为建殿而献的礼物

29 大卫王又对全体会众说:“我儿所罗门是上帝特别拣选的,但他还年轻,缺乏经验。建殿的工程浩大,因为这殿不是为人造的,乃是为耶和华上帝造的。 我已竭尽所能为我上帝的殿预备了制作金器、银器、铜器、铁器和木器所需的金银铜铁及木头,还有大量的玛瑙、镶嵌用的宝石、彩石、大理石及其他贵重的石头。 而且,我因为爱慕我上帝的殿,除了预备以上物品外,还把自己珍藏的金银献上,用来建造我上帝的殿。 我献上一百吨俄斐金、二百四十吨纯银,用来贴殿墙, 供匠人制作金器银器。今天,有谁乐意向耶和华奉献?”

结果,各族长、以色列各支派的首领、千夫长、百夫长和负责王室事务的官员都乐意奉献, 他们为上帝的殿奉献了一百七十吨金子,三百四十吨银子,六百二十吨铜,三千四百吨铁。 有宝石的人都把宝石交到耶和华殿的库房,由革顺人耶歇保管。 因为他们诚心诚意地把东西献给上帝,百姓欢喜不已,大卫王也非常欢喜。

大卫颂赞耶和华

10 大卫在会众面前颂赞耶和华,说:“我们先祖以色列的上帝耶和华啊,你永永远远当受颂赞! 11 耶和华啊,伟大、权能、荣耀、尊贵和威严都是你的,天上地下的一切都是你的。耶和华啊,国度是你的,你是万有的主宰。 12 富贵和尊荣都从你而来,你掌管一切,你手中有权能和力量,能使人尊大、强盛。 13 我们的上帝啊,我们称颂你,赞美你荣耀的名。

14 “我算什么,我的人民算什么,怎么配向你奉献?因为万物都从你而来,我们只是把从你那里得来的献给你。 15 我们在你面前只是客旅,是寄居的,像我们祖先一样;我们在世的日子就像影子一样转瞬即逝。 16 我们的上帝耶和华啊,我们为你的圣名建造殿宇所预备的这一切财物都是从你那里来的,都属于你。 17 我的上帝啊,我知道你洞察人心,喜爱正直的人。我怀着正直的心甘愿献上这一切,我也看见你这里的子民甘心乐意地将财物献给你。 18 我们祖先亚伯拉罕、以撒、以色列的上帝耶和华啊!求你使你的子民常存这样的心志,使他们的心忠于你。 19 求你赐给我儿所罗门忠诚的心,以遵行你的诫命、法度和律例,用我预备的材料全力建造殿宇。”

20 大卫对全体会众说:“你们要颂赞你们的上帝耶和华。”于是,全体会众颂赞他们祖先的上帝耶和华,向耶和华和王俯伏下拜。

所罗门被立为王

21 次日,他们向耶和华献祭。他们代表全以色列献上一千头公牛、一千只公绵羊、一千只羊羔作燔祭,同时还献上奠祭及许多其他祭。 22 那一天,他们在耶和华面前欢欢喜喜地吃喝。

他们再次拥立大卫的儿子所罗门做王,在耶和华面前膏立他做首领,又膏立撒督做祭司。 23 于是,所罗门登上了耶和华所赐的王位,接替他父亲大卫做王。他凡事亨通,以色列众人都服从他, 24 众首领、勇士以及大卫王的众子都效忠于他。 25 耶和华使所罗门倍受以色列人尊崇,赐他君王的威严,超过在他之前的所有以色列王。

大卫去世

26 耶西的儿子大卫是全以色列的王, 27 他在以色列执政共四十年:在希伯仑执政七年,在耶路撒冷执政三十三年。 28 大卫年纪老迈,享尽富贵尊荣后,寿终正寝。他儿子所罗门继位。 29 大卫王一生的事迹都记在撒母耳先见、拿单先知和迦得先见的史记上。 30 书中记述了他的政绩和英勇事迹,以及他和以色列及列国所遭遇的事。

Offerings for Building the Temple

29 Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has (A)chosen, is (B)young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the [a]temple is not for man but for the Lord God. Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, (C)onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of (D)Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is (E)willing to [b]consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

Then (F)the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with (G)the officers over the king’s work, (H)offered willingly. They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the hand of (I)Jehiel[c] the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had (J)offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Praise to God

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
11 (K)Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
12 (L)Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.

13 “Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
14 But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And [d]of Your own we have given You.
15 For (M)we are [e]aliens and [f]pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers;
(N)Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope.

16 “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. 17 I know also, my God, that You (O)test the heart and (P)have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. 18 O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. 19 And (Q)give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the [g]temple for which (R)I have made provision.”

