22 Then David said, ‘The house of the Lord God 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 residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters 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. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

David said, ‘My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendour 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 a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: ‘My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. But this word of the Lord came to me: “You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, 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 and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,[a] and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.”

11 ‘Now, my son, the Lord be with 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 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 if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave to Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. 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. 15 You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as those skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron – craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.’

17 Then David ordered 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 on every side? 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. 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 3,400 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 34,000 metric tons

David Prepares for Temple Building

22 Then David said, “(A)This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

So David [a]gave orders to gather (B)the strangers who were in the land of Israel, and (C)he set stonecutters to cut out stones to build the house of God. And David (D)prepared large quantities of iron [b]to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more (E)bronze than could be weighed; and timbers of cedar beyond number, for (F)the Sidonians and Tyrians brought large quantities of cedar timber to David. David said, “My son (G)Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout the lands. Therefore I now will make preparations for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.

Solomon Commanded to Build the Temple

Then (H)he called for his son Solomon, and commanded him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “(I)My son, [c]I had intended to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘(J)You have shed much blood and have [d]waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me. Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest, and (K)I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for (L)his name will be [e]Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 (M)He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 11 Now, my son, (N)the Lord be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. 12 (O)Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may (P)keep the Law of the Lord your God. 13 (Q)Then you will prosper, if you are careful to [f]follow the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. (R)Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed. 14 Now behold, [g]with great pains I have prepared for the house of the Lord (S)a hundred thousand [h]talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and (T)bronze and iron beyond measure, for [i]they are in great quantity; I have also prepared timber and stone, and you may add to that. 15 Moreover there are many workmen with you, stonecutters, masons of stone, and carpenters; and all of them are skillful in every kind of work. 16 Of the gold, silver, bronze, and iron there is no limit. Arise and work, and may (U)the Lord be with you.”

17 (V)David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon, saying, 18 “Is the Lord your God not with you? And (W)has He not given you rest on every side? For He has handed over to me the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. 19 Now (X)set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; then arise, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, (Y)so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built (Z)for the name of the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:2 Lit said to
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:3 Lit for
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:7 Lit as for me, it was with my heart
  4. 1 Chronicles 22:8 Lit made
  5. 1 Chronicles 22:9 I.e., peaceful
  6. 1 Chronicles 22:13 Lit do the
  7. 1 Chronicles 22:14 Lit in my affliction
  8. 1 Chronicles 22:14 A talent was about 75 lb. or 34 kg
  9. 1 Chronicles 22:14 Lit it is

22 David said, “The Temple of the Lord God and the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings will be built here.”

David Makes Plans for the Temple

So David ordered all foreigners living in Israel to gather together. From that group David chose stonecutters to cut stones to be used in building the Temple of God. David supplied a large amount of iron to be used for making nails and hinges for the gate doors. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed, and he supplied more cedar logs than could be counted. Much of the cedar had been brought to David by the people from Sidon and Tyre.

David said, “We should build a great Temple for the Lord, which will be famous everywhere for its greatness and beauty. But my son Solomon is young. He hasn’t yet learned what he needs to know, so I will prepare for the building of it.” So David got many of the materials ready before he died.

Then David called for his son Solomon and told him to build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to him, “My son, I wanted to build a temple for worshiping the Lord my God. But the Lord spoke his word to me, ‘David, you have killed many people. You have fought many wars. You cannot build a temple for worship to me, because you have killed many people. But, you will have a son, a man of peace and rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon,[a] and I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king. 10 Solomon will build a temple for worship to me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will make his kingdom strong; someone from his family will rule Israel forever.’”

11 David said, “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you. May you build a temple for the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 He will make you the king of Israel. May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding so you will be able to obey the teachings of the Lord your God. 13 Be careful to obey the rules and laws the Lord gave Moses for Israel. If you obey them, you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.

14 “Solomon, I have worked hard getting many of the materials for building the Temple of the Lord. I have supplied about seven and one-half million pounds of gold, about seventy-five million pounds of silver, so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, and wood and stone. You may add to them. 15 You have many workmen—stonecutters, bricklayers, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work. 16 They are skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have more craftsmen than can be counted. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”

17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 David said to them, “The Lord your God is with you. He has given you rest from our enemies. He has handed over to me the people living around us. The Lord and his people are in control of this land. 19 Now give yourselves completely to obeying the Lord your God. Build the holy place of the Lord God; build the Temple for worship to the Lord. Then bring the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord and the holy items that belong to God into the Temple.”

Footnotes

  1. 22:9 Solomon This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “peace.”

22 David announced, “The house of the Lord God will be built here. Israel’s altar for burnt offerings will also be here.”

David Makes Plans for Building the Temple

David gave orders to bring together the outsiders who were living in Israel. He appointed some of them to cut stones. He wanted them to prepare blocks of stone for building the house of God. David provided a large amount of iron to make nails. They were for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings. He provided more bronze than anyone could weigh. He also provided more cedar logs than anyone could count. The people of Sidon and Tyre brought large numbers of logs to David.

David said, “My son Solomon is young. He’s never done anything like this before. The house that will be built for the Lord should be very grand and wonderful. All the nations should consider it to be famous and beautiful. I’ll get things ready for it.” So David got many things ready before he died.

Then he sent for his son Solomon. He told him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 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. 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. 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.”

17 Then David ordered all Israel’s leaders to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, “The Lord your God is with you. He’s given you peace and rest on every side. He’s handed over to me the people who are living in the land. The land has been brought under the control of the Lord and his people. 19 So be committed to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Start building the temple of the Lord God. Then bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord into it. Also bring in the sacred objects that belong to God. The temple will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.”

And David commanded to gather together the strangers who were in the land of Israel, and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.

And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates and for the joinings, and brass in abundance beyond measure,

also cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

And David said, “Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries. I will therefore now make preparation for it.” So David prepared abundantly before his death.

Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel.

And David said to Solomon, “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house unto the name of the Lord my God.

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars. Thou shalt not build a house unto My name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in My sight.

Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest. And I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon [that is, Peaceable], and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

10 He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.’

11 Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as He hath said of thee.

12 Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God.

13 Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.

14 Now behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and of brass and iron beyond measure, for it is in abundance. Timber also and stone have I prepared, and thou mayest add thereto.

15 Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance: hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of skillful men for every manner of work.

16 Of the gold, the silver and the brass and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.”

17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,

18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? And hath He not given you rest on every side? For He hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people.]

19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.”