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Then David sent for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. “My son, I wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God,” David told him. “But the Lord said to me, ‘You have killed many men in the battles you have fought. And since you have shed so much blood in my sight, you will not be the one to build a Temple to honor my name. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon,[a] and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

11 “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success as you follow his directions in building the Temple of the Lord your God. 12 And may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the Law of the Lord your God as you rule over Israel. 13 For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart!

14 “I have worked hard to provide materials for building the Temple of the Lord—nearly 4,000 tons of gold, 40,000 tons of silver,[b] and so much iron and bronze that it cannot be weighed. I have also gathered timber and stone for the walls, though you may need to add more. 15 You have a large number of skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind. 16 You have expert goldsmiths and silversmiths and workers of bronze and iron. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you!”

17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon in this project. 18 “The Lord your God is with you,” he declared. “He has given you peace with the surrounding nations. He has handed them over to me, and they are now subject to the Lord and his people. 19 Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that you can bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant and the holy vessels of God into the Temple built to honor the Lord’s name.”

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Footnotes

  1. 22:9 Solomon sounds like and is probably derived from the Hebrew word for “peace.”
  2. 22:14 Hebrew 100,000 talents [3,400 metric tons] of gold, 1,000,000 talents [34,000 metric tons] of silver.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build(A) a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart(B) to build(C) a house for the Name(D) of the Lord my God. But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars.(E) You are not to build a house for my Name,(F) because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace(G) and rest,(H) and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,[a](I) and I will grant Israel peace and quiet(J) during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name.(K) He will be my son,(L) and I will be his father. And I will establish(M) the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’(N)

11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with(O) you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding(P) when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success(Q) if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws(R) that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.(S) Do not be afraid or discouraged.

14 “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents[b] of gold, a million talents[c] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.(T) 15 You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,(U) as well as those skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen(V) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

17 Then David ordered(W) all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest(X) on every side?(Y) For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.(Z) Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:9 Solomon sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for peace.
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 3,750 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 37,500 tons or about 34,000 metric tons