20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Anointed King(S)

21 And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and (T)sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and (U)anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, (V)submitted[h] themselves to King Solomon. 25 So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and (W)bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

The Close of David’s Reign

26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 (X)And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; (Y)seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 28 So he (Z)died in a good old age, (AA)full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the [i]book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, 30 with all his reign and his might, (AB)and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:1 Lit. palace
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:5 Lit. fill his hand
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:8 Possibly the same as Jehieli, 1 Chr. 26:21, 22
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:14 Lit. of Your hand
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:15 sojourners, temporary residents
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:15 transients, temporary residents in an even more temporary sense
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:19 Lit. palace
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:24 Lit. gave the hand
  9. 1 Chronicles 29:29 Lit. words

Chapter 29

Gifts for the Temple.[a] King David then said to the whole assembly, “My son, Solomon, is the one whom God has chosen. He is young and inexperienced, and the task is great. This is not a palace for a human, but it is for the Lord God.

“I have made preparations for the temple of the Lord, my God, with all my resources: the gold, the golden objects, the silver, the silver objects, the bronze, the bronze objects, the iron, the iron objects, the wood, the wood objects, the stone, the onyx for settings, the glistening stones of various colors, all types of precious stones, and marble, all of them in great quantities.

“Moreover, in my devotion to the temple of my God, I have given gold and silver from my own possessions for the temple of my God in addition to everything that I have prepared for the holy temple. This includes three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings. It is also for the gold and the gold objects, the silver and the silver objects, and all types of work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing today to consecrate himself to the Lord?”

The leaders of the ancestral clans and the tribes of Israel, the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, and the supervisors of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave five thousand talents and ten thousand darics[b] of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. Any of those who had found precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord through Jehiel the Gershonite. The people rejoiced because they had willingly responded and had given with their whole hearts to the Lord, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

10 [c]David praised the Lord in front of the whole assembly, and David said:

“Blessed are you, O Lord,
    the God of Israel,
    our father forever and ever.
11 “Yours, O Lord, are greatness,
    power, glory, strength, and majesty,
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom;
    you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor are from you,
    you reign over all.
In your hand are power and might;
    it to is in your hand make great and to give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we thank you,
    and we praise your glorious name.
14 But who am I, and what are your people,
    that we should be able to do this?
All things belong to you,
    and everything that we have given you is from your hand.
15 We are foreigners and aliens,
    as all our fathers were before us.
Our days are like a shadow upon the earth,
    none of them abide.
16 Lord, our God,
    all of this wealth that we have to build a temple for you
    and for your holy name is from your hand,
    and it all belongs to you.
17 I know, my God,
    that you have tested my heart,
and that you are pleased with
    the integrity of my heart.
I have willingly offered you all these things.
And now I have seen your people who are present here.
They joyfully and willingly make
    this offering to you.
18 Lord, God of our fathers,
    of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
keep this desire in the inner thoughts
    of your people forever,
    and make their hearts loyal to you.
19 Give my son Solomon a pure heart
    so that he might observe your commandments, your ordinances, and your statutes,
and do everything to build the temple
    for which I have made provision.”

20 David then said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord, your God!” The whole assembly praised the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed down their heads, and they fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.

21 On the next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs. There were drink offerings and other sacrifices in abundance for all of Israel. 22 They ate and drank before the Lord that day with great joy.[d]

Then they acknowledged Solomon, the son of David, as king a second time, and they anointed him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. 23 Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord in the place of David, his father. He prospered and everyone in Israel obeyed him. 24 All of the leaders and mighty men and all of King David’s sons paid obeisance to King Solomon. 25 The Lord exalted Solomon greatly before all of Israel, and he bestowed upon him majesty and royal dignity as no king in Israel had ever had before him.

26 David, the son of Jesse, reigned over all of Israel. 27 He ruled over Israel for forty years. He reigned for seven years in Hebron, and he reigned for thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good, old age in the fullness of his years. He had enjoyed wealth and honor. Then Solomon, his son, reigned in his stead.

29 [e]As for the other deeds of King David, from the beginning to the end, they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer, the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the Book of Gad the Seer, 30 along with all of the details of his reign and his might and his own times and those of Israel and of all the kingdoms of the other lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:1 The numbers seem inflated here, as they were earlier (1 Chr 22:14); they are a way of bringing out the importance and high quality of the gifts.
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:7 Darics: evidently an anachronism, since darics were gold Persian coins.
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:10 The thanksgiving which the king offers in the name of the people is still one of the most beautiful of liturgical prayers.
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:22 Solomon was David’s choice to succeed him (1 Chr 23:1), and this is a public affirmation of his appointment.
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:29 It is of interest to know of the works used by the author, but they are unknown to us.

29 Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.

Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:

The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?

Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly,

And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

10 Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

11 Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

16 O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

18 O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.

20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king.

21 And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:

22 And did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the Lord to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.

23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

24 And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.

25 And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

27 And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,

30 With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.