LESSON LIX THE TEMPLE Solomon builds the Temple, and sets up two great pillars before it. He builds his own palace. 1 KINGS VI. 2-VII. 22 6 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. And the porch before the temple twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the 5 breadth thereof before the house. And for the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work. And against the wall of the house he built stories round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made side-chambers round about: the nethermost story was five cubits 10 broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for on the outside he made rebatements in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house. The door for the middle 1 side-chambers was in the right side of the house and they went 15 up by winding stairs into the middle chambers, and out of the middle into the third. And he built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high. And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house unto the walls 2 of the cieling; and he covered the floor of the house 20 1 For middle read lowest (S). 2 For walls read beams. with boards of fir.1 And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house for an oracle. And the temple before the oracle was forty cubits long. 20 And within the oracle was a space of twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height 25 thereof; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar. And in the oracle he made two cherubim of olive wood. 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 30 ten cubits. And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. And he set the cherubim within the inner house and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one 35 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. And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. 31 And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive 40 wood: the lintel and door posts were a fifth part. So also made he for the entering of the temple door posts of olive wood, and two doors of fir1 wood; the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone. In the 45 fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Ziv. 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. 50 1 And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. 55 1 For fir read cypress. |