Contributions for Building the Temple

29 Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon—God has chosen him alone—is young and inexperienced. The task is great(A) because the temple will not be for man but for the Lord God.(B) So to the best of my ability I’ve made provision for the house of my God:(C) gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, stones for mounting,[a] antimony,[b](D) stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and a great quantity of marble. Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve provided for the holy house: 100 tons[c](E) of gold (gold of Ophir(F)) and 250 tons[d] of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings, the gold for the gold work and the silver for the silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the Lord today?”

Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds,(G) and the officials in charge of the king’s work(H) gave willingly. For the service of God’s house they gave 185 tons[e] of gold and 10,000 gold coins,[f](I) 375 tons[g] of silver, 675 tons[h] of bronze, and 4,000 tons[i] of iron. Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the Lord’s house under the care of Jehiel(J) the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders’ willingness to give, for they had given to the Lord with a whole heart.(K) King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 Then David praised the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said,

May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.(L) 12 Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything.(M) Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.(N) 13 Now therefore, 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? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.[j] 15 For we live before You as foreigners and temporary residents in Your presence as were all our ancestors.(O) Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.(P) 16 Yahweh our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand; everything belongs to You. 17 I know, my God, that You test the heart(Q) and that You are pleased with what is right.(R) I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present[k] here giving joyfully and[l] willingly to You. 18 Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of Your people, and confirm their hearts toward You. 19 Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and to carry out all Your commands, Your decrees, and Your statutes,(S) and to build the temple for which I have made provision.(T)

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors.(U) They bowed down and paid homage to the Lord and the king.(V)

21 The following day they offered sacrifices to the Lord and burnt offerings to the Lord: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, along with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.(W) 22 They ate and drank with great joy in the Lord’s presence that day.

The Enthronement of Solomon

Then, for a second time,(X) they made David’s son Solomon king; they anointed him[m] as the Lord’s ruler,(Y) and Zadok as the priest. 23 Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.(Z) 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and all of King David’s sons as well, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel(AA) and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been bestowed on any king over Israel before him.(AB)

A Summary of David’s Life

26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.(AC) 27 The length of his reign over Israel was 40 years; he reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33.(AD) 28 He died at a ripe old age,(AE) full of days,(AF) riches, and honor, and his son Solomon became king in his place. 29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, note that they are written in the Events of Samuel the Seer,(AG) the Events of Nathan the Prophet,(AH) and the Events of Gad the Seer,(AI) 30 along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents that affected him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the surrounding lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:2 Or mosaic
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:2 In Hb, the word antimony is similar to “turquoise”; Ex 28:18.
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:4 Lit 3,000 talents
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:4 Lit 7,000 talents
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:7 Lit 5,000 talents
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 Or drachmas, or darics
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:7 Lit 10,000 talents
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:7 Lit 18,000 talents
  9. 1 Chronicles 29:7 Lit 100,000 talents
  10. 1 Chronicles 29:14 Lit and from Your hand we have given to You
  11. 1 Chronicles 29:17 Lit found
  12. 1 Chronicles 29:17 Or now with joy I’ve seen Your people who are present here giving
  13. 1 Chronicles 29:22 LXX, Tg, Vg; MT omits him

Offerings for the Temple

29 Then King David addressed the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God alone has chosen, is still young and inexperienced, and the task is great, since this structure will be a citadel to the Lord God and not for human beings. To the extent that I have been able to do so, I have provided supplies for the Temple of my God, including gold for what is to be made of gold, silver for what is to be made of silver, bronze for what is to be made of bronze, iron for what is to be made of iron, wood for what is to be made of wood, and great quantities of onyx, precious stones, antimony, colored stones, all types of other semi-precious stones, and plenty of marble.

“In addition to everything that I have supplied for the Temple, it pleases me to provide my own treasure of gold and silver, so because of my love for the Temple of my God I hereby give to the Temple of my God the following: 3,000 gold talents[a] imported from Ophir,[b] 7,000 talents[c] of refined silver for gilding the walls of the Temple and for all the work to be undertaken by skilled artists, gold for what is to be made of gold, and silver for what is to be made of silver. Who then, will be dedicating the productivity[d] of his own work[e] to the Lord today?”

So the leaders of the ancestral households presented their voluntary offerings, as did the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s business. They presented 5,000 gold talents[f] and 10,000 gold darics[g] for the work of the Temple of God, 10,000 silver talents[h], 18,000 bronze talents,[i] and 100,000 iron talents.[j] Whoever owned precious stones gave them to the treasury of the Temple of the Lord, in care of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had given voluntarily, since with a devoted heart they had freely given to the Lord.

