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The People Contribute to the Project

29 King David said to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an inexperienced young man,[a] and the task is great, for this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God. So I have made every effort[b] to provide what is needed for the temple of my God, including the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood,[c] as well as a large amount of onyx, settings of antimony and other stones, all kinds of precious stones, and alabaster. Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple. This includes 3,000 talents[d] of gold from Ophir and 7,000 talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings, for gold and silver items, and for all the work of the craftsmen. Who else wants to contribute to the Lord today?”

The leaders of the families, the leaders of the Israelite tribes, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, and the supervisors of the king’s work contributed willingly. They donated for the service of God’s temple 5,000 talents[e] and 10,000 darics[f] of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. All who possessed precious[g] stones donated them to the treasury of the Lord’s temple, which was under the supervision of Jehiel the Gershonite. The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the Lord with a willing attitude;[h] King David was also very happy.[i]

David Praises the Lord

10 David praised the Lord before the entire assembly:[j]

“O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! 11 O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign[k] over all the sky and earth! You, Lord, have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler[l] of all. 12 You are the source of wealth and honor;[m] you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all.[n] 13 Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name!

14 “But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much?[o] Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours.[p] 15 For we are resident foreigners and temporary settlers[q] in your presence, as all our ancestors were;[r] our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.[s] 16 O Lord our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you examine thoughts[t] and are pleased with integrity. With pure motives[u] I contribute all this; and now I look with joy as your people who have gathered here contribute to you. 18 O Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, always maintain these motives of your people and keep them devoted to you.[v] 19 Make my son Solomon willing to obey your commands, rules, and regulations, and to complete building the palace for which I have made preparations.”[w]

20 David told the entire assembly: “Praise the Lord your God!” So the entire assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors; they bowed down and stretched out flat on the ground before the Lord and the king.

David Designates Solomon King

21 The next day they made sacrifices and offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord (1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs), along with their accompanying drink offerings and many other sacrifices for all Israel. 22 They held a feast[x] before the Lord that day and celebrated.[y]

Then they designated Solomon, David’s son, as king a second time;[z] before the Lord they anointed him as ruler and Zadok as priest. 23 Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of his father David; he was successful and all Israel was loyal to him.[aa] 24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.[ab] 25 The Lord greatly magnified Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him greater majesty than any king of Israel before him.[ac]

