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 building will not be built for a human 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 wholeheartedly.(K) King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

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

May you be blessed, 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 are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors.(O) Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.(P) 16 Lord 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 an undivided heart to keep and to carry out all your commands, your decrees, and your statutes,(S) and to build the building for which I have made provision.(T)

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the Lord your God.” So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors.(U) They knelt low 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: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand 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 forty years; he reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.(AD) 28 He died at a good 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 the Seer Samuel,(AG) the Events of the Prophet Nathan,(AH) and the Events of the Seer Gad,(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. 29:2 Or mosaic
  2. 29:2 In Hb, the word antimony is similar to “turquoise”; Ex 28:18.
  3. 29:4 Lit 3,000 talents
  4. 29:4 Lit 7,000 talents
  5. 29:7 Lit 5,000 talents
  6. 29:7 Or drachmas, or darics
  7. 29:7 Lit 10,000 talents
  8. 29:7 Lit 18,000 talents
  9. 29:7 Lit 100,000 talents
  10. 29:14 Lit and from your hand we have given to you
  11. 29:17 Lit found
  12. 29:17 Or now with joy I’ve seen your people who are present here giving
  13. 29:22 LXX, Tg, Vg; MT omits him

Offerings for Building the Temple

29 King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the temple[a] will not be for mortals but for the Lord God.(A) So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones, and marble in abundance.(B) Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,(C) and for all the work to be done by artisans, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating themselves today to the Lord?”

Then the leaders of ancestral houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work.(D) They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.(E) Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.(F) Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord; King David also rejoiced greatly.(G)

David’s Praise to God

10 Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said, “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.(H) 12 Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.(I) 13 And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.(J) 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you search the heart and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are present here offering freely and joyously to you.(K) 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 Grant to my son Solomon that with single mind he may keep your commandments, your decrees, and your statutes, performing all of them, and that he may build the temple[b] for which I have made provision.”(L)

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king. 21 On the next day they offered sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord, a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their libations, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel,(M) 22 and they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great joy.

Solomon Anointed King

They made David’s son Solomon king a second time; they anointed him as the Lord’s prince and Zadok as priest.(N) 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord, succeeding his father David as king; he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty warriors and also all the sons of King David pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.(O)

Summary of David’s Reign

26 Thus David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.(P) 27 The period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.(Q) 28 He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon succeeded him.(R) 29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the records of the seer Samuel, and in the records of the prophet Nathan, and in the records of the seer Gad, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the events that befell him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the earth.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 29.1 Heb fortress
  2. 29.19 Heb fortress