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David’s Public Assembly at Jerusalem
28 David held a meeting in Jerusalem for all the leaders of Israel—the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the army units that served the king, the commanders of regiments and battalions, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, the palace officials, the soldiers, and the fighting men.
2 David stood in front of them and said, “Listen to me, my relatives and subjects. I had my heart set on building the temple where the ark of the Lord’s promise could be placed. This temple would be a stool for our God’s feet, and I have made preparations to build it. 3 But God told me, ‘You must not build the temple for my name. You have fought wars and caused bloodshed.’ 4 Yet, from my entire family the Lord God of Israel chose me to be king of Israel permanently. He had chosen the tribe of Judah to lead ⌞Israel⌟. From the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. From among my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king of all Israel. 5 And of all my sons (the Lord has given me many sons) he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom to rule Israel.
6 “He told me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my temple and my courtyards because I have chosen him to be my son. I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he will remain determined to obey my commands and laws, as he is doing today.’ 8 Now, ⌞leaders, I order you⌟ in the sight of Israel (the Lord’s congregation) and as our God listens to dedicate your lives to doing everything the Lord your God has commanded. Then you will be able to possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants.
9 “And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⌞we have⌟. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. 10 So be careful, because the Lord has chosen you to build the temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.”
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the temple, its storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy. 12 He gave him plans for the courtyards of the Lord’s temple and for all the rooms around it. (These rooms served as treasuries for God’s temple and the gifts dedicated to God.) 13 He determined the divisions of priests and Levites. He planned all the work done for worship in the Lord’s temple. He designed all the utensils for worship in the Lord’s temple. 14 ⌞David specified⌟ the weight of gold to be used for each of the utensils for worship, 15 the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps (⌞that is,⌟ the weight of gold for each lamp stand and its lamps), the weight of silver for each silver lamp stand and its lamps (according to the use of each lamp stand for worship), 16 the weight of gold for each table with the rows of bread, and the silver for the silver tables, 17 the pure gold for the forks, bowls, and pitchers, the weight of each gold bowl, the weight of each silver bowl, 18 and the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot, that is, the gold angels [a] with their wings spread to cover the ark of the Lord’s promise. 19 ⌞David said,⌟ “All this was written for me by the Lord’s hand. He made all the details of the plan clear to me.”
20 David also told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on the Lord’s temple is finished. 21 Here are also the divisions of the priests and Levites for every type of worship in God’s temple. You have with you every skilled worker to do all the work. In addition, all the leaders and people are at your command.”
29 Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. Yet, the work is important because this palace is not for a person but for the Lord God. 2 With all my might I gathered ⌞the materials⌟ for the temple of my God: gold for gold objects, silver for silver objects, bronze for bronze objects, iron for iron objects, wood for wooden objects, onyx stones and settings, black stones, stones of different colors, gems, and marble. 3 Moreover, I delight in the temple of my God. I have a personal treasury of gold and silver that I’m giving to my God’s temple in addition to everything else I gathered for the holy temple. 4 There are 225,000 pounds of gold from Ophir and 525,000 pounds of refined silver. They are to be used to cover the walls of the buildings, 5 to make gold objects, silver objects, and everything else the craftsmen will make. Who else is willing to make an offering and dedicate himself to the Lord today?”
6 Then the leaders of the families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of regiments and battalions, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave generously. 7 They gave 375,186 pounds of gold, 750,000 pounds of silver, 135,000 pounds of bronze, and 7,500,000 pounds of iron for the work on God’s temple. 8 Whoever happened to have precious stones gave them to Jehiel, Gershon’s descendant, for the treasury of the Lord’s temple. 9 The people were overjoyed that the leaders gave so generously and wholeheartedly to the Lord.
King David was also overjoyed, and 10 he praised the Lord while the whole assembly watched. David said,
“May you be praised, Lord God of Israel,
our father forever and ever.[b]
11 Greatness, power, splendor, glory, and majesty are yours, Lord,
because everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
The kingdom is yours, Lord,
and you are honored as head of all things.
12 Riches and honor are in front of you.
You rule everything.
You hold power and strength in your hands,
and you can make anyone great and strong.
13 “Our God, we thank you
and praise your wonderful name.
