5. He built an extension all around the walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place and constructed side rooms in it.
6. The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet wide, the middle floor nine feet wide, and the third floor ten and a half feet wide. He made ledges on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls.
7. As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built.
8. The entrance to the bottom level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up to the middle floor and then on up to the third floor.
9. He finished building the temple and covered it with rafters and boards made of cedar.
10. He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.
11. The Lord said to Solomon:
12. “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my rules, observe my regulations, and obey all my commandments, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David.
13. I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
14. So Solomon finished building the temple.
15. He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters of the ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens.
16. 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. He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters.
17. The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long.
18. 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.
19. He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord could be placed there.
20. The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, as well as the cedar altar.
21. Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary with gold.