David’s Plans for the Temple

28 David summoned^(A) all the officials^(B) of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.

² King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart^(C) to build a house as a place of rest^(D) for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool^(E) of our God, and I made plans to build it.^{(F) 3} But God said to me,^(G) ‘You are not to build a house for my Name,^(H) because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’^(I)

⁶ He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build^(A) my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son,^(B) and I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws,^(C) as is being done at this time.’

⁸ “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel^(D) and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands^(E) of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.^(F)

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion^(G) and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart^(H) and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him,^(I) he will be found by you; but if you forsake^(J) him, he will reject^(K) you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans^(L) for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. ¹² He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit^(M) had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.^{(N) 13} He gave him instructions for the divisions^(O) of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service.