22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”(A)

David’s Preparations for the Temple

So David gave orders to gather the resident aliens that were in the land of Israel,(B) and he appointed stonecutters to cut finished stones for building God’s house.(C) David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,(D) and innumerable cedar logs because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.(E) David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands.(F) Therefore, I will make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.

Then he summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God,(G) but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me.(H) But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies,(I) for his name will be Solomon,[a](J) and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.(K) 10 He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’(L)

11 “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you,(M) and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he said about you. 12 Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.(N) 13 Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.(O) Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.(P)

14 “Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord—3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver,[b](Q) and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them. 15 You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold, silver, bronze, and iron—beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”(R)

17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: 18 “The Lord your God is with you, isn’t he? And hasn’t he given you rest on every side?(S) For he has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the Lord and his people. 19 Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.(T) Get started building the Lord God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built(U) for the name of the Lord.”(V)

The Divisions of the Levites

23 When David was old and full of days,(W) he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.(X) Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted;(Y) the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.(Z) “Of these,” David said, “twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple,(AA) six thousand are to be officers and judges,(AB) four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the instruments that I have made for worship.”(AC)

Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons:(AD) Gershom,[c] Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel—three.

Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan.

10 Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah,[d] Jeush, and Beriah. Those were Shimei’s sons—four. 11 Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became one family[e] and received a single assignment.

12 Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four.

13 Amram’s sons:(AE) Aaron and Moses.

Aaron, along with his descendants,(AF) was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the Lord,(AG) to minister to him, and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 As for Moses the man of God,(AH) his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

15 Moses’s sons: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 Gershom’s sons: Shebuel was first.

17 Eliezer’s sons were Rehabiah, first; Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Rehabiah’s sons were very numerous.

18 Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first.

19 Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth.

20 Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second.

21 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi.

Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish.

22 Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

23 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three.

24 These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families[f]—the family heads, according to their registration by name in the headcount—twenty years old or more, who worked in the service of the Lord’s temple.(AI) 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people,(AJ) and he has come to stay in Jerusalem forever. 26 Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”(AK) 27 for according to the last words of David, the Levites twenty years old or more were to be counted— 28 “but their duty will be to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the Lord’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple— 29 as well as the rows of the Bread of the Presence,(AL) the fine flour for the grain offering,(AM) the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking,[g](AN) the mixing,(AO) and all measurements of volume and length.(AP) 30 They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise in the evening. 31 Whenever burnt offerings are offered to the Lord on the Sabbaths, New Moons,(AQ) and appointed festivals, they are to offer them regularly in the Lord’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.(AR) 32 They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place,(AS) and for their relatives, the descendants of Aaron,(AT) in the service of the Lord’s temple.”

Footnotes

  1. 22:9 In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like “peace.”
  2. 22:14 Lit 100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver
  3. 23:6 Lit Gershon
  4. 23:10 LXX, Vg; MT reads Zina
  5. 23:11 Lit a father’s house
  6. 23:24 Lit the house of their fathers
  7. 23:29 Lit the griddle

Peter Denies Jesus Twice More

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not.”

26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.(A)

Jesus before Pilate

28 Then(B) they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters.(C) It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.

29 So Pilate(D) came out to them and said, “What charge(E) do you bring against this man?”

30 They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal,[a] we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

31 Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.”

“It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. 32 They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.(F)

33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (G)

34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?”

35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

36 “My kingdom(H) is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world,(I) my servants(J) would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is,[b] my kingdom is not from here.”(K)

37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world(L) for this: to testify(M) to the truth.(N) Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

38 “What is truth?” said Pilate.

Jesus or Barabbas

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds(O) for charging him. 39 You(P) have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”

40 They shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Q) Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.[c](R)

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Footnotes

  1. 18:30 Lit an evil doer
  2. 18:36 Or But now
  3. 18:40 Or robber; see Jn 10:1,8 for the same Gk word used here

10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult your name forever?(A)
11 Why do you hold back your hand?
Stretch out[a] your right hand and destroy them!(B)

12 God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth.(C)
13 You divided the sea with your strength;
you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;(D)
14 you crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you fed him to the creatures of the desert. (E)
15 You opened up springs and streams;(F)
you dried up ever-flowing rivers.(G)
16 The day is yours, also the night;
you established the moon and the sun.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 74:11 Lit From your bosom

15 All the days of the oppressed are miserable,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure with turmoil.(A)

17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened ox(B) with hatred.(C)

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