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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 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced.(A) The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold(B) for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a](C) stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.(D) Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided(E) for this holy temple: three thousand talents[b] of gold (gold of Ophir)(F) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver,(G) for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”

Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials(H) in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.(I) They(J) gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. Anyone who had precious stones(K) gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.(L) The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly(M) to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, Lord,
    the God of our father Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power(N)
    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.(O)
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
    you are exalted as head over all.(P)
12 Wealth and honor(Q) come from you;
    you are the ruler(R) of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, 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?(S) Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.(T) 15 We are foreigners and strangers(U) in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow,(V) without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart(W) and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.(X) 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion(Y) to keep your commands, statutes and decrees(Z) and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”(AA)

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Acknowledged as King(AB)

21 The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him:(AC) a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.(AD) 22 They ate and drank with great joy(AE) in the presence of the Lord that day.

Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok(AF) to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat(AG) on the throne(AH) of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons,(AI) pledged their submission to King Solomon.

25 The Lord highly exalted(AJ) Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor(AK) such as no king over Israel ever had before.(AL)

The Death of David(AM)

26 David son of Jesse was king(AN) over all Israel.(AO) 27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron(AP) and thirty-three in Jerusalem.(AQ) 28 He died(AR) at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.(AS)

29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer,(AT) the records of Nathan(AU) the prophet and the records of Gad(AV) the seer, 30 together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 110 tons or about 100 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 260 tons or about 235 metric tons
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 190 tons or about 170 metric tons
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 185 pounds or about 84 kilograms
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 380 tons or about 340 metric tons
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 675 tons or about 610 metric tons
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 3,800 tons or about 3,400 metric tons