David’s Praise to God

King David also rejoiced greatly. 10 Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of the entire assembly. David said,

How blessed you are, Lord,
    the God of our ancestor Israel,
        from eternity to eternity!
11 To you, Lord, belongs the greatness, and the valor,
    and the splendor, and the endurance, and the majesty
because all that is in heaven
    and on earth is yours.
To you belongs the kingdom, Lord,
    and you are exalted as head over all.
12 Both wealth and honor proceed from you,
    and you are ruling over them all.
You control[k] power—
    you control who is made great,
        and how everyone becomes strong.
13 And so, our God, we are giving you thanks,
    and we are praising your wonderful name!

14 But who am I,
    and who are my people,
        that we make such voluntary offerings as these?
For all things come from you,
    and from your own hand we are giving to you.
15 For we are aliens and vagrants in your presence,
    as were all of our ancestors.
Our days on the earth pass away like shadows,
    and we have no hope.

16 Lord our God, all of this abundance that we have given
    for building a temple for your great name
was provided by you[l]
    and all of it belongs to you.
17 And I know, God,
    that it is you who searches the heart
        and you who finds pleasure in righteousness.
With a righteous heart I have freely given all these things,
    and now I have seen all of these people of yours
        giving freely and joyfully to you!
18 Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors,
    keep your purposes and thoughts
        constantly in the hearts of your people
and direct their hearts toward you,
19 granting to my son Solomon to keep with a devoted heart
your commands, your decrees, and your statutes,
    carrying out all of them,
and that he may build the Temple
    for which I have made the preparations.

20 Then David told the entire assembly, “Bless the Lord your God, please.” So the entire assembly blessed the Lord God of their ancestors, bowing their heads and falling in the Lord’s presence and before the king. 21 The next day, they offered sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord amounting to[m] 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, along with their libations. Sacrifices were abundant throughout all Israel, 22 and they ate and drank in the Lord’s presence with great joy.

Solomon is Anointed King(A)

They crowned David’s son Solomon king a second time and anointed him to serve[n] as Commander-in-Chief[o] to the Lord and Zadok to serve[p] as priest. 23 So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in the place of[q] his father David. He prospered, and all of Israel obeyed[r] him. 24 All of the officials, all of the valiant soldiers, and all of King David’s sons submitted to King Solomon’s control, 25 and the Lord exalted Solomon magnificently in the sight of all Israel, bestowing upon him royal majesty such as had not been given to any king in Israel before him.

Summary of the Reign of King David

26 Jesse’s son David reigned as king over all of Israel, 27 serving as king over Israel for 40 years. He reigned for seven years in Hebron and for 33 in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good old age, having lived a full life, replete with riches and honor, and with his son Solomon reigning in his place. 29 The activities of David the king are recorded in the History of Samuel the Seer,[s] in the History of Nathan the Prophet,[t] and in the History of Gad the Seer,[u] 30 including details regarding[v] his reign, his power, the circumstances that attended his life, Israel, and all of the kingdoms of the countries that surrounded him.[w]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:4 I.e. about 225,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:4 Or from a source of fine gold; cf. 2Chr 8:18
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:4 I.e. about 525,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:5 Lit. filling
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:5 Lit. hand
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 I.e. about 375,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:7 I.e. about 156 pounds; a daric weighed about one quarter of an ounce
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:7 I.e. about 750,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  9. 1 Chronicles 29:7 I.e. about 1,350,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  10. 1 Chronicles 29:7 I.e. about 7,500,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  11. 1 Chronicles 29:12 Lit. You have in your hand
  12. 1 Chronicles 29:16 Lit. by your hand
  13. 1 Chronicles 29:21 The Heb. lacks amounting to
  14. 1 Chronicles 29:22 The Heb. lacks serve
  15. 1 Chronicles 29:22 Or prince; lit. Nagid; i.e. an officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and management authority
  16. 1 Chronicles 29:22 The Heb. lacks serve
  17. 1 Chronicles 29:23 Or king under
  18. 1 Chronicles 29:23 Or listened to
  19. 1 Chronicles 29:29 An ancient chronicle of Israel, apparently now lost
  20. 1 Chronicles 29:29 An ancient chronicle of Israel, apparently now lost
  21. 1 Chronicles 29:29 An ancient chronicle of Israel, apparently now lost
  22. 1 Chronicles 29:30 The Heb. lacks details regarding
  23. 1 Chronicles 29:30 The Heb. lacks that surrounded him