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Then he called for Solomon his son, and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon his son, “As for me, it was in my heart to build a house to the name of Yahweh my God. But Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of peace. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name; and he will be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 11 Now, my son, may Yahweh be with you and prosper you, and build the house of Yahweh your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 May Yahweh give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel; that so you may keep the law of Yahweh your God. 13 Then you will prosper, if you observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Yahweh gave Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed. 14 Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for Yahweh’s house one hundred thousand talents[a] of gold, one million talents[b] of silver, and bronze and iron without weight; for it is in abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone; and you may add to them. 15 There are also workmen with you in abundance, cutters and workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of men who are skillful in every kind of work; 16 of the gold, the silver, the bronze, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and may Yahweh be with you.”

17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Isn’t Yahweh your God with you? Hasn’t he given you rest on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Yahweh, and before his people. 19 Now set your heart and your soul to follow Yahweh your God. Arise therefore, and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, to bring the ark of Yahweh’s covenant and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for Yahweh’s name.”

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Footnotes

  1. 22:14 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 100,000 talents is about 3 metric tons
  2. 22:14 about 30,000 metric tons

David Commissions Solomon to Build the Temple

Later, David called for his son Solomon and directed him to build a temple to the Lord God of Israel. David addressed Solomon: “I have attempted to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God. But this message from the Lord came to me, telling me

‘You have shed a lot of blood and fought great battles. You won’t be building a house for my name, since you have shed so much blood on the earth in my sight. But look! A son born to you will live comfortably,[a] because I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him on every side, since his name will be “Solomon”—I will give peace and quiet for Israel during his lifetime. 10 He will build a temple to my name. He will be a son to me, I myself will be a father to him, and I will secure his royal throne in Israel forever.’

11 So now, my son, may the Lord be with you, so that you are successful in constructing the Temple of the Lord your God, just as he has spoken about you.

12 “Only may the Lord give you discretion and understanding as he places you in charge over Israel, so you can keep the Law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will be successful, if you keep on observing the statutes and ordinances that the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong, be courageous, and never give in to fear or dismay. 14 At great effort I have provided for the Temple of the Lord 100,000 gold talents,[b] 1,000,000 silver talents,[c] as well as bronze and iron beyond calculation, since there is so much of it. I’ve also provided timber and stone, but you’ll need to obtain more. 15 You already have plenty of workers, including stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and an innumerable group of artisans who are skilled at working in 16 gold, silver, bronze, and iron. So begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”

17 David also issued these orders to all of the leaders of Israel to assist his son Solomon: 18 “Isn’t the Lord your God with you? Hasn’t he surrounded you with comfort? He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my control, and the land lies subdued both in the Lord’s presence and before his people. 19 So set your minds and hearts to seek the Lord your God, to get up, and to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be stored in a temple built for the name of the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:9 Lit. will be a man of comfort
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:14 I.e. about 7,500,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:14 I.e. about 75,000,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds