Solomon Builds the Temple
1In the four hundred and eightieth6:1 Hebrew; Septuagint four hundred and fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord.
2The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.6:2 That is, about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 27 meters long, 9 meters wide and 14 meters high 3The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,6:3 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 16 and 20 and projected ten cubits6:3 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verses 23-26 from the front of the temple. 4He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. 5Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. 6The lowest floor was five cubits6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24 wide, the middle floor six cubits6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters and the third floor seven.6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.
7In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
8The entrance to the lowest6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. 10And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.
11The word of the Lord came to Solomon: 12“As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
14So Solomon built the temple and completed it. 15He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper. 16He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 17The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits6:17 That is, about 60 feet or about 18 meters long. 18The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.
19He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. 20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. 21Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
23For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26The height of each cherub was ten cubits. 27He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28He overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. 30He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.
31For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.
36And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.
37The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.
Solomoni Ajenga Hekalu
(2 Nyakati 3)
16:1 Ezr 4:15; 5:17Katika mwaka wa 480 baada ya Waisraeli kutoka nchi ya Misri, katika mwaka wa nne wa utawala wa Solomoni katika Israeli, katika mwezi wa Zivu, ambao ndio mwezi wa pili, alianza kujenga Hekalu la Bwana.
2Hekalu hilo Mfalme Solomoni alilojenga kwa ajili ya Bwana lilikuwa na urefu wa dhiraa sitini,6:2 Dhiraa 60 ni sawa na mita 27. upana wa dhiraa ishirini6:2 Dhiraa 20 ni sawa na mita 9. na kimo cha dhiraa thelathini6:2 Dhiraa 30 ni sawa na mita 13.5. kwenda juu. 36:3 Ezr 3:10; Hag 2:3Baraza ya mbele ya Hekalu ilienea dhiraa ishirini kulingana na upana wa Hekalu na kujitokeza dhiraa kumi mbele ya Hekalu. 46:4 1Fal 6:36; Ezr 7:20; Isa 60:6; Za 68:29Akatengeneza madirisha membamba yenye vidirisha vidogo vya juu katika Hekalu. 56:5 1Nya 29:2; Yer 27:18-22; Ezr 5:14Akafanyiza vyumba vya pembeni kulizunguka Hekalu lote vikishikamana na kuta za Hekalu na za Patakatifu pa Patakatifu. 66:6 Ezr 5:3Ghorofa ya chini kabisa ilikuwa na upana wa dhiraa tano,6:6 Dhiraa 5 ni sawa na mita 2.25. ya kati ilikuwa dhiraa sita na ya tatu ilikuwa dhiraa saba.6:6 Dhiraa saba ni sawa na mita 3.15. Kuzunguka ukuta wa nje wa Hekalu akapunguza ukuta pande zote ili boriti zisishikane kwenye kuta za Hekalu.
7Katika kujenga Hekalu, yalitumika tu mawe yaliyochongwa huko machimboni, wala hakuna nyundo, patasi au chombo kingine chochote cha chuma kilichosikika sauti yake katika eneo la ujenzi wa Hekalu wakati lilipokuwa likijengwa.
86:8 1Sam 9:10Ingilio la ghorofa ya chini kabisa lilikuwa upande wa kusini wa Hekalu, ngazi ilielekea ghorofa ya kati na kutokea hapo ilielekea hadi ghorofa ya tatu. 9Basi Solomoni akajenga Hekalu na kulikamilisha, akiliweka paa za boriti na mbao za mierezi. 106:10 Ezr 7:23; Yer 29:7; Law 1:9; Mwa 8:21; 1Tim 2:1-2Mfalme Solomoni akajenga vyumba vya pembeni kuzunguka Hekalu lote. Kimo cha kila kimoja kilikuwa dhiraa tano. Navyo vilikuwa vimeunganishwa na Hekalu kwa boriti za mierezi.
116:11 Kum 21:22-23; Es 2:23; Ezr 7:26; Dan 2:5Neno la Bwana likamjia Solomoni kusema: 126:12 Kut 20:24; Kum 12:11; 1Fal 9:3; 2Nya 7:16; Za 132:13“Kwa habari ya Hekalu hili unalojenga, kama ukifuata amri zangu, ukatunza masharti yangu na kushika maagizo yangu yote na kuyatii, kwa kupitia wewe nitatimiza ahadi niliyomwahidi Daudi baba yako. 136:13 Ay 5:12; Ezr 4:9; Za 9:16; 1Kor 3:19Nami nitakaa miongoni mwa Waisraeli, nami sitawaacha watu wangu Israeli.”
