1 Finalmente começou a construção do templo. Localizou-se em Jerusalém, no cimo do monte Moriá, onde o Senhor aparecera a David, seu pai, no sítio onde se localizava a eira de Ornã, o jebuseu. Foi David quem escolheu esse sítio. O início da construção concretizou-se no décimo sétimo dia de Abril , no quarto ano do reinado de Salomão.

3 Os alicerces tinham trinta metros de comprimento e dez de largura. Havia um alpendre ao longo dos dez metros da largura do edifício, na parte da frente. A sua parte interior e o tecto eram cobertos de ouro puro. O telhado estava à altura de sessenta metros.

5 A parte principal do templo era forrada com madeira de cipreste e coberta de ouro puro, com gravações de folhas de palmeiras e de cadeias. Havia pedras preciosas incrustadas nas paredes, para aumentar a beleza; o ouro, aliás, era do melhor, de Parvaim. Todas as paredes, as traves, as portas e as ombreiras das entradas em todo o templo estavam cobertas de ouro, com querubins gravados.

8 Dentro, numa extremidade, havia o local mais sagrado - o lugar santíssimo - com dez metros quadrados. Esta área também era toda coberta de ouro do mais puro, pesando vinte toneladas. Os pregos aí usados, igualmente de ouro, pesavam meio quilo cada. Os quartos superiores estavam também forrados a ouro.

10 Dentro da referida dependência, o lugar santíssimo, Salomão colocou duas esculturas de querubins, recobrindo-as de ouro. Estavam de pé, voltados para a sala, com as asas abertas, tocando-se e tocando as extremidades do compartimento, de ponta a ponta. À entrada deste quarto colocou um véu, de azul, carmezim, púrpura e linho fino, decorado com querubins, também.

15 Em frente do templo havia dois pilares de dezassete metros e meio de altura, com capitéis, de dois metros e meio, ligando-os ao tecto. Mandou fazer cadeias, como as do santuário, e colocou-as no cimo dos pilares; havia cem romãs ligas às cadeias. Os pilares, colocou-os um à direita outro à esquerda, na parte da frente do templo. Deu-lhes nomes: o da direita, Jaquim, o da esquerda, Boaz.

1 Then began Solomon, to build the house of Yahweh, in Jerusalem, in Mount Moriah, where he had appeared unto David his father,-in the place which David had prepared, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

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

3 And, these, are the things wherein Solomon was grounded for the building of the house of God,The length, by cubits, in the first measure, was sixty cubits, and, the breadth, twenty cubits.

4 And, the porch which was in front of the length, in front of the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and, the height thereof, was a hundred and twenty,and he overlaid it, within, with pure gold.

5 And, the greater house, covered he with cypress wood, and overlaid it with fine gold,and raised thereon palms, and wreathed garlands.

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

7 And he covered the house, the beams, the entrance-hall, and the walls thereof and the doors thereof, with gold,and he carved cherubim upon the walls.

8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof, was, according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and, the breadth thereof, twenty cubits,and he covered it with fine gold, to six hundred talents;

9 and, the weight of the nails, amounted to fifty shekels of gold,and, the upper chambers, covered he with gold.

10 And he made, in the most holy house, two cherubim, of carved work,and covered them with gold.

11 And, as for the wings of the cherubim, the length of them, was twenty cubits,the one wing, by the cubit was five, reaching to the wall of the house, and, the other wing, five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub;

12 and, the wing of the other cherub, was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house,and, the other wing, was five cubits, cleaving to the wing of the other cherub:

13 the wings of these cherubim, outspread, were twenty cubits,and, they themselves, were standing upon their feet, and, their faces, were inward.

14 And he made a vail, of blue and purple, and crimson and byssus cloth,and raised thereon cherubim.

15 And he made, for the front of the house, two pillars, thirty five cubits in length,and, the capital which was upon the top of each, was five cubits.

16 And he made wreathen chains in the shrine, and put them upon the top of the pillars,and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them in the chains,

17 And he reared up the pillars in front of the temple, one, on the right, and, one, on the left,and called the name of that on the right hand, Jachin, and the name of that on the left, Boaz.