David’s Reign Comes to an End

26 David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 He reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and in Jerusalem thirty-three years. 28 He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor.[ad] His son Solomon succeeded him. 29 King David’s accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Samuel the prophet, the Annals of Nathan the prophet, and the Annals of Gad the prophet.[ae] 30 Recorded there are all the facts about his reign and accomplishments, and an account of the events that involved him, Israel, and all the neighboring kingdoms.[af]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:1 tn Heb “a young man and tender.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:2 tn Heb “and according to all my strength.”
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:2 tn Heb “the gold for the gold, and the silver for the silver, and the bronze for the bronze, the iron for the iron, and the wood for the wood.”
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:4 tn See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6. Using the “light” standard talent of 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg) as the standard for calculation, David had supplied 101 tons (91,800 kg) of gold and 235.5 tons (214,200 kg) of silver.
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:7 tn See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6. Using the “light” standard talent of 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg) as the standard for calculation, the people donated 168.3 tons (153,000 kg) of gold, 336.5 tons (306,000 kg) of silver, 605.7 tons (550,800 kg) of bronze, and 3,365 tons (3,060,000 kg) of iron.
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 tn On the “daric” as a unit of measure, see BDB 204 s.v. דַּרְכְּמוֹן. Some have regarded the daric as a minted coin, perhaps even referring to the Greek drachma, but this is less likely.sn The daric was a unit of weight perhaps equal to between 8 and 9 grams (just under one-third of an ounce), so 10,000 darics of gold would weigh between 80 and 90 kilograms (between 176 and 198 pounds).
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:8 tn The word “precious” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:9 tn Heb “with a complete heart.”
  9. 1 Chronicles 29:9 tn Heb “And also David the king rejoiced with great joy.”
  10. 1 Chronicles 29:10 tn Heb “assembly, and David said.” The words “and David said” are redundant according to contemporary English style and have not been included in the translation.
  11. 1 Chronicles 29:11 tn The words “and sovereign” are added in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  12. 1 Chronicles 29:11 tn Heb “head.”
  13. 1 Chronicles 29:12 tn Heb “wealth and honor [are] from before you.”
  14. 1 Chronicles 29:12 tn Heb “and in your hand [is] strength and might, and [it is] in your hand to magnify and to give strength to all.”
  15. 1 Chronicles 29:14 tn Heb “that we should retain strength to contribute like this.”
  16. 1 Chronicles 29:14 tn Heb “and from you we have given to you.”
  17. 1 Chronicles 29:15 tn The Hebrew terms ger (גֵּר; “resident foreigner”) and toshav (תּוֹשָׁב; “resident/dweller”) have similar meanings. They are not used here with the technical distinctions of most references in Mosaic Law. 1 Chron 29:15 takes up this language from Lev 25:23 where the terms emphasize that Israel would be a guest on God’s land. This is a privileged but dependent position; they did not own the land. Cf. also Ps 39:12 and Gen 23:4.
  18. 1 Chronicles 29:15 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 18, 20).
  19. 1 Chronicles 29:15 tn Or perhaps “hope.”
  20. 1 Chronicles 29:17 tn Heb “a heart.”
  21. 1 Chronicles 29:17 tn Heb “with integrity of heart.”
  22. 1 Chronicles 29:18 tn Heb “keep this permanently with respect to the motive of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and make firm their heart to you.”
  23. 1 Chronicles 29:19 tn Heb “and to Solomon my son give a complete heart to keep your commands, your rules and your regulations, and to do everything, and to build the palace [for] which I have prepared.”
  24. 1 Chronicles 29:22 tn Heb “they ate and drank.”
  25. 1 Chronicles 29:22 tn Heb “with great joy.”
  26. 1 Chronicles 29:22 sn See 1 Chr 23:1, where David had previously designated Solomon as king over Israel.
  27. 1 Chronicles 29:23 tn Heb “listened to him.”
  28. 1 Chronicles 29:24 tn Heb “placed a hand under Solomon the king.”
  29. 1 Chronicles 29:25 tn Heb “and gave to him glory of kingship which there was not concerning every king before him over Israel.”
  30. 1 Chronicles 29:28 tn Heb “satisfied with days, wealth, and honor.”
  31. 1 Chronicles 29:29 tn Heb “and the events of David the king, the former and the latter, look they are written in the annals of Samuel the seer, and in the annals of Nathan the prophet, and in the annals of Gad the seer.”
  32. 1 Chronicles 29:30 tn Heb “with all his reign and his might, and the times which passed over him and over Israel and over all the kingdoms of the lands.”

Gifts for Building the Temple

29 King David said to ·all the Israelites who were gathered [the entire assembly], “God chose my son Solomon, who is young and ·hasn’t yet learned what he needs to know [inexperienced], ·but [and] the ·work is important [task is great/huge]. This ·palace [temple] is not for ·people [mortals]; it is for the Lord God. I have ·done my best [made every effort; L according to all my strength] to prepare for building the ·Temple [L house] of my God. I have given gold for the things made of gold and silver for the things made of silver. I have given bronze for the things made of bronze and iron for the things made of iron. I have given wood for the things made of wood and onyx for the settings. I have given turquoise gems of many different colors, ·valuable [precious] stones, and ·white marble [alabaster]. I have given all these things in ·abundance [great quantities]. I have already given this for the ·Temple [L house], but because of my ·devotion to [commitment to; delight in] the ·Temple [L house] of my God, I am also giving my own treasures of gold and silver. I am giving ·about two hundred twenty thousand pounds [L three thousand talents] of gold from Ophir and ·about five hundred twenty thousand pounds [L seven thousand talents] of ·pure [refined] silver. They will be used to ·cover [overlay] the walls of the buildings and for all the gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is ·ready [willing] to ·give himself [consecrate/devote yourself] to the service of the Lord today [C by also making an offering]?”

The ·family [clan] leaders and the ·leaders [chiefs; heads] of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, and the ·leaders [officials; overseers] ·responsible for [in charge of] the king’s work gave willingly. They donated ·about three hundred eighty thousand pounds [L five thousand talents] of gold, ·about seven hundred fifty thousand pounds [L ten thousand darics] of silver, ·about one million three hundred fifty thousand pounds [L eighteen thousand talents] of bronze, and ·about seven million five hundred thousand pounds [L one hundred thousand talents] of iron to the ·Temple [L house] of God. People who had ·valuable gems [precious stones] gave them to the treasury of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, under the care of Jehiel, from the Gershon ·family [clan]. The leaders gave ·willingly and completely [freely and wholeheartedly] to the Lord. The people rejoiced to see their leaders give so gladly, and King David was also ·very happy [filled with joy].

