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Solomon’s workers built the temple
1 Then Solomon’s workers started to build the temple for Yahweh in Jerusalem. They built it on Moriah Hill, where an angel from Yahweh had appeared to his father David. They built it on the ground that Araunah, a descendant of the Jebus people-group, had sold to David and where David said that it should be built. 2 They began the work in April, when Solomon had been ruling almost four years.
3 The foundation of the temple was about 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. 4 The entrance room across the front of the temple was 30 feet wide and 30 feet high.
5 Solomon’s workers used panels/boards of pine wood to line the main hall of the temple. Then they covered those panels with very thin sheets of pure gold. Then they decorated the walls with carved images of palm trees and designs that resembled chains. 6 They decorated the temple with very valuable stones. The gold that they used was from the land of Parvaim.
7 They covered the ceiling beams, the door frames, the walls and the doors of the temple with very thin sheets of gold. They also carved statues of winged creatures on the walls. 8 They also built the Very Holy Place inside the temple. It was 30 feet wide and 30 feet long. They covered its walls with sheets of pure gold that altogether weighed 23 tons. 9 They used 1-1/4 pounds of gold to cover the heads of the nails. They also covered the walls of the upper rooms with sheets of gold.
10 Solomon’s workers made two statues of creatures with wings to put inside the Very Holy Place. They covered those statues with very thin sheets of gold. 11-12 Each statue had two long wings. One wing of each statue touched one of the walls of the Temple. The other wing of each statue touched a wing of the other statue. It was 7-1/2 feet from the outer tip of one wing to the outer tip of the other wing. The inner wings of the two statues touched each other.
13 It was 30 feet from the outer wing of the one statue to the outer wing of the other statue. The statues faced the doorway to the main room.
14 Solomon’s workers made a curtain to separate the main room from the Very Holy Place. It was made of blue, purple, and red thread and fine linen. There were figures of winged creatures that were embroidered on the curtain. 15 They made two bronze pillars and put them at the entrance of the temple. They were each 27 feet high. Each had a top over it that was 7-1/2 feet high. 16 The workers made carvings that resembled chains and put them on top of the pillars. They made carvings that resembled pomegranates and attached them to the chains. 17 They set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south side of the entrance and the other on the north side. The one on the south side was named Jakin and the one on the north side was named Boaz.