6 So it was that four hundred and eighty years after the Israelis left Egypt, in the second month of the fourth year of Shelomoh’s reign over Israel, he began the construction of Yahweh’s residence. 2 It would be twenty-seven metres long, nine metres wide, and fourteen metres high.[fn] 3 The five-metre wide porch on the front was the same length as the temple width, so nine metres long. 4 The window openings narrowed towards the outer edge of the wall. 5 Against the outside of the back wall and the two sides, he built three-storey (but lower than the wall) side rooms. 6 The lowest level was just over two metres wide, the middle level was half a metre wider, and the top level the same again (because the temple wall got thinner as it went up). The temple walls had ledges built into them for the beams to sit on, so they wouldn’t have to go through the walls.

7 While the temple was being built, all of the huge stones were dressed at the quarry site, so there was no noise from any hammer or axe or iron tool at the construction site.

8 The entrance to the bottom level of siderooms was on the south side of the temple, then from there, stairs went up to the middle level, and more stairs to the top level. 9 So he built the temple walls, then it was roofed with cedar beams and planks, 10 and he built the siderooms—each level just over two metres high and attached to the temple with cedar beams.

11 Then Yahweh had this message sent to Shelomoh, 12 “This residence that you’re building, if you comply with my regulations and follow my judgements and obey all my commands, then I’ll ensure that everything I promised your father David will come to pass. 13 I will live among you Israelis and I’ll never abandon my people Israel.”