1 Chronicles 29
The Message
They Get Ready to Build
29 1-5 Then David the king addressed the congregation: “My son Solomon was singled out and chosen by God to do this. But he’s young and untested and the work is huge—this is not just a place for people to meet each other, but a house for God to meet us. I’ve done my best to get everything together for building this house for my God, all the materials necessary: gold, silver, bronze, iron, lumber, precious and varicolored stones, and building stones—vast stockpiles. Furthermore, because my heart is in this, in addition to and beyond what I have gathered, I’m turning over my personal fortune of gold and silver for making this place of worship for my God: 3,000 talents (about 113 tons) of gold—all from Ophir, the best—and 7,000 talents (214 tons) of silver for covering the walls of the buildings, and for the gold and silver work by craftsmen and artisans.
“And now, how about you? Who among you is ready and willing to join in the giving?”
6-8 Ready and willing, the heads of families, leaders of the tribes of Israel, commanders and captains in the army, stewards of the king’s affairs, stepped forward and gave willingly. They gave 5,000 talents (188 tons) and 10,000 darics (185 pounds) of gold, 10,000 talents of silver (377 tons), 18,000 talents of bronze (679 tons), and 100,000 talents (3,775 tons) of iron. Anyone who had precious jewels put them in the treasury for the building of The Temple of God in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.
9 And the people were full of a sense of celebration—all that giving! And all given willingly, freely! King David was exuberant.
10-13 David blessed God in full view of the entire congregation:
Blessed are you, God of Israel, our father
from of old and forever.
To you, O God, belong the greatness and the might,
the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor;
Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth;
the kingdom all yours! You’ve raised yourself high over all.
Riches and glory come from you,
you’re ruler over all;
You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand
to build up and strengthen all.
And here we are, O God, our God, giving thanks to you,
praising your splendid Name.
14-19 “But me—who am I, and who are these my people, that we should presume to be giving something to you? Everything comes from you; all we’re doing is giving back what we’ve been given from your generous hand. As far as you’re concerned, we’re homeless, shiftless wanderers like our ancestors, our lives mere shadows, hardly anything to us. God, our God, all these materials—these piles of stuff for building a house of worship for you, honoring your Holy Name—it all came from you! It was all yours in the first place! I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface—you want us, our true selves—and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy! O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you. And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.”
20 David then addressed the congregation: “Bless God, your God!” And they did it, blessed God, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped reverently in the presence of God and the king.
21-22 The very next day they butchered the sacrificial animals and offered in the worship of Israel to God a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand sheep, and in addition drink offerings and many other sacrifices. They feasted all day, eating and drinking before God, exuberant with joy.
22-25 Then they ceremonially reenacted Solomon’s coronation, anointing David’s son before God as their leader, and Zadok as priest. Solomon sat on the throne of God as king in place of David his father. And everything went well; all Israel obeyed him. All the leaders of the people, including all the sons of King David, accepted Solomon as their king and promised their loyalty. Solomon rode high on a crest of popular acclaim—it was all God’s doing. God gave him position and honor beyond any king in Israel before him.
* * *
26-30 David son of Jesse ruled over all Israel. He was king for forty years. He ruled from Hebron seven years and from Jerusalem thirty-three. He died at a ripe old age, full of days, wealth, and glory. His son Solomon ruled after him. The history of David the king, from start to finish, is written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer, including a full account of his rule, his exploits, and the times through which he and Israel and the surrounding kingdoms passed.
1 Chronicles 29
New American Standard Bible
Offerings for the Temple
29 Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, (A)is still young and inexperienced, and the work is great; for (B)the [a]temple is not for mankind, but for the Lord God. 2 Now (C)with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. 3 In addition, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy [b]temple, 4 namely, (D)three thousand [c]talents of gold, from (E)the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the [d]buildings; 5 gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work [e]done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing [f]to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”
6 Then (F)the rulers of the fathers’ households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with (G)the supervisors of the king’s work, offered willingly; 7 and for the service of the house of God they gave five thousand talents and ten thousand [g](H)darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of brass, and a hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 [h]Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, [i]in care of (I)Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord (J)wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
David’s Prayer
10 So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 (K)Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion, Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12 (L)Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and (M)in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.
14 “But who am I and who are my people that we should [j]be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You. 15 For (N)we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were; (O)our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and everything is Yours. 17 Since I know, my God, that (P)You put the heart to the test and (Q)delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. 18 Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the [k]intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts to You; 19 and (R)give my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, and to do them all, and (S)to build the [l]temple for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And (T)all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and (U)bowed down and paid [m]homage to the Lord and the king.
Sacrifices
21 On the next day (V)they [n]made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord, a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 So they ate and drank that day before the Lord with great gladness.
Solomon Again Made King
And they made Solomon the son of David king (W)a second time, and they (X)anointed him as ruler for the Lord and Zadok as priest. 23 Then (Y)Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of his father David; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 And all the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David [o]pledged allegiance to King Solomon. 25 (Z)The Lord highly honored Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and (AA)bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been bestowed on any king before him in Israel.
26 Now (AB)David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 (AC)The period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and [p]in Jerusalem thirty-three years.
Death of David
28 Then he died at (AD)a good old age, (AE)full of days, riches, and honor; and his son Solomon reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, from the first to the last, are written in the chronicles of (AF)Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of (AG)Nathan the prophet, and in the chronicles of (AH)Gad the seer, 30 with all of his reign, his power, and the circumstances which came upon him, Israel, and all the kingdoms of the lands.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 29:1 Lit palace
- 1 Chronicles 29:3 Lit house
- 1 Chronicles 29:4 A talent was about 75 lb. or 34 kg
- 1 Chronicles 29:4 Lit houses
- 1 Chronicles 29:5 Lit by the hand of the craftsmen
- 1 Chronicles 29:5 Lit to fill his hand
- 1 Chronicles 29:7 A coin weighing about 0.25 oz. or 7 gm
- 1 Chronicles 29:8 Lit Those with whom were found
- 1 Chronicles 29:8 Lit on the hand of
- 1 Chronicles 29:14 Lit keep strength
- 1 Chronicles 29:18 Lit intent of the thoughts of
- 1 Chronicles 29:19 Lit palace
- 1 Chronicles 29:20 I.e., great respect and honor to a superior
- 1 Chronicles 29:21 Lit sacrificed
- 1 Chronicles 29:24 Lit put a hand under Solomon
- 1 Chronicles 29:27 Lit he reigned in
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
