¹And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lᴏʀᴅ. ²Now the house which King Solomon built for the Lᴏʀᴅ, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. ³The vestibule in front of the sanctuary of the house was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of the vestibule extended ten cubits from the front of the house. ⁴And he made for the house windows with beveled frames. ⁵Against the wall of the temple he built chambers all around, against the walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it. ⁶The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple. ⁷And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. ⁸The doorway for the middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. ⁹So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. ¹⁰And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams. ¹¹Then the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ came to Solomon, saying: ¹²“Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. ¹³And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.” ¹⁴So Solomon built the temple and finished it. ¹⁵And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress. ¹⁶Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. ¹⁷And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. ¹⁸The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen. ¹⁹And he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the Lᴏʀᴅ there. ²⁰The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and overlaid the altar of cedar. ²¹So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. ²²The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary. ²³Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. ²⁴One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits: ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. ²⁵And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and shape. ²⁶The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. ²⁷Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room; and they stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. ²⁸Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold. ²⁹Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. ³⁰And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries. ³¹For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. ³²The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. ³³So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. ³⁴And the two doors were of cypress wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. ³⁵Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work. ³⁶And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams. ³⁷In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lᴏʀᴅ was laid, in the month of Ziv. ³⁸And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

¹For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— ²if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, ³how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, ⁷of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. ⁸To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; ¹⁰to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. ¹³Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. ¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

¹“And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ! ²Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’ ” ‘ ³therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people”— ⁴therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ God! Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around— ⁵therefore thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with whole-hearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ‘ ⁶Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations.” ⁷Therefore thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame. ⁸“But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. ⁹For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. ¹⁰I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. ¹¹I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lᴏʀᴅ. ¹²Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children.” ¹³Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ ¹⁴therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ God. ¹⁵Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ God.’ ” ¹⁶Moreover the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ came to me, saying: ¹⁷“Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. ¹⁸Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lᴏʀᴅ, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ ²¹But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. ²²“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lᴏʀᴅ,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ²⁵Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ²⁸Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. ³⁰And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ³²Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” ³³‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lᴏʀᴅ, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lᴏʀᴅ, have spoken it, and I will do it.” ³⁷‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. ³⁸Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lᴏʀᴅ.” ‘ ”

¹A Prayer of David. Bow down Your ear, O Lᴏʀᴅ, hear me; For I am poor and needy. ²Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You! ³Be merciful to me, O Lᴏʀᴅ, For I cry to You all day long. ⁴Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lᴏʀᴅ, I lift up my soul. ⁵For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. ⁶Give ear, O Lᴏʀᴅ, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. ⁷In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me. ⁸Among the gods there is none like You, O Lᴏʀᴅ; Nor are there any works like Your works. ⁹All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lᴏʀᴅ, And shall glorify Your name. ¹⁰For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. ¹¹Teach me Your way, O Lᴏʀᴅ; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. ¹²I will praise You, O Lᴏʀᴅ my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. ¹³For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. ¹⁴O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them. ¹⁵But You, O Lᴏʀᴅ, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. ¹⁶Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant. ¹⁷Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.