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.

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.

29 Dijo también el rey David a toda la congregación: Solamente a Salomón mi hijo ha elegido Dios; él es joven y tierno, y la obra es grande; porque el palacio no es para hombre, sino para el SEÑOR Dios.

Yo empero con todas mis fuerzas he preparado para la Casa de mi Dios, oro para las cosas de oro, y plata para las cosas de plata, y bronce para las de bronce, y hierro para las de hierro, y madera para las de madera, y piedras de ónice, y piedras preciosas, y piedras negras, y piedras de diversos colores, y toda suerte de piedras preciosas, y piedras de mármol en abundancia.

A más de esto, por cuanto tengo mi contentamiento en la Casa de mi Dios, yo tengo en mi tesoro particular oro y plata, el cual he dado para la Casa de mi Dios, además de todas las cosas que he aparejado para la Casa del santuario:

Tres mil talentos de oro, de oro de Ofir, y siete mil talentos de plata afinada para cubrir las paredes de las casas;

y oro para las cosas de oro, y plata para las cosas de plata, y para toda la obra de manos de los obreros. ¿Y quién quiere consagrar hoy la ofrenda de sus manos al SEÑOR?

Entonces los príncipes de los padres, y los príncipes de las tribus de Israel, los príncipes de mil y de cien, con los príncipes que tenían a cargo la obra del rey, ofrecieron de su voluntad;

y dieron para el servicio de la Casa de Dios cinco mil talentos de oro y diez mil sueldos, y diez mil talentos de plata, y dieciocho mil talentos de bronce, y cien mil talentos de hierro.

Y cado uno dio las piedras preciosas con que se halló para el tesoro de la casa del SEÑOR, en mano de Jehiel, el gersonita.

Y se alegró el pueblo de haber contribuido de su voluntad; porque con perfecto corazón ofrecieron voluntariamente al SEÑOR.

10 ¶ Asimismo el rey David se alegró mucho, y bendijo al SEÑOR delante de toda la congregación; y dijo David: Bendito seas tú, oh SEÑOR, Dios de Israel, nuestro padre, desde el siglo y hasta el siglo.

11 Tuya es, oh SEÑOR, la magnificencia, y el poder, y la gloria, la victoria, y el honor; porque todas las cosas que están en los cielos y en la tierra son tuyas. Tuyo, oh SEÑOR, es el reino, y la altura sobre todos los que están por cabeza.

12 Las riquezas y la gloria están delante de ti, y tú señoreas a todos; y en tu mano está la potencia y la fortaleza, y en tu mano la grandeza y fuerza de todas las cosas.

13 Ahora pues, Dios nuestro, nosotros te confesamos, y loamos el Nombre de tu grandeza.

14 Porque ¿quién soy yo, y quién es mi pueblo, para que pudiéramos ofrecer de nuestra voluntad cosas semejantes? Porque todo es tuyo, y lo recibido de tu mano te damos.

15 Porque nosotros, extranjeros y advenedizos somos delante de ti, como todos nuestros padres; y nuestros días son como sombra sobre la tierra, y no hay otra esperanza.

16 Oh SEÑOR Dios nuestro, toda esta abundancia que hemos aparejado para edificar Casa a tu santo Nombre, de tu mano es, y todo es tuyo.

17 Yo sé, oh Dios mío, que tú escudriñas los corazones, y que la rectitud te agrada; por eso yo con rectitud de mi corazón voluntariamente te he ofrecido todo esto; y ahora he visto con alegría que tu pueblo, que aquí se ha hallado ahora, ha dado liberalmente.

18 SEÑOR, Dios de Abraham, de Isaac, y de Israel, nuestros padres, conserva perpetuamente esta voluntad en los pensamientos del corazón de tu pueblo, y encamina su corazón a ti.

19 Asimismo da a mi hijo Salomón corazón perfecto, para que guarde tus mandamientos, y tus testimonios, y tus estatutos; y para que haga todas las cosas, y te edifique el palacio para la cual yo he hecho la provisión.

20 Después de esto David dijo a toda la congregación: Bendecid ahora al SEÑOR vuestro Dios. Entonces toda la congregación bendijo al SEÑOR Dios de sus padres; e inclinándose adoraron delante del SEÑOR, y del rey.

21 Y sacrificaron víctimas al SEÑOR, y ofrecieron al SEÑOR holocaustos al día siguiente, mil becerros, mil carneros, mil ovejas con sus libaciones, y muchos sacrificios por todo Israel.

22 Y comieron y bebieron delante del SEÑOR aquel día con gran gozo; y dieron la segunda vez la investidura del reino a Salomón hijo de David, y le ungieron al SEÑOR por príncipe, y a Sadoc por sacerdote.

23 Y Salomón se sentó en el trono del SEÑOR por rey en lugar de David su padre, y fue prosperado; y todo Israel le escuchó.

24 Y todos los príncipes y poderosos, y todos los hijos del rey David, se sometieron al rey Salomón.

25 Y el SEÑOR engrandeció en extremo a Salomón ante los ojos de todo Israel, y le dio gloria del reino, cual ningún rey la tuvo antes de él en Israel.

26 Así reinó David hijo de Jessé sobre todo Israel.

27 Y el tiempo que reinó sobre Israel fue cuarenta años. En Hebrón reinó siete años, y treinta y tres años reinó en Jerusalén.

28 Y murió en buena vejez, lleno de días, de riquezas, y de gloria; y reinó en su lugar Salomón su hijo.

29 Y los hechos del rey David, primeros y postreros, están escritos en el libro de Samuel vidente, y en el libro del profeta Natán, y en el libro de Gad vidente,

30 con todo su reino, y su potencia, y con los tiempos que pasaron sobre él y sobre Israel, y sobre todos los reinos de las tierras.

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

Offerings for Building the Temple

29 Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has (A)chosen, is (B)young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the [a]temple is not for man but for the Lord God. Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, (C)onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of (D)Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is (E)willing to [b]consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

Then (F)the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with (G)the officers over the king’s work, (H)offered willingly. They gave for the work 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. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the hand of (I)Jehiel[c] the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had (J)offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Praise to God

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
11 (K)Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
12 (L)Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.

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 be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And [d]of Your own we have given You.
15 For (M)we are [e]aliens and [f]pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers;
(N)Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope.

16 “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. 17 I know also, my God, that You (O)test the heart and (P)have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. 18 O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. 19 And (Q)give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the [g]temple for which (R)I have made provision.”

20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Anointed King(S)

21 And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and (T)sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and (U)anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, (V)submitted[h] themselves to King Solomon. 25 So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and (W)bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

The Close of David’s Reign

26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 (X)And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; (Y)seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 28 So he (Z)died in a good old age, (AA)full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the [i]book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, 30 with all his reign and his might, (AB)and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:1 Lit. palace
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:5 Lit. fill his hand
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:8 Possibly the same as Jehieli, 1 Chr. 26:21, 22
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:14 Lit. of Your hand
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:15 sojourners, temporary residents
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:15 transients, temporary residents in an even more temporary sense
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:19 Lit. palace
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:24 Lit. gave the hand
  9. 1 Chronicles 29:29 Lit. words