146:14 Ezr 5:1; 7:1; Neh 2:1; Ezr 4:24Basi Solomoni akajenga Hekalu na kulikamilisha. 156:15 Zek 4:9Akazifunika kuta zake za ndani kwa mbao za mierezi, akizipigilia ukutani kuanzia sakafuni mwa Hekalu hadi kwenye dari na kufunika sakafu ya Hekalu kwa mbao za misunobari. 166:16 1Fal 8:63; 2Nya 7:15; Yn 10:22Akagawa dhiraa ishirini sehemu ya nyuma ya Hekalu kwa mbao za mierezi kuanzia kwenye sakafu hadi darini ili kufanya sehemu takatifu ya ndani, yaani Patakatifu pa Patakatifu. 176:17 2Sam 6:13; 1Nya 16:1-3; 2Nya 29:21; Hes 7:2-3; Ezr 8:25Ukumbi mkubwa uliokuwa mbele ya chumba hiki ndio ulikuwa na urefu wa dhiraa arobaini.6:17 Dhiraa 40 ni sawa na mita 18. 186:18 1Nya 24:1; 23:6; Hes 3:6-9; 8:9-11Hekalu ndani ilikuwa ya mierezi iliyonakshiwa mifano ya maboga na maua yaliyochanua. Kila kitu kilikuwa cha mwerezi, hakuna jiwe ambalo lilionekana.
196:19 Kut 12:11; Hes 28:16Ndani ya Hekalu akatengeneza sehemu takatifu ya ndani, kwa ajili ya kuweka Sanduku la Agano la Bwana. 206:20 2Nya 30:15-17; 35:11; Kut 12:25; 2Nya 29:34Sehemu takatifu ya ndani ilikuwa na upana, urefu na kimo cha dhiraa ishirini ndani kwa ndani. Akaifunika ndani kwa dhahabu safi, pia akaifunika madhabahu ya mierezi vivyo hivyo. 216:21 Kut 12:48; Za 93:5Solomoni akaifunika sehemu ya ndani ya Hekalu kwa dhahabu safi, naye akaitandaza mikufu ya dhahabu kutoka upande moja hadi ule mwingine mbele ya Patakatifu pa Patakatifu, ambako palifunikwa kwa dhahabu. 226:22 Kut 12:17; Mit 21:1; Ezr 1:1Basi akafunika sehemu yote ya ndani kwa dhahabu. Pia akafunika madhabahu yale yaliyokuwa ndani ya Patakatifu pa Patakatifu kwa dhahabu.
23Katika Patakatifu pa Patakatifu akatengeneza makerubi wawili kwa mzeituni, kila moja likiwa na dhiraa kumi6:23 Dhiraa 10 ni sawa na mita 4.5. kwenda juu. 24Bawa moja la kerubi wa kwanza lilikuwa na urefu wa dhiraa tano na bawa jingine dhiraa tano, hivyo urefu kutoka ncha ya bawa moja hadi ncha ya bawa jingine ulikuwa dhiraa kumi. 25Kerubi wa pili alikuwa na urefu wa dhiraa kumi pia, hivyo makerubi hao wawili walifanana kwa vipimo na kwa umbo. 26Kimo cha kila kerubi kilikuwa dhiraa kumi. 27Aliwaweka makerubi hao ndani ya Patakatifu pa Patakatifu pa Hekalu, mabawa yake yakiwa yamekunjuliwa. Bawa la kerubi mmoja liligusa ukuta mmoja, wakati bawa la yule mwingine liligusa ukuta mwingine, nayo mabawa yao mengine yaligusana katikati ya chumba. 28Akafunika wale makerubi kwa dhahabu.
29Juu ya kuta zote zilizozunguka Hekalu, za vyumba vya ndani na vya nje, zilipambwa kwa nakshi zilizokatwa za makerubi, miti ya mitende na maua yaliyochanua. 30Pia alifunika sakafu zote za vyumba vya ndani na vya nje vya Hekalu kwa dhahabu.
31Kwa ingilio la Patakatifu pa Patakatifu akatengeneza milango ya mbao za mzeituni, zikiwa na miimo na vizingiti vyenye umbo la pembe tano. 32Juu ya milango miwili ya mbao za mzeituni alinakshi makerubi, miti ya mitende pamoja na maua yaliyochanua na kufunika makerubi na miti ya mitende kwa dhahabu iliyofuliwa. 33Kwa njia iyo hiyo akatengeneza miimo yenye pande nne ya miti ya mizeituni, kwa ajili ya ingilio la ukumbi mkubwa. 34Kulikuwa na milango miwili iliyoweza kukunjuka iliyotengenezwa kwa mbao za msunobari na kila mmoja ulikuwa na bawaba ambazo zingeuwezesha kujikunja kila kipande juu ya kingine. 35Akanakshi makerubi, miti ya mitende na maua yaliyochanua juu yake na kufunika kwa dhahabu iliyonyooshwa vizuri juu ya michoro.
36Tena akajenga ua wa ndani safu tatu za mawe yaliyochongwa na safu moja ya boriti za mierezi zilizorembwa.
37Msingi wa Hekalu la Bwana uliwekwa katika mwaka wa nne, katika mwezi wa Zivu, ndio mwezi wa tano. 38Katika mwaka wa kumi na moja, mwezi wa Buli, ndio mwezi wa nane, Hekalu lilikamilika katika hatua zake zote kwa kufuatana na maelekezo yake Solomoni. Alilijenga kwa miaka saba.