1 Chronicles 22
New Life Version
David Gets Ready to Build the House of God
22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God. And this is the altar of burnt gifts for Israel.”
2 David told his men to gather the strangers who were in the land of Israel. And he had servants cut stones to build the house of God. 3 He gave large amounts of iron to be used for making nails for the doors of the gates, and for making the parts that hold it all together. He gave more brass than could be weighed. 4 And he gave too many cedar trees to number. For the Sidonians and Tyrians brought many cut cedar trees to David. 5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and does not yet have much learning. And the house that is to be built for the Lord must be very beautiful. It must be very great, and well-known in all lands. So I will get things ready for it to be built.” David made many things ready for it before his death.
6 Then he called for his son Solomon, and gave him the work of building a house for the Lord God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had planned to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have taken much blood, and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house to My name, because you have poured so much blood upon the earth before Me. 9 See, a son will be born to you, who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace from all those who hate him on every side. His name will be Solomon. And I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will make his throne in Israel last forever.’ 11 Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and help you to do well. May you build the house of the Lord your God just as He has said you would. 12 Only, may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding. When He has you rule over Israel, may you keep the Law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will do well, if you are careful to obey the Laws which the Lord gave to Israel by Moses. Be strong and have strength of heart. Do not be afraid or troubled. 14 With much trouble I have made things ready for the house of the Lord. There is gold weighing as much as 100,000 men. There is silver weighing as much as 1,000,000 men. And there is too much brass and iron to weigh. I have made wood and stone ready, and you may add to them. 15 You have many servants and workmen who cut and build with stones and wood. There are men who are able to do every kind of work well. 16 Of the gold and silver and brass and iron, there is more than enough. So get ready and work, and may the Lord be with you.”
17 David told all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said to them, 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? Has He not given you peace on every side? For He has given the people of the land into my hand. The land is put under my rule before the Lord and His people. 19 Now set your heart and soul to look to the Lord your God. Get ready and build the holy place of the Lord God. Then you may bring the special box with the Law of the Lord. You may bring the holy objects of God. And put them into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”
1 Chronicles 22
International Standard Version
22 1 David said, “This is where the Lord God’s Temple will be, along with the altar of burnt offerings for Israel.”
David’s Plan to Build the Temple
2 David subsequently issued orders to conscript the resident aliens who lived in the land of Israel and appointed stonecutters to prepare stones for building a temple for God. 3 David also provisioned abundant supplies of iron for nails to build the doors for gates and to build clamps. Furthermore, he provided so much bronze it wasn’t inventoried, 4 as well as an innumerable amount of cedar logs, since the Sidonians and Tyrians brought vast amounts of cedar to David.
5 David thought, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The temple that will be built for the Lord is to be magnificent, well known, and internationally honored, so I will complete preparations for it.” So before his death, David finished providing a great quantity of materials for it.
David Commissions Solomon to Build the Temple
6 Later, David called for his son Solomon and directed him to build a temple to the Lord God of Israel. 7 David addressed Solomon: “I have attempted to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But this message from the Lord came to me, telling me
‘You have shed a lot of blood and fought great battles. You won’t be building a house for my name, since you have shed so much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But look! A son born to you will live comfortably,[a] because I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him on every side, since his name will be “Solomon”—I will give peace and quiet for Israel during his lifetime. 10 He will build a temple to my name. He will be a son to me, I myself will be a father to him, and I will secure his royal throne in Israel forever.’
11 So now, my son, may the Lord be with you, so that you are successful in constructing the Temple of the Lord your God, just as he has spoken about you.
12 “Only may the Lord give you discretion and understanding as he places you in charge over Israel, so you can keep the Law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will be successful, if you keep on observing the statutes and ordinances that the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong, be courageous, and never give in to fear or dismay. 14 At great effort I have provided for the Temple of the Lord 100,000 gold talents,[b] 1,000,000 silver talents,[c] as well as bronze and iron beyond calculation, since there is so much of it. I’ve also provided timber and stone, but you’ll need to obtain more. 15 You already have plenty of workers, including stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and an innumerable group of artisans who are skilled at working in 16 gold, silver, bronze, and iron. So begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”
17 David also issued these orders to all of the leaders of Israel to assist his son Solomon: 18 “Isn’t the Lord your God with you? Hasn’t he surrounded you with comfort? He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my control, and the land lies subdued both in the Lord’s presence and before his people. 19 So set your minds and hearts to seek the Lord your God, to get up, and to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be stored in a temple built for the name of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 22:9 Lit. will be a man of comfort
- 1 Chronicles 22:14 I.e. about 7,500,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
- 1 Chronicles 22:14 I.e. about 75,000,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
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