1 Kings 7:1-12

1Solomon was also building a palace for himself. After 13 years, he finished it.

2He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 46 metres long, 23 metres wide and 14 metres high. It had four rows of pillars. On top of them were beams. They used cedar wood to make the pillars and the beams.

3They also used cedar wood to make the roof. They put the roof on top of the pillars and the beams. There were 45 beams, with 15 beams in each row.

4There were three rows of windows on each side of the room. They were opposite each other, in groups of three windows.

5All the doors had square corners and four sides. There were three doors in each group.

6Solomon also built a Hall of Pillars. It was 23 metres long and 14 metres wide. There was an entrance room at the front of the hall. The entrance room also had pillars and a roof.

7Solomon also built a Throne Room. He covered the walls with cedar boards, from the floor to the ceiling. He called it the Hall of Justice. He judged people's arguments in that room.

8Solomon also built a house for himself to live in. It was in a yard behind the Hall of Justice. It was like the other buildings. He also built a house like it for his wife who was the king of Egypt's daughter.

9Solomon's workers used valuable, large stones to make all the buildings, from the front to the great yard that was behind. They cut the stones to the right size and shape with special saws. They used these stones for the foundations and all the way up to the roof.

10They made the foundations with very large, valuable stones. The stones were 3.5 metres or 4.5 metres long.

11On top of the foundation they used the best stones that they cut to the right size. They also used beams of cedar wood.

12There was a wall around the great yard. This had three rows of special stones, then a row of cedar beams, and so on. It was like the wall around the yard of the Lord's temple and the entrance room.