arba me'ot shanah letset bene-yisra'el me'erets-mitsrayim bashanah harevi'it bekhodesh ziv hu hakhodesh hasheni limlokh shelomoh al-yisra'el vayyiven habbayit la-Adonai

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the month of Ziv—that is, the second month—in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, Solomon began to build the House of GOD.

vehabbayit asher banah hammelekh shelomoh la-Adonai shishim-ammah orko ve'esrim rokhbo usheloshim ammah qomato

The House that King Solomon built for GOD was 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.

veha'ulam al-pene hekhal habbayit esrim ammah orko al-pene rokhav habbayit eser ba'ammah rokhbo al-pene habbayit

The portico in front of the Great Hall of the House was 20 cubits long—along the width of the House—and 10 cubits deep to the front of the House.

vayya'as labbayit khallone shequfim atumim

He made windows for the House, recessed and latticed.

vayyiven al-qir habbayit (ytsv) [yatsia] saviv et-qirot habbayit saviv lahekhal veladdevir vayya'as tsela'ot saviv

Against the outside wall of the House—the outside walls of the House enclosing the Great Hall and the Shrine—he built a storied structure; and he made side chambers all around.

(hytsv) [hayyatsia] hattakhtonah khamesh ba'ammah rokhbah vehattikhonah shesh ba'ammah rokhbah vehashelishit sheva ba'ammah rokhbah ki migra'ot natan labbayit saviv khutsah levilti akhoz beqirot-habbayit

The lowest story was 5 cubits wide, the middle one 6 cubits wide, and the third 7 cubits wide; for he had provided recesses around the outside of the House so as not to penetrate the walls of the House.

vehabbayit behibbanoto even-shelemah massa nivnah umaqqavot vehaggarzen kol-keli varzel lo-nishma babbayit behibbanoto

When the House was built, only finished stones cut at the quarry were used, so that no hammer or ax or any iron tool was heard in the House while it was being built.

petakh hatsela hattikhonah el-ketef habbayit hayemanit uvelullim ya'alu al-hattikhonah umin-hattikhonah el-hashelishim

The entrance to the middle [story of] the side chambers was on the right side of the House; and winding stairs led up to the middle chambers, and from the middle chambers to the third story.

vayyiven et-habbayit vayekhallehu vayyispon et-habbayit gevim usederot ba'arazim

When he finished building the House, he paneled the House with beams and planks of cedar.

vayyiven et-[hayyatsia] (hytsv) al-kol-habbayit khamesh ammot qomato vayye'ekhoz et-habbayit ba'atse arazim

He built the storied structure against the entire House—each story 5 cubits high, so that it encased the House with timbers of cedar.

vayehi devar-Adonai el-shelomoh lemor

Then the word of GOD came to Solomon,

habbayit hazzeh asher-attah voneh im-telekh bekhuqqotay ve'et-mishpatay ta'aseh veshamarta et-kol-mitsvotay lalekhet bahem vahaqimoti et-devari ittakh asher dibbarti el-david avikha

“With regard to this House you are building—if you follow My laws and observe My rules and faithfully keep My commandments, I will fulfill for you the promise that I gave to your father David:

veshakhanti betokh bene yisra'el velo e'ezov et-ammi yisra'el

I will abide among the children of Israel, and I will never forsake My people Israel.”

vayyiven shelomoh et-habbayit vayekhallehu

When Solomon had completed the construction of the House,

vayyiven et-qirot habbayit mibbaytah betsalot arazim miqqarqa habbayit ad-qirot hassippun tsippah ets mibbayit vayetsaf et-qarqa habbayit betsalot beroshim

he paneled the walls of the House on the inside with planks of cedar. He also overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, from the floor of the House to the ceiling. And he overlaid the floor of the House with planks of cypress.

vayyiven et-esrim ammah (myrkhvty) [miyyarkete] habbayit betsalot arazim min-haqqarqa ad-haqqirot vayyiven lo mibbayit lidvir leqodesh haqqodashim

Twenty cubits from the rear of the House, he built [a partition] of cedar planks from the floor to the walls; he furnished its interior to serve as a shrine, as the Holy of Holies.

ve'arba'im ba'ammah hayah habbayit hu hahekhal lifnay

The front part of the House, that is, the Great Hall, measured 40 cubits.

ve'erez el-habbayit penimah miqla'at peqa'im ufeture tsitsim hakkol erez en even nirah

The cedar of the interior of the House had carvings of gourds and calyxes; it was all cedar, no stone was exposed.