David’s Prayer

10 David ·praised [blessed] the Lord in ·front [the presence] of all the ·people who were gathered [assembly]. He said:

“We ·praise [bless] you, Lord,
    God of our father Israel,
    forever and ever.
11 Lord, ·you are great and powerful [yours is the greatness and power].
    You have glory, victory, and ·honor [majesty; splendor].
    Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you.
·The kingdom [Sovereignty; Dominion] belongs to you, Lord;
    you are ·the ruler [head; exalted] over everything.
12 ·Riches [Wealth] and honor come from you.
    You rule everything.
·You have the [L In your hand is] power and ·strength [might]
    to make ·anyone [everyone] great and strong.
13 Now, our God, we thank you
    and praise your glorious name.

14 “·These things did not really come from me and my people. [L But who am I and who are my people that we have this much to give?]
    Everything comes from you;
    we have given you back what ·you [L your hand] gave us.
15 We are like ·foreigners [aliens; T sojourners] and ·strangers [transients; nomads],
    as our ·ancestors [fathers] were.
Our ·time [L days] on earth is like a shadow.
    There is no ·hope [or security].
16 Lord our God, we have gathered all this abundance
    to build your ·Temple [L house] for ·worship to you [L your holy name/Name].
But everything has come from ·you [L your hand];
    everything belongs to you.
17 I know, my God, that you ·test [examine; search] people’s hearts.
    You ·are happy when people do what is right [L delight/rejoice in integrity/T uprightness].
I ·was happy to [willingly; freely] give all these things,
    and I gave with ·an honest heart [pure motives].
Your people gathered here ·are happy to [willingly] give to you,
    and I rejoice to see their giving.
18 Lord, you are the God of our ·ancestors [fathers],
    the God of Abraham, Isaac, and ·Jacob [Israel].
·Make your people want to serve you always [Keep these motives always in their heart],
    and ·make them want to obey you [direct their heart toward you].
19 Give my son Solomon a ·desire to serve you [perfect heart; undivided mind; L whole heart].
    Help him always obey your commands, laws, and rules.
Help him build ·the Temple [this temple/palace]
    for which I have ·prepared [provided].”

20 Then David said to all the ·people who were gathered [assembly], “·Praise [Bless] the Lord your God.” So they all ·praised [blessed] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], and they bowed to the ground ·to give honor to [and prostrated themselves before] the Lord and the king.

Solomon Becomes King(A)

21 The next day the people sacrificed to the Lord. They offered burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to him of a thousand bulls, a thousand ·male sheep [rams], and a thousand male lambs. They also brought ·drink offerings [libations]. Many sacrifices were made for all the people of Israel. 22 That day the people ·ate and drank [feasted] with much joy, ·and the Lord was with them [L before the Lord].

And they ·made [designated; acknowledged] David’s son Solomon king for the second time. They ·poured olive oil on Solomon to appoint [anointed] him king ·in the presence of [before] the Lord. And they ·poured oil on Zadok to appoint him [anointed Zadok] as priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king and took his father David’s place. Solomon ·was very successful [prospered], and all the people of Israel obeyed him. 24 All the ·leaders [officials; chiefs] and ·soldiers [mighty warriors] and King David’s sons ·accepted Solomon as king and promised to obey him [pledged their allegiance to King Solomon]. 25 The Lord ·made Solomon great before [exalted Solomon in the sight of] all the Israelites and gave him greater royal ·splendor [majesty] than any king before him in Israel.

David’s Death

26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 He had ·ruled [reigned] over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 David died when he was old. He had lived a good, long life ·and had received many [full of] riches and honors. His son Solomon ·became king after him [reigned in his place].

29 ·Everything David did as king [The acts/events of King David], from ·beginning to end [first to last], is ·recorded [written] in the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Samuel the ·seer [prophet], the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Nathan the prophet, and the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Gad the ·seer [prophet]. 30 Those writings tell what David did ·as king of Israel [during his reign]. They tell about his power and what happened to him and to Israel and to all the kingdoms ·around them [of the earth/land].