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28 David now summoned all of his officials to Jerusalem—the political leaders, the commanders of the twelve army divisions, the other army officers, those in charge of his property and livestock, and all the other men of authority in his kingdom. He rose and stood before them and addressed them as follows:

“My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple in which the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord could rest—a place for our God to live in.[a] I have now collected everything that is necessary for the building, but God has told me, ‘You are not to build my temple, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’

“Nevertheless, the Lord God of Israel has chosen me from among all my father’s family to begin a dynasty that will rule Israel forever; he has chosen the tribe of Judah, and from among the families of Judah, my father’s family; and from among his sons, the Lord took pleasure in me and has made me king over all Israel. And from among my sons—the Lord has given me many children—he has chosen Solomon to succeed me on the throne of his kingdom of Israel. He has told me, ‘Your son Solomon shall build my Temple; for I have chosen him as my son and I will be his father. And if he continues to obey my commandments and instructions as he has until now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’”

Then David turned to Solomon and said:[b]

“Here before the leaders of Israel, the people of God, and in the sight of our God, I am instructing you to search out every commandment of the Lord so that you may continue to rule this good land and leave it to your children to rule forever. Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your fathers. Worship and serve him with a clean heart and a willing mind, for the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every thought. If you seek him, you will find him; but if you forsake him, he will permanently throw you aside. 10 So be very careful, for the Lord has chosen you to build his holy Temple. Be strong and do as he commands.”

11 Then David gave Solomon the blueprint of the Temple and its surroundings—the treasuries, the upstairs rooms, the inside rooms, and the sanctuary for the place of mercy. 12 He also gave Solomon his plans for the outer court, the outside rooms, the Temple storage areas, and the treasuries for the gifts dedicated by famous persons. For the Holy Spirit had given David all these plans. 13 The king also passed on to Solomon the instructions concerning the work of the various groups of priests and Levites; and he gave specifications for each item in the Temple which was to be used for worship and sacrifice.

14 David weighed out enough gold and silver to make these various items, 15 as well as the specific amount of gold needed for the lampstands and lamps. He also weighed out enough silver for the silver candlesticks and lamps, each according to its use. 16 He weighed out the gold for the table on which the Bread of the Presence would be placed and for the other gold tables, and he weighed the silver for the silver tables. 17 Then he weighed out the gold for the solid gold hooks used in handling the sacrificial meat and for the basins, cups, and bowls of gold and silver. 18 Finally, he weighed out the refined gold for the altar of incense and for the gold Guardian Angels whose wings were stretched over the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

19 “Every part of this blueprint,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.” 20 Then he continued, “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly. 21 And these various groups of priests and Levites will serve in the Temple. Others with skills of every kind will volunteer, and the army and the entire nation are at your command.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 28:2 a place for our God to live in, literally, “a footstool.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 28:8 Then David turned to Solomon and said, implied.

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