udevir betokh-habbayit mippenimah hekhin letitten sham et-aron berit Adonai

In the innermost part of the House, he fixed a Shrine in which to place the Ark of GOD’s Covenant.

velifne haddevir esrim ammah orekh ve'esrim ammah rokhav ve'esrim ammah qomato vayetsappehu zahav sagur vayetsaf mizbeakh arez

The interior of the Shrine was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 20 cubits high. He overlaid it with solid gold; he similarly overlaid [its] cedar altar.

vayetsaf shelomoh et-habbayit mippenimah zahav sagur vaye'abber (vrtyqvt) [berattuqot] zahav lifne haddevir vayetsappehu zahav

Solomon overlaid the interior of the House with solid gold; and he inserted golden chains into the door of the Shrine. He overlaid [the Shrine] with gold,

ve'et-kol-habbayit tsippah zahav ad-tom kol-habbayit vekhol-hammizbeakh asher-laddevir tsippah zahav

so that the entire House was overlaid with gold; he even overlaid with gold the entire altar of the Shrine. And so the entire House was completed.

vayya'as baddevir shene kheruvim atse-shamen eser ammot qomato

In the Shrine he made two cherubim of olive wood, each 10 cubits high.

vekhamesh ammot kenaf hakkeruv ha'ekhat vekhamesh ammot kenaf hakkeruv hashenit eser ammot miqtsot kenafayw ve'ad-qetsot kenafayw

[One] had a wing measuring 5 cubits and another wing measuring 5 cubits, so that the spread from wingtip to wingtip was 10 cubits;

ve'eser ba'ammah hakkeruv hasheni middah akhat veqetsev ekhad lishne hakkeruvim

and the wingspread of the other cherub was also 10 cubits. The two cherubim had the same measurements and proportions:

qomat hakkeruv ha'ekhad eser ba'ammah vekhen hakkeruv hasheni

the height of the one cherub was 10 cubits, and so was that of the other cherub.

vayyitten et-hakkeruvim betokh habbayit happenimi vayyifresu et-kanfe hakkeruvim vattigga kenaf-ha'ekhad baqqir ukhenaf hakkeruv hasheni noga'at baqqir hasheni vekhanfehem el-tokh habbayit noge'ot kanaf el-kanaf

He placed the cherubim inside the inner chamber. Since the wings of the cherubim were extended, a wing of the one touched one wall and a wing of the other touched the other wall, while their wings in the center of the chamber touched each other.

vayetsaf et-hakkeruvim zahav

He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

ve'et kol-qirot habbayit mesav qala pittukhe miqle'ot keruvim vetimorot ufeture tsitsim millifnim velakhitson

All over the walls of the House, of both the inner area and the outer area, he carved reliefs of cherubim, palms, and calyxes,

ve'et-qarqa habbayit tsippah zahav lifnimah velakhitson

and he overlaid the floor of the House with gold, both the inner and the outer areas.

ve'et petakh haddevir asah daltot atse-shamen ha'ayil mezuzot khamishit

For the entrance of the Shrine he made doors of olive wood, the pilasters and the doorposts having five sides.

ushete daltot atse-shemen veqala alehem miqle'ot keruvim vetimorot ufeture tsitsim vetsippah zahav vayyared al-hakkeruvim ve'al-hattimorot et-hazzahav

The double doors were of olive wood, and on them he carved reliefs of cherubim, palms, and calyxes. He overlaid them with gold, hammering the gold onto the cherubim and the palms.

vekhen asah lefetakh hahekhal mezuzot atse-shamen me'et revi'it

For the entrance of the Great Hall, too, he made doorposts of oleaster wood, having four sides,

ushete daltot atse veroshim shene tsela'im haddelet ha'akhat gelilim ushene qela'im haddelet hashenit gelilim

and the double doors of cypress wood, each door consisting of two rounded planks.

veqala keruvim vetimorot ufeture tsitsim vetsippah zahav meyushar al-hammekhuqqeh

On them he carved cherubim, palms, and calyxes, overlaying them with gold applied evenly over the carvings.

vayyiven et-hekhatser happenimit sheloshah ture gazit vetur kerutot arazim

He built the inner enclosure of three courses of hewn stones and one course of cedar beams.

bashanah harevi'it yussad bet Adonai beyerakh ziv

In the fourth year, in the month of Ziv, the foundations of the House of GOD were laid;

uvashanah ha'akhat esreh beyerakh bul hu hakhodesh hashemini kalah habbayit lekhol-devarayw ulekhol-mishpatav vayyivnehu sheva shanim

and in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul—that is, the eighth month—the House was completed according to all its details and all its specifications. It took him seven years to build it.