為建殿而獻的禮物

29 大衛王又對全體會眾說:「我兒所羅門是上帝特別揀選的,但他還年輕,缺乏經驗。建殿的工程浩大,因為這殿不是為人造的,乃是為耶和華上帝造的。 我已竭盡所能為我上帝的殿預備了製作金器、銀器、銅器、鐵器和木器所需的金銀銅鐵及木頭,還有大量的瑪瑙、鑲嵌用的寶石、彩石、大理石及其他貴重的石頭。 而且,我因為愛慕我上帝的殿,除了預備以上物品外,還把自己珍藏的金銀獻上,用來建造我上帝的殿。 我獻上一百噸俄斐金、二百四十噸純銀,用來貼殿牆, 供匠人製作金器銀器。今天,有誰樂意向耶和華奉獻?」

結果,各族長、以色列各支派的首領、千夫長、百夫長和負責王室事務的官員都樂意奉獻, 他們為上帝的殿奉獻了一百七十噸金子,三百四十噸銀子,六百二十噸銅,三千四百噸鐵。 有寶石的人都把寶石交到耶和華殿的庫房,由革順人耶歇保管。 因為他們誠心誠意地把東西獻給上帝,百姓歡喜不已,大衛王也非常歡喜。

大衛頌讚耶和華

10 大衛在會眾面前頌讚耶和華,說:「我們先祖以色列的上帝耶和華啊,你永永遠遠當受頌讚! 11 耶和華啊,偉大、權能、榮耀、尊貴和威嚴都是你的,天上地下的一切都是你的。耶和華啊,國度是你的,你是萬有的主宰。 12 富貴和尊榮都從你而來,你掌管一切,你手中有權能和力量,能使人尊大、強盛。 13 我們的上帝啊,我們稱頌你,讚美你榮耀的名。

14 「我算什麼,我的人民算什麼,怎麼配向你奉獻?因為萬物都從你而來,我們只是把從你那裡得來的獻給你。 15 我們在你面前只是客旅,是寄居的,像我們祖先一樣;我們在世的日子就像影子一樣轉瞬即逝。 16 我們的上帝耶和華啊,我們為你的聖名建造殿宇所預備的這一切財物都是從你那裡來的,都屬於你。 17 我的上帝啊,我知道你洞察人心,喜愛正直的人。我懷著正直的心甘願獻上這一切,我也看見你這裡的子民甘心樂意地將財物獻給你。 18 我們祖先亞伯拉罕、以撒、以色列的上帝耶和華啊!求你使你的子民常存這樣的心志,使他們的心忠於你。 19 求你賜給我兒所羅門忠誠的心,以遵行你的誡命、法度和律例,用我預備的材料全力建造殿宇。」

20 大衛對全體會眾說:「你們要頌讚你們的上帝耶和華。」於是,全體會眾頌讚他們祖先的上帝耶和華,向耶和華和王俯伏下拜。

所羅門被立為王

21 次日,他們向耶和華獻祭。他們代表全以色列獻上一千頭公牛、一千隻公綿羊、一千隻羊羔作燔祭,同時還獻上奠祭及許多其他祭。 22 那一天,他們在耶和華面前歡歡喜喜地吃喝。

他們再次擁立大衛的兒子所羅門做王,在耶和華面前膏立他做首領,又膏立撒督做祭司。 23 於是,所羅門登上了耶和華所賜的王位,接替他父親大衛做王。他凡事亨通,以色列眾人都服從他, 24 眾首領、勇士以及大衛王的眾子都效忠於他。 25 耶和華使所羅門倍受以色列人尊崇,賜他君王的威嚴,超過在他之前的所有以色列王。

大衛去世

26 耶西的兒子大衛是全以色列的王, 27 他在以色列執政共四十年:在希伯崙執政七年,在耶路撒冷執政三十三年。 28 大衛年紀老邁,享盡富貴尊榮後,壽終正寢。他兒子所羅門繼位。 29 大衛王一生的事蹟都記在撒母耳先見、拿單先知和迦得先見的史記上。 30 書中記述了他的政績和英勇事蹟,以及他和以色列及列國所遭遇的事。

Offerings for the Temple

29 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is (A)young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for (B)the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of (C)onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: (D)3,000 talents[a] of gold, of the gold of (E)Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,[b] and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself[c] today to the Lord?”

Then (F)the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and (G)the officers over the king's work. They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 (H)darics[d] of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of (I)Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a (J)whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David Prays in the Assembly

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: (K)“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 (L)Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 (M)Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. (N)In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 (O)For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are (P)like a shadow, and there is no abiding.[e] 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, (Q)that you test the heart and (R)have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 (S)Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may (T)build the palace (U)for which I have made provision.”

20 Then David said to all the assembly, (V)“Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, (W)and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king. 21 And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their (X)drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness.

Solomon Anointed King

And they made Solomon the son of David king (Y)the second time, and they (Z)anointed him as prince for the Lord, and (AA)Zadok as priest.

23 (AB)Then Solomon sat on the (AC)throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 And the Lord made Solomon very (AD)great in the sight of all Israel and (AE)bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

The Death of David

26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The (AF)time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 Then he died (AG)at a good age, (AH)full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles (AI)of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of (AJ)Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of (AK)Gad the seer, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances (AL)that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:4 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:4 Septuagint; Hebrew houses
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:5 Or ordaining himself; Hebrew filling his hand
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:7 A daric was a coin weighing about 1/4 ounce or 8.5 grams
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:15 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew hope, or prospect

Gifts for Building the Temple

29 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced.(A) The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold(B) for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a](C) stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.(D) Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided(E) for this holy temple: three thousand talents[b] of gold (gold of Ophir)(F) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver,(G) for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”

Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials(H) in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.(I) They(J) gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. Anyone who had precious stones(K) gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.(L) The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly(M) to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, Lord,
    the God of our father Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power(N)
    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.(O)
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
    you are exalted as head over all.(P)
12 Wealth and honor(Q) come from you;
    you are the ruler(R) of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?(S) Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.(T) 15 We are foreigners and strangers(U) in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow,(V) without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart(W) and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.(X) 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion(Y) to keep your commands, statutes and decrees(Z) and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”(AA)

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Acknowledged as King(AB)

21 The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him:(AC) a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.(AD) 22 They ate and drank with great joy(AE) in the presence of the Lord that day.

Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok(AF) to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat(AG) on the throne(AH) of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons,(AI) pledged their submission to King Solomon.

25 The Lord highly exalted(AJ) Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor(AK) such as no king over Israel ever had before.(AL)

The Death of David(AM)

26 David son of Jesse was king(AN) over all Israel.(AO) 27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron(AP) and thirty-three in Jerusalem.(AQ) 28 He died(AR) at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.(AS)

29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer,(AT) the records of Nathan(AU) the prophet and the records of Gad(AV) the seer, 30 together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 110 tons or about 100 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 260 tons or about 235 metric tons
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 190 tons or about 170 metric tons
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 185 pounds or about 84 kilograms
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 380 tons or about 340 metric tons
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 675 tons or about 610 metric tons
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 3,800 tons or about 3,400 metric tons