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

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.”