without, with boards of cedar, that were kept close together
by thick chains, so that this contrivance was in the nature of a support
and a strength to the building.

3. Now when the king had divided the temple into two parts, he made the
inner house of twenty cubits [every way], to be the most secret chamber,
but he appointed that of forty cubits to be the sanctuary; and when he
had cut a door-place out of the wall, he put therein doors of Cedar, and
overlaid them with a great deal of gold, that had sculptures upon it. He
also had veils of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and the brightest and
softest linen, with the most curious flowers wrought upon them, which
were to be drawn before those doors. He also dedicated for the most
secret place, whose breadth was twenty cubits, and length the same, two
cherubims of solid gold; the height of each of them was five cubits [8]
they had each of them two wings stretched out as far as five cubits;
wherefore Solomon set them up not far from each other, that with one
wing they might touch the southern wall of the secret place, and with
another the northern: their other wings, which joined to each other,
were a covering to the ark, which was set between them; but nobody can
tell, or even conjecture, what was the shape of these cherubims. He also
laid the floor of the temple with plates of gold; and he added doors to
the gate of the temple, agreeable to the measure of the height of the
wall, but in breadth twenty cubits, and on them he glued gold plates.
And, to say all in one word, he left no part of the temple, neither
internal nor external, but what was covered with gold. He also had
curtains drawn over these doors in like manner as they were drawn over
the inner doors of the most holy place; but the porch of the temple had
nothing of that sort.

4. Now Solomon sent for an artificer out of Tyre, whose name was Hiram;
he was by birth of the tribe of Naphtali, on the mother's side, [for
she was of that tribe,] but his father was Ur, of the stock of the
Israelites. This man was skillful in all sorts of work; but his chief
skill lay in working in gold, and silver, and brass; by whom were made
all the mechanical works about the temple, according to the will of
Solomon. Moreover, this Hiram made two [hollow] pillars, whose outsides
were of brass, and the thickness of the brass was four fingers'
breadth, and the height of the pillars was eighteen cubits and their
circumference twelve cub