1 En el cuarto año de su reinado en Israel, Salomón ordenó que se comenzara a construir el templo de Dios. Esto sucedió en el mes de Ziv. Habían pasado cuatrocientos ochenta años desde que los israelitas habían salido de Egipto.
2 El templo tenía veintisiete metros de largo, nueve de ancho, y trece y medio de alto. 3 El salón que estaba adelante medía nueve metros de largo, y cuatro metros y medio de ancho. 4 Salomón mandó poner en el templo ventanas con rejas. 5 También construyó salones al lado de los muros que rodeaban el templo, tanto alrededor del salón principal como del cuarto de atrás. 6 Los salones edificados alrededor del templo eran de tres pisos. La planta baja medía dos metros y veinticinco centímetros de ancho. El primer piso era de dos metros con setenta centímetros de ancho, y el segundo piso medía tres metros con quince centímetros de ancho. Por fuera había reducido las medidas del templo para no apoyar en las paredes las vigas que sostenían los salones.
7 Las piedras que se usaron para construir el templo fueron preparadas de antemano. De esta manera no se escuchó en el edificio el ruido de martillos, hachas u otras herramientas.
8 La puerta de los salones que rodeaban el templo estaba en el lado derecho del edificio. Para subir a los otros dos pisos había una escalera en forma de caracol.
9 Cuando Salomón terminó de construir el templo, cubrió el techo con tablones y lo decoró con madera de cedro. 10 Los salones que construyó alrededor del templo tenían una altura de dos metros y veinticinco centímetros. Estos salones quedaban unidos al muro del templo por medio de vigas de cedro.
11 Entonces Dios le dijo a Salomón: 12 «Ahora que has comenzado a construir este templo, quiero recordarte que si obedeces todos mis mandamientos, yo cumpliré lo que le prometí a tu padre David y te ayudaré. 13 Viviré entre mi pueblo Israel, y nunca los abandonaré».
14 Salomón terminó de construir el templo. 15-32 Cubrió las paredes de adentro con tablas de madera de cedro talladas con flores, frutos, palmeras y querubines, y luego las recubrió de oro puro. No se veía ninguna piedra. También en las paredes de afuera se tallaron las mismas figuras. El piso lo cubrió con madera de pino y después con oro, tanto el piso de los salones interiores como el de los de afuera.
Salomón preparó el Lugar Santísimo en la parte de atrás del edificio, para colocar allí el cofre del pacto de Dios.
El Lugar Santísimo era una sala que medía nueve metros de alto por nueve de ancho. También le puso tablas de cedro, y luego las recubrió de oro puro. Hizo cadenas de oro para proteger la entrada de este lugar, y puso allí un altar de madera de cedro recubierto de oro. También hizo, con madera de olivo, dos querubines, los recubrió de oro y los puso en el Lugar Santísimo. Cada uno de los querubines era de cuatro metros y medio de altura. Sus alas estaban extendidas. El ala de uno de los querubines tocaba una pared, y el ala del otro, la otra pared. Cada ala medía dos metros y veinticinco centímetros, así que juntas las dos medían cuatro metros y medio.
El Lugar Santísimo tenía dos puertas de entrada hechas de madera de olivo y talladas con figuras de querubines, palmeras y flores. Recubrieron todas estas figuras con oro. La parte superior de las puertas formaba un triángulo. El Lugar Santo estaba frente al Lugar Santísimo, y medía dieciocho metros de largo.
33 Para la entrada del templo, Salomón construyó un marco con postes de madera de olivo, 34 y le puso dos puertas de madera de pino. 35 Las puertas estaban decoradas con figuras de querubines, palmeras y flores; todas ellas recubiertas de oro.
36 Salomón construyó las paredes del patio interior con tres hileras de piedras labradas y arriba les puso vigas de cedro.
37 El templo se comenzó a construir en el mes de Ziv, durante el cuarto año del reinado de Salomón. 38 Se terminó de construir en el año once, en el mes de Bul. Así la construcción del templo duró siete años.
1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2 And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits , and the height thereof thirty cubits. 3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. 4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
5 ¶ And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about: 6 The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house. 7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. 8 The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber , and out of the middle into the third. 9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. 10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11 ¶ And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. 14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place . 17 And the house, that is , the temple before it, was forty cubits long . 18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. 19 And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 ¶ And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. 24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. 27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. 28 And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. 29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31 ¶ And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall . 32 The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. 33 So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall . 34 And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
36 ¶ And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
37 ¶ In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.