Add parallel Print Page Options

“And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve him with single mind and willing heart, for the Lord searches every mind and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will abandon you forever.(A) 10 Take heed, now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary; be strong, and act.”(B)

11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plan of the vestibule and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the cover,(C) 12 and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts;(D) 13 for the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the Lord; for all the vessels for the service in the house of the Lord,(E) 14 the weight of gold for all golden vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service, 15 the weight of the golden lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each in the service,(F) 16 the weight of gold for each table for the rows of bread, the silver for the silver tables, 17 and pure gold for the forks, the basins, and the cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each; 18 for the altar of incense made of refined gold and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.(G)

19 “All this, in writing at the Lord’s direction, he made clear to me—the plan of all the works.”(H)

20 David said further to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and act. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.(I) 21 Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and with you in all the work will be every volunteer who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command.”(J)

Read full chapter

David Addresses Solomon Directly

“Now as for you, my son Solomon, get to know the God of your father. Serve him with a sound heart and a devoted soul, because the Lord is searching every heart, every plan and thought. He will be found by you, assuming you are seeking him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you forever. 10 So keep watching, because the Lord has chosen you to build the Temple of his sanctuary. So be strong, and get to work!”

David Transfers Plans and Materials to Solomon

11 At this point in his address,[a] David transferred to his son Solomon the construction plans for the Hall of Justice,[b] its buildings, its treasure vaults, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, the housing for the Mercy Seat, 12 and the plans for everything else that he had in mind for the courtyards of the Temple of the Lord. Included were plans for[c] all of the surrounding vaults and treasuries of the Temple of God intended for storage of[d] dedicated gifts, 13 for use by the ranks of priests and descendants of Levi, for all the work of service responsibilities in the Temple of the Lord, and for all of the utensils used in the work of the Temple of the Lord. 14 David also transferred to him[e] by weight the gold that was to be used to craft the[f] service utensils, the silver that was to be used to craft the[g] service utensils, 15 the gold for the golden lamp stands and their lamps, the silver for a lamp stand and its lamps (each according to its intended use in the service), 16 the gold by weight for each table of the rows of bread, the silver for the silver tables, 17 pure gold for the forks, the basins, the cups, the golden bowls (along with enough gold by weight for each one), enough weight for each of the silver bowls, 18 refined gold for the altar of incense, by weight, along with his plans for crafting[h] the golden chariot for the cherubim that spread out their wings to cover the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

David Continues His Address

19 “All of these things the Lord made clear to me in writing at his direction—the construction plans for all of the building.”

20 David continued with these words for his son Solomon: “Be strong and courageous, and get to work. Never be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor will he abandon you right up to your completion of the work for the service of the Temple of the Lord. 21 Now look! Here are the ranks of the priests and the descendants of Levi for the entire service of the Temple of God, and in all of the work there will be all types of volunteers who have skills for anything needed for the services. Furthermore, the officers and all of the people will be at your complete command.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 28:11 The Heb. lacks At this point in his address
  2. 1 Chronicles 28:11 Or Temple vestibule
  3. 1 Chronicles 28:12 The Heb. lacks were plans for
  4. 1 Chronicles 28:12 The Heb. lacks intended for storage of
  5. 1 Chronicles 28:14 The Heb. lacks David also transferred to him
  6. 1 Chronicles 28:14 The Heb. lacks that was to be used to craft the
  7. 1 Chronicles 28:14 The Heb. lacks that was to be used to craft the
  8. 1 Chronicles 28:18 The Heb. lacks for crafting

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion(A) and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart(B) and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him,(C) he will be found by you; but if you forsake(D) him, he will reject(E) you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans(F) for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit(G) had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.(H) 13 He gave him instructions for the divisions(I) of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. 14 He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: 15 the weight of gold for the gold lampstands(J) and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; 16 the weight of gold for each table(K) for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; 17 the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls(L) and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish; 18 and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense.(M) He also gave him the plan for the chariot,(N) that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and overshadow(O) the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

19 “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details(P) of the plan.(Q)

20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous,(R) and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake(S) you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.(T) 21 The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled(U) in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”

Read full chapter