22 Then David said, “The house of the Lord God^(A) is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners^(B) residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters^(C) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. ³ 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.^{(D) 4} He also provided more cedar logs^(E) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

⁵ David said, “My son Solomon is young^(F) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor^(G) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

⁶ Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build^(H) a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart^(I) to build^(J) a house for the Name^(K) of the Lord my God. ⁸ But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars.^(L) You are not to build a house for my Name,^(M) because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. ⁹ But you will have a son who will be a man of peace^(N) and rest,^(O) and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,^[a](P) and I will grant Israel peace and quiet^(Q) during his reign. ¹⁰ He is the one who will build a house for my Name.^(R) He will be my son,^(S) and I will be his father. And I will establish^(T) the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’^(U)

¹¹ “Now, my son, the Lord be with^(V) 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^(W) 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^(X) if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws^(Y) that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.^(Z) 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.^{(AA) 15} You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,^(AB) as well as those skilled in every kind of work ¹⁶ in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen^(AC) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

¹⁷ Then David ordered^(AD) 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^(AE) on every side?^(AF) 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.^(AG) 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.”

The Levites

23 When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon^(AH) king over Israel.^(AI)

² He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. ³ The Levites thirty years old or more^(AJ) were counted,^(AK) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.^{(AL) 4} David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge^(AM) of the work^(AN) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.^{(AO) 5} Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments^(AP) I have provided for that purpose.”^(AQ)

⁶ David separated^(AR) the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi:^(AS) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Gershonites

⁷ Belonging to the Gershonites:^(AT)

Kohathites

¹² The sons of Kohath:^(AU)

Merarites

²¹ The sons of Merari:^(BF)

²⁴ These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more^(BI) who served in the temple of the Lord. ²⁵ For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest^(BJ) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, ²⁶ the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”^{(BK) 27} According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

²⁸ The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification^(BL) of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. ²⁹ They were in charge of the bread set out on the table,^(BM) the special flour for the grain offerings,^(BN) the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.^{(BO) 30} They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening^{(BP) 31} and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon^(BQ) feasts and at the appointed festivals.^(BR) They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

³² And so the Levites^(BS) carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting,^(BT) for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.^(BU)

The Divisions of Priests

24 These were the divisions^(BV) of the descendants of Aaron:^(BW)

The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{(BX) 2} But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did,^(BY) and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. ³ With the help of Zadok^(BZ) a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelek a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. ⁴ A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants. ⁵ They divided them impartially by casting lots,^(CA) for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁶ The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelek^(CB) son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

¹⁹ This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

²⁰ As for the rest of the descendants of Levi:^(CH)

These were the Levites, according to their families. ³¹ They also cast lots,^(CL) just as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

3 So when we could stand it no longer,^(A) we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.^{(B) 2} We sent Timothy,^(C) who is our brother and co-worker^(D) in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ,^(E) to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³ so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.^(F) For you know quite well that we are destined for them.^{(G) 4} In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.^{(H) 5} For this reason, when I could stand it no longer,^(I) I sent to find out about your faith.^(J) I was afraid that in some way the tempter^(K) had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.^(L)

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

⁶ But Timothy^(M) has just now come to us from you^(N) and has brought good news about your faith and love.^(O) He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.^{(P) 7} Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. ⁸ For now we really live, since you are standing firm^(Q) in the Lord. ⁹ How can we thank God enough for you^(R) in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?^{(S) 10} Night and day we pray^(T) most earnestly that we may see you again^(U) and supply what is lacking in your faith.

¹¹ Now may our God and Father^(V) himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other^(W) and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless^(X) and holy in the presence of our God and Father^(Y) when our Lord Jesus comes^(Z) with all his holy ones.^(AA)