5. He then built a chambered structure along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around.
6. The lowest chamber was 7 1/2 feet wide, the middle was nine feet wide, and the third was 10 1/2 feet wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.
7. The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
8. The door for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They went up a stairway to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third.
9. When he finished building the temple, he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar.
10. He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; each story was 7 1/2 feet high.
11. The word of the Lord came to Solomon:
12. “As for this temple you are building — if you walk in My statutes, observe My ordinances, and keep all My commands by walking in them, I will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David.
13. I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people Israel.”
14. When Solomon finished building the temple,
15. he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.
16. Then he lined 30 feet of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling, and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.
17. The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place, was 60 feet long.
18. The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.