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22 And David saith, `This is the house of Jehovah God, and this the altar for burnt-offering for Israel.'

And David saith to gather the sojourners who [are] in the land of Israel, and appointeth hewers to hew hewn-stones to build a house of God.

And iron in abundance for nails for leaves of the gates, and for couplings, hath David prepared, and brass in abundance -- there is no weighing.

And cedar-trees even without number, for the Zidonians and the Tyrians brought in cedar-trees in abundance to David.

And David saith, `Solomon my son [is] a youth and tender, and the house to be built to Jehovah [is] to be made exceedingly great, for name and for beauty to all the lands; let me prepare, I pray Thee, for it;' and David prepareth in abundance before his death.

And he calleth for Solomon his son, and chargeth him to build a house to Jehovah, God of Israel,

and David saith to Solomon his son, `As for me, it hath been with my heart to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God,

and the word of Jehovah [is] against me, saying, Blood in abundance thou hast shed, and great wars thou hast made: thou dost not build a house to My name, for much blood thou hast shed to the earth before Me.

`Lo, a son is born to thee; he is a man of rest, and I have given rest to him from all his enemies round about, for Solomon is his name, and peace and quietness I give unto Israel in his days;

10 he doth build a house to My name, and he is to Me for a son, and I [am] to him for a father, and I have established the throne of his kingdom over Israel unto the age.

11 `Now, my son, Jehovah is with thee, and thou hast prospered, and hast built the house of Jehovah thy God, as He spake concerning thee.

12 Only, Jehovah give to thee wisdom and understanding, and charge thee concerning Israel, even to keep the law of Jehovah thy God;

13 then thou dost prosper, if thou dost observe to do the statutes and the judgments that Jehovah charged Moses with concerning Israel; be strong and courageous; do not fear, nor be cast down.

14 `And lo, in mine affliction, I have prepared for the house of Jehovah of gold talents a hundred thousand, and of silver a thousand thousand talents; and of brass and of iron there is no weighing, for in abundance it hath been, and wood and stones I have prepared, and to them thou dost add.

15 `And with thee in abundance [are] workmen, hewers and artificers of stone and of wood, and every skilful man for every work.

16 To the gold, to the silver, and to the brass, and to the iron, there is no number; arise and do, and Jehovah is with thee.'

17 And David giveth charge to all heads of Israel to give help to Solomon his son,

18 `Is not Jehovah your God with you? yea, He hath given rest to you round about, for He hath given into my hand the inhabitants of the land, and subdued hath been the land before His people.

19 `Now, give your heart and your soul to seek to Jehovah your God, and rise and build the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, to the house that is built to the name of Jehovah.'

22 Then David said, “The house of the Lord God(A) is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

Preparations for the Temple

So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners(B) residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters(C) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.(D) He also provided more cedar logs(E) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

David said, “My son Solomon is young(F) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor(G) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build(H) a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart(I) to build(J) a house for the Name(K) of the Lord my God. But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars.(L) You are not to build a house for my Name,(M) because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace(N) and rest,(O) and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,[a](P) and I will grant Israel peace and quiet(Q) during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name.(R) He will be my son,(S) and I will be his father. And I will establish(T) the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’(U)

11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with(V) you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding(W) when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success(X) if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws(Y) that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.(Z) Do not be afraid or discouraged.

14 “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents[b] of gold, a million talents[c] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.(AA) 15 You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,(AB) as well as those skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen(AC) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

17 Then David ordered(AD) all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest(AE) on every side?(AF) For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.(AG) Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:9 Solomon sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for peace.
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 3,750 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 37,500 tons or about 34,000 metric tons