1 Chronicles 22
English Standard Version
22 Then David said, (A)“Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
David Prepares for Temple Building
2 David commanded to gather together the (B)resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he (C)set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, (D)as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, 4 and cedar timbers without number, (E)for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. 5 For David said, (F)“Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.
Solomon Charged to Build the Temple
6 Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, (G)I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (H)‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. (I)I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. (J)For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 (K)He shall build a house for my name. (L)He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, (M)the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 (N)Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 (O)Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. (P)Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. 14 With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord (Q)100,000 talents[a] of gold, a million talents of silver, and (R)bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. 15 You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working 16 gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and work! (S)The Lord be with you!”
17 David also commanded (T)all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? And (U)has he not given you peace[b] on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people. 19 Now (V)set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, (W)so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built (X)for the name of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 22:14 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 1 Chronicles 22:18 Or rest (see 22:9)
1 Chronicles 22
New Century Version
22 David said, “The Temple of the Lord God and the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings will be built here.”
David Makes Plans for the Temple
2 So David ordered all foreigners living in Israel to gather together. From that group David chose stonecutters to cut stones to be used in building the Temple of God. 3 David supplied a large amount of iron to be used for making nails and hinges for the gate doors. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed, 4 and he supplied more cedar logs than could be counted. Much of the cedar had been brought to David by the people from Sidon and Tyre.
5 David said, “We should build a great Temple for the Lord, which will be famous everywhere for its greatness and beauty. But my son Solomon is young. He hasn’t yet learned what he needs to know, so I will prepare for the building of it.” So David got many of the materials ready before he died.
6 Then David called for his son Solomon and told him to build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to him, “My son, I wanted to build a temple for worshiping the Lord my God. 8 But the Lord spoke his word to me, ‘David, you have killed many people. You have fought many wars. You cannot build a temple for worship to me, because you have killed many people. 9 But, you will have a son, a man of peace and rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon,[a] and I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king. 10 Solomon will build a temple for worship to me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will make his kingdom strong; someone from his family will rule Israel forever.’”
11 David said, “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you. May you build a temple for the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 He will make you the king of Israel. May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding so you will be able to obey the teachings of the Lord your God. 13 Be careful to obey the rules and laws the Lord gave Moses for Israel. If you obey them, you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.
14 “Solomon, I have worked hard getting many of the materials for building the Temple of the Lord. I have supplied about seven and one-half million pounds of gold, about seventy-five million pounds of silver, so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, and wood and stone. You may add to them. 15 You have many workmen—stonecutters, bricklayers, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work. 16 They are skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have more craftsmen than can be counted. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 David said to them, “The Lord your God is with you. He has given you rest from our enemies. He has handed over to me the people living around us. The Lord and his people are in control of this land. 19 Now give yourselves completely to obeying the Lord your God. Build the holy place of the Lord God; build the Temple for worship to the Lord. Then bring the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord and the holy items that belong to God into the Temple.”
Footnotes
- 22:9 Solomon This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “peace.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
