He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place.<n id="1" /> He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters.<n id="2" />

The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible.<n id="1" />p>

Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold.<n id="1" /> He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary<n id="2" /> with gold.

<p class="bodytext">On all the walls around the temple, inside and out,<n id="1" /> he carved<n id="2" /> cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom.

In the eleventh year, in the month Bul<n id="1" /> (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build.<n id="2" />p>

Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and the hall of the palace.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The priests brought the ark of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s covenant to its assigned<n id="1" /> place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;God does not really live on the earth!<n id="1" /> Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!

When they hear about your great reputation<n id="1" /> and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds,<n id="2" /> they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.

His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily<n id="1" /> at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah,

So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" />

The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash&#8217;s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple.

The priests agreed<n id="1" /> not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs.<n id="2" />p>

They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them.p>

He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests,<n id="1" /> clothed in sackcloth, with this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz:

&#8220;Go, tell my servant David: &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8220;You must not build me a house in which to live.

The porch in front of the main hall was 30 feet long, corresponding to the width of the temple,<n id="1" /> and its height was 30 feet.<n id="2" /> He plated the inside with pure gold.

He paneled<n id="1" /> the main hall<n id="2" /> with boards made from evergreen trees<n id="3" /> and plated it with fine gold, decorated with palm trees and chains.<n id="4" />

Likewise one of the second cherub&#8217;s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched the other wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of the first cherub&#8217;s wings.<n id="1" />