14 But who am I and who are my people
that you enable us to give so generously?
Everything comes from you.
We give you only what has come from your hands.
15 To you we are all like our ancestors—
foreigners without permanent homes.
Our days are as fleeting as shadows on the ground.
There’s no hope ⌞for them⌟.
16 “Lord, our God, all this wealth that we gathered to build a temple for your holy name is from you. All of it is yours. 17 I know, my God, that you examine hearts and delight in honesty. With an honest heart I have willingly offered all these things. I’ve been overjoyed to see your people here offering so willingly to you. 18 Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, always watch over your people’s deepest thoughts. Keep their hearts directed toward you. 19 Make my son Solomon completely committed ⌞to you⌟ so that he will obey your commands, requests, and laws and do everything to build the palace I have planned.”
Solomon Is Made King
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God!” So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors and knelt in front of the Lord and the king.
21 The next day they sacrificed to the Lord. They sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs, wine offerings, and many sacrifices for all Israel. 22 That day they ate and drank as they joyfully celebrated in front of the Lord. For the second time they made David’s son Solomon king. On the Lord’s behalf they anointed Solomon to be leader and Zadok to be the priest.
23 Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of his father David. Solomon was successful and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and soldiers and all of King David’s sons pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. 25 The Lord made Solomon extremely powerful, as all Israel could see. The people of Israel gave him royal honor like no king of Israel before him ever had.
David’s Reign(A)
26 David, son of Jesse, had ruled all Israel. 27 He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a very old age. His long life was full of wealth and honor. Then his son Solomon succeeded him as king.
29 Everything about King David from first to last is written in the records of the seer [c] Samuel, the prophet Nathan, and the seer Gad. 30 It includes everything about his reign, his power, and the things that happened to him, Israel, and all the other kingdoms.
6 Look at it this way: At the right time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for ungodly people. 7 Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person. 8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.
9 Since Christ’s blood has now given us God’s approval, we are even more certain that Christ will save us from God’s anger. 10 If the death of his Son restored our relationship with God while we were still his enemies, we are even more certain that, because of this restored relationship, the life of his Son will save us. 11 In addition, our Lord Jesus Christ lets us continue to brag about God. After all, it is through Christ that we now have this restored relationship with God.
A Comparison between Adam and Christ
12 Sin came into the world through one person, and death came through sin. So death spread to everyone, because everyone sinned. 13 Sin was in the world before there were any laws. But no record of sin can be kept when there are no laws. 14 Yet, death ruled from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin in the same way Adam did when he disobeyed. Adam is an image of the one who would come.
15 There is no comparison between ⌞God’s⌟ gift and ⌞Adam’s⌟ failure. If humanity died as the result of one person’s failure, it is certainly true that God’s kindness [a] and the gift given through the kindness of one person, Jesus Christ, have been showered on humanity.
16 There is also no comparison between ⌞God’s⌟ gift and the one who sinned. The verdict which followed one person’s failure condemned everyone. But, even after many failures, the gift brought God’s approval. 17 It is certain that death ruled because of one person’s failure. It’s even more certain that those who receive God’s overflowing kindness and the gift of his approval will rule in life because of one person, Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, everyone was condemned through one failure, and everyone received God’s life-giving approval through one verdict. 19 Clearly, through one person’s disobedience humanity became sinful, and through one person’s obedience humanity will receive God’s approval. 20 The laws in Moses’ Teachings were added to increase the failure. But where sin increased, God’s kindness increased even more. 21 As sin ruled by bringing death, God’s kindness would rule by bringing us his approval. This results in our living forever because of Jesus Christ our Lord.
A psalm by David.
15 O Lord, who may stay in your tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one who walks with integrity,
does what is righteous,
and speaks the truth within his heart.
3 The one who does not slander with his tongue,
do evil to a friend,
or bring disgrace on his neighbor.
4 The one who despises those rejected by God
but honors those who fear the Lord.
The one who makes a promise and does not break it,
even though he is hurt by it.
5 The one who does not collect interest on a loan
or take a bribe against an innocent person.
Whoever does these things will never be shaken.
18 Discipline your son while there is still hope.
Do not be the one responsible for his death.
19 A person who has a hot temper will pay for it.
If you rescue him, you will have to do it over and over.
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