⁷ David said to Solomon, “My son, with all my heart I wanted to build a house for the Lord my God. That’s where his Name will be. ⁸ But a message from the Lord came to me. It said, ‘You have spilled the blood of many people. You have fought many wars. You are not the one who will build a house for my Name. That is because I have seen you spill the blood of many people on the earth. ⁹ But you are going to have a son. He will be a man of peace. And I will give him peace and rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon. I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king. ¹⁰ He will build a house for my Name. He will be my son. And I will be his father. I will make his kingdom secure over Israel. It will last forever.’

¹¹ “My son, may the Lord be with you. May you have success. May you build the house of the Lord your God, just as he said you would. ¹² May the Lord give you good sense. May he give you understanding when he makes you king over Israel. Then you will keep the law of the Lord your God. ¹³ Be careful to obey the rules and laws the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Then you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.

¹⁴ “I’ve tried very hard to provide for the Lord’s temple. I’ve provided 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver. I’ve provided more bronze and iron than anyone can weigh. I’ve also given plenty of wood and stone. You can add to it. ¹⁵ You have a lot of workers. You have people who can cut stones and people who can lay the stones. You have people who can work with wood. You also have people who are skilled in every other kind of work. ¹⁶ Some of them can work with gold and silver. Others can work with bronze and iron. There are more workers than anyone can count. So begin the work. May the Lord be with you.”