2 Chronicles 3

Modern

Literal

Temple Construction Begins

¹Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared^a to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan^b the Jebusite.

¹And Solomon began to build the house of YHWH—at Jerusalem in the mount of Moriah where He had appeared to David his father—in the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

²Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

²And he began to build in the second month, on the second, in the fourth year of his reign.

³The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide,^a according to the old standard.^b

³And these Solomon founded for building the house of God: The length was, by cubits, according to the former measure, sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.

⁴The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long^a and twenty cubits high.^b He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

⁴And the portico that was in the front, the length on the front of the width of the house was twenty cubits, and the height was twenty, and He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

The Temple’s Interior

⁵He paneled the main room with cypress,^a which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains.

⁵And the larger room he paneled with cypress, and he overlaid it with fine gold, and he carved on it palm trees and chains.

⁶He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim.

⁶And he decorated the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

⁷He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁷And He overlaid the house, the beams, and the thresholds, and its walls, and its doors, with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸Then he made the Most Holy Place;^a its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.^b

⁸And he made the Holy of Holies in the house, its length upon the front of the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. And He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.

⁹The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.^a He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

⁹And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold, and the upper area he overlaid with gold.

The Cherubim

¹⁰In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold.

¹⁰And he made in the Holy of Holies in the house two cherubim, fashioned work, and he overlaid them with gold,

¹¹The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long^a and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub.

¹¹and the wings of the cherubim, their length twenty cubits, the wing of the one five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub.

¹²The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub.

¹²And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing five cubits, adhering to the wing of the other cherub.

¹³So the total wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main room.

¹³The wings of these cherubim spanned overall twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet, and they faced inward.

The Veil and Pillars

¹⁴He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.

¹⁴And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson and fine linen, and he brought up cherubim into it.

¹⁵In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high,^a each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.

¹⁵And he made at the front of the house two pillars, thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on its head five cubits.

¹⁶He made interwoven chains^a and put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.

¹⁶And He made chains as in the inner sanctuary and put them on the head of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains.

¹⁷Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin,^a and the pillar on the north he named Boaz.^b

¹⁷And he set up the pillars upon the face of the temple, one on the right hand and one on the left. And he called the name on the right hand Jachin, and the name on the left Boaz.