David’s Address about the Temple

28 Now (A)David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, and the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and (B)the mighty men, even all the valiant men. Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I (C)had [a]intended to build a [b]permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for (D)the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. But God said to me, ‘(E)You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ Yet, the Lord, the God of Israel, (F)chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel (G)forever. For (H)He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and (I)in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. (J)Of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons), (K)He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. He said to me, ‘Your son (L)Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him. I will establish his kingdom forever (M)if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as [c]is done now.’ So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the Lord your God so that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever.

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and (N)serve Him with [d]a whole heart and a willing [e]mind; (O)for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. (P)If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; (Q)be courageous and act.”

11 Then David gave to his son Solomon (R)the plan of (S)the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms and (T)the room for the mercy seat; 12 and the plan of all that he had in [f]mind, for the courts of the house of the Lord, and for all the surrounding rooms, for (U)the storehouses of the house of God and for the storehouses of the dedicated things; 13 also for (V)the divisions of the priests and (W)the Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord and for all the utensils of service in the house of the Lord; 14 for the golden utensils, the weight of gold for all utensils for every kind of service; for the silver utensils, the weight of silver for all utensils for every kind of service; 15 and the weight of gold for the (X)golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand; 16 and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for each table; and silver for the silver tables; 17 and the forks, the basins, and the pitchers of pure gold; and for the golden bowls with the weight for each bowl; and for the silver bowls with the weight for each bowl; 18 and for (Y)the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, even (Z)the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

19 “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, (AA)all the [g]details of this pattern.”

20 Then David said to his son Solomon, “(AB)Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. (AC)He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. 21 Now behold, (AD)there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and (AE)every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 28:2 Lit in my heart
  2. 1 Chronicles 28:2 Lit house of rest
  3. 1 Chronicles 28:7 Lit at this day
  4. 1 Chronicles 28:9 Or the same
  5. 1 Chronicles 28:9 Lit soul
  6. 1 Chronicles 28:12 Lit the spirit with him
  7. 1 Chronicles 28:19 Lit works

An Experience of the Captivity.

137 By the (A)rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and (B)wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the [a](C)willows in the midst of it
We (D)hung our [b]harps.
For there our captors [c](E)demanded of us [d]songs,
And (F)our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

How can we sing (G)the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
If I (H)forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand [e]forget her skill.
May my (I)tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not [f](J)exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.

Remember, O Lord, against the sons of (K)Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
(L)To its very foundation.”
O daughter of Babylon, you [g](M)devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who (N)repays you
With [h]the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and (O)dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 137:2 Or poplars
  2. Psalm 137:2 Lit lyres
  3. Psalm 137:3 Lit asked
  4. Psalm 137:3 Lit words of song
  5. Psalm 137:5 I.e. become lame
  6. Psalm 137:6 Lit cause to ascend
  7. Psalm 137:8 Or devastator
  8. Psalm 137:8 Lit your recompense

Message to Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in (A)Pergamum write:

The One who has (B)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

13 ‘I know where you dwell, where (C)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny (D)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My (E)witness, My (F)faithful one, who was killed among you, (G)where Satan dwells. 14 But (H)I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the (I)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, (J)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the (K)Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore (L)repent; or else (M)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with (N)the sword of My mouth. 17 (O)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (P)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden (Q)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a (R)new name written on the stone (S)which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in (T)Thyatira write:

(U)The Son of God, (V)who has [a]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

19 (W)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and [b]perseverance, and that your [c]deeds of late are greater than [d]at first. 20 But (X)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman (Y)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they (Z)commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 (AA)I gave her time to repent, and she (AB)does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her [e]on a bed of sickness, and those who (AC)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [f]her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with [g]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who (AD)searches the [h]minds and hearts; and (AE)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in (AF)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the (AG)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I (AH)place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless (AI)what you have, hold fast (AJ)until I come. 26 (AK)He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds (AL)until the end, (AM)to him I will give authority over the [i]nations; 27 and he shall [j](AN)rule them with a rod of iron, (AO)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him (AP)the morning star. 29 (AQ)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 2:18 Lit His eyes
  2. Revelation 2:19 Or steadfastness
  3. Revelation 2:19 Lit last deeds
  4. Revelation 2:19 Lit the first
  5. Revelation 2:22 Lit into
  6. Revelation 2:22 One early ms reads their
  7. Revelation 2:23 Lit death
  8. Revelation 2:23 Lit kidneys, i.e. inner man
  9. Revelation 2:26 Or Gentiles
  10. Revelation 2:27 Lit shepherd