David Prepares to Build the Temple

22 Then David said, (A)“This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” So David commanded to gather the (B)aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to (C)cut hewn stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance (D)beyond measure, and cedar trees in abundance; for the (E)Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

Now David said, (F)“Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.” So David made abundant preparations before his death.

Then he called for his son Solomon, and [a]charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, (G)it was in my mind to build a house (H)to the name of the Lord my God; but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (I)‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. (J)Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him (K)rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be [b]Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. 10 (L)He shall build a house for My name, and (M)he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 11 Now, my son, may (N)the Lord be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your God, as He has said to you. 12 Only may the Lord (O)give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 (P)Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the Lord [c]charged Moses concerning Israel. (Q)Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed. 14 Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron (R)beyond measure, for it is so abundant. I have prepared timber and stone also, and you may add to them. 15 Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work. 16 Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit. Arise and begin working, and (S)the Lord be with you.”

17 David also commanded all the (T)leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 Is not the Lord your God with you? (U)And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. 19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to (V)bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built (W)for the name of the Lord.”

The Divisions of the Levites

23 So when David was old and full of days, he made his son (X)Solomon king over Israel.

And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. Now the Levites were numbered from the age of (Y)thirty years and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand. Of these, twenty-four thousand were to (Z)look after the work of the house of the Lord, six thousand were (AA)officers and judges, four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand (AB)praised the Lord with musical instruments, (AC)“which I made,” said David, “for giving praise.”

Also (AD)David separated them into [d]divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Of the (AE)Gershonites: [e]Laadan and Shimei. The sons of Laadan: the first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel—three in all. The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Laadan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, [f]Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the four sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the first and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were assigned as one father’s house.

12 (AF)The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all. 13 The sons of (AG)Amram: Aaron and Moses; and (AH)Aaron was set apart, he and his sons forever, that he should [g]sanctify the most holy things, (AI)to burn incense before the Lord, (AJ)to minister to Him, and (AK)to give the blessing in His name forever. 14 Now (AL)the sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. 15 (AM)The sons of Moses were [h]Gershon and Eliezer. 16 Of the sons of Gershon, (AN)Shebuel[i] was the first. 17 Of the descendants of Eliezer, (AO)Rehabiah was the first. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 Of the sons of Izhar, (AP)Shelomith was the first. 19 (AQ)Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second.

21 (AR)The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and (AS)Kish. 22 And Eleazar died, and (AT)had no sons, but only daughters; and their [j]brethren, the sons of Kish, (AU)took them as wives. 23 (AV)The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.

24 These were the sons of (AW)Levi by their fathers’ houses—the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of (AX)twenty years and above.

25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel (AY)has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever”; 26 and also to the Levites, “They shall no longer (AZ)carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service.” 27 For by the (BA)last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; 28 because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God, 29 both with (BB)the showbread and (BC)the fine flour for the grain offering, with (BD)the unleavened cakes and (BE)what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of (BF)measures and sizes; 30 to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening; 31 and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the Lord (BG)on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the (BH)set[k] feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the Lord; 32 and that they should (BI)attend to the (BJ)needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the (BK)needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:6 com-manded
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:9 Lit. Peaceful
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:13 commanded
  4. 1 Chronicles 23:6 groups
  5. 1 Chronicles 23:7 Libni, Ex. 6:17
  6. 1 Chronicles 23:10 LXX, Vg. Zizah and v. 11
  7. 1 Chronicles 23:13 consecrate
  8. 1 Chronicles 23:15 Heb. Gershom, 1 Chr. 6:16
  9. 1 Chronicles 23:16 Shubael, 1 Chr. 24:20
  10. 1 Chronicles 23:22 kinsmen
  11. 1 Chronicles 23:31 appointed feasts

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

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. 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) He also provided more cedar logs(E) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

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.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build(H) a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 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. 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. 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)

He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more(AJ) were counted,(AK) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.(AL) 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) 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)

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

Gershonites

Belonging to the Gershonites:(AT)

Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan:

Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel—three in all.

The sons of Shimei:

Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran—three in all.

These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

10 And the sons of Shimei:

Jahath, Ziza,[d] Jeush and Beriah.

These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.

11 Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.

Kohathites

12 The sons of Kohath:(AU)

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four in all.

13 The sons of Amram:(AV)

Aaron and Moses.

Aaron was set apart,(AW) he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister(AX) before him and to pronounce blessings(AY) in his name forever. 14 The sons of Moses the man(AZ) of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses:

Gershom and Eliezer.(BA)

16 The descendants of Gershom:(BB)

Shubael was the first.

17 The descendants of Eliezer:

Rehabiah(BC) was the first.

Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

18 The sons of Izhar:

Shelomith(BD) was the first.

19 The sons of Hebron:(BE)

Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

20 The sons of Uzziel:

Micah the first and Ishiah the second.

Merarites

21 The sons of Merari:(BF)

Mahli and Mushi.(BG)

The sons of Mahli:

Eleazar and Kish.

22 Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.(BH)

23 The sons of Mushi:

Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth—three in all.

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)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:9 Solomon sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for peace.
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 3,750 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 37,500 tons or about 34,000 metric tons
  4. 1 Chronicles 23:10 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint and Vulgate (see also verse 11); most Hebrew manuscripts Zina

All Have Sinned(A)

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that (B)they are all under sin.

10 As it is written:

(C)“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their(D) throat is an open [a]tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
(E)“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose(F) mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their(G) feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There(H) is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever (I)the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that (J)every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become [b]guilty before God. 20 Therefore (K)by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

God’s Righteousness Through Faith

21 But now (L)the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, (M)being witnessed by the Law (N)and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all [c]and on all who believe. For (O)there is no difference; 23 for (P)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [d]freely (Q)by His grace (R)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth (S)as a [e]propitiation (T)by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over (U)the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Boasting Excluded

27 (V)Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude (W)that a man is [f]justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since (X)there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:13 grave
  2. Romans 3:19 accountable
  3. Romans 3:22 NU omits and on all
  4. Romans 3:24 without any cost
  5. Romans 3:25 mercy seat
  6. Romans 3:28 declared righteous

No One Is Righteous

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage?(A) Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.(B) 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[a](C)
13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[b](D)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[c](E)
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[d](F)
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[e](G)
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[f](H)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says,(I) it says to those who are under the law,(J) so that every mouth may be silenced(K) and the whole world held accountable to God.(L) 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law;(M) rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.(N)

Righteousness Through Faith

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God(O) has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.(P) 22 This righteousness(Q) is given through faith(R) in[g] Jesus Christ(S) to all who believe.(T) There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,(U) 23 for all have sinned(V) and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified(W) freely by his grace(X) through the redemption(Y) that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[h](Z) through the shedding of his blood(AA)—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished(AB) 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

27 Where, then, is boasting?(AC) It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.(AD) 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,(AE) 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.(AF) 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20
  2. Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
  3. Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
  4. Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)
  5. Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
  6. Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1
  7. Romans 3:22 Or through the faithfulness of
  8. Romans 3:25 The Greek for sacrifice of atonement refers to the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant (see Lev. 16:15,16).

Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy

To the Chief Musician. (A)On [a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.

12 Help,[b] Lord, for the godly man (B)ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
(C)They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and [c]a double heart they speak.

May the Lord [d]cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks [e]proud things,
Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

The words of the Lord are (D)pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 Heb. sheminith
  2. Psalm 12:1 Save
  3. Psalm 12:2 An inconsistent mind
  4. Psalm 12:3 destroy
  5. Psalm 12:3 great

Psalm 12[a]

For the director of music. According to sheminith.[b] A psalm of David.

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;(A)
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
Everyone lies(B) to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.(C)

May the Lord silence all flattering lips(D)
    and every boastful tongue—(E)
those who say,
    “By our tongues we will prevail;(F)
    our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered(G) and the needy groan,(H)
    I will now arise,(I)” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them(J) from those who malign them.”
And the words of the Lord are flawless,(K)
    like silver purified(L) in a crucible,(M)
    like gold[c] refined seven times.

You, Lord, will keep the needy safe(N)
    and will protect us forever from the wicked,(O)
who freely strut(P) about
    when what is vile is honored by the human race.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-8 is numbered 12:2-9.
  2. Psalm 12:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  3. Psalm 12:6 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text earth

13 (A)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(B)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [a]dripping.

14 (C)Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But (D)a prudent wife is from the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:13 Irritation

13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,(A)
    and a quarrelsome wife is like
    the constant dripping of a leaky roof.(B)

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,(C)
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.(D)

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