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“And you, Solomon my son, obey[a] the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit,[b] for the Lord examines all minds and understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him,[c] but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently. 10 Realize[d] now that the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it!”

11 David gave to his son Solomon the blueprints for the temple porch,[e] its buildings, its treasuries,[f] its upper areas, its inner rooms, and the room[g] for atonement. 12 He gave him[h] the blueprints of all he envisioned[i] for the courts of the Lord’s temple, all the surrounding rooms, the storehouses of God’s temple, and the storehouses for the holy items.

13 He gave him the regulations[j] for the divisions of priests and Levites, for all the assigned responsibilities within the Lord’s temple, and for all the items used in the service of the Lord’s temple.

14 He gave him[k] the prescribed weight for all the gold items to be used in various types of service in the Lord’s temple, for all the silver items to be used in various types of service,[l] 15 for the gold lampstands and their gold lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps, for the silver lampstands, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps, according to the prescribed use of each lampstand, 16 for the gold used in the display tables, including the amount to be used in each table, for the silver to be used in the silver tables, 17 for the pure gold used for the meat forks, bowls, and jars, for the small gold bowls, including the weight for each bowl, for the small silver bowls, including the weight for each bowl, 18 and for the refined gold of the incense altar.

He gave him[m] the blueprint for the seat[n] of the gold cherubim that spread their wings[o] and provide shelter for the ark of the Lord’s covenant.

19 David said,[p] “All this I put in writing as the Lord directed me and gave me insight regarding the details of the blueprints.”[q]

20 David said to his son Solomon: “Be strong and brave! Do it! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic![r] For the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you or abandon you before all the work for the service of the Lord’s temple is finished. 21 Here are the divisions of the priests and Levites who will perform all the service of God’s temple. All the willing and skilled men are ready to assist you in all the work and perform their service.[s] The officials and all the people are ready to follow your instructions.”[t]

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 28:9 tn Heb “know.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 28:9 tn Heb “with a complete heart and a willing being.”
  3. 1 Chronicles 28:9 tn Heb “he will allow himself to be found by you.”
  4. 1 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “see.”
  5. 1 Chronicles 28:11 tn Heb “for the porch.” The word “temple” was supplied in the translation for clarity.
  6. 1 Chronicles 28:11 tn Or “storerooms.”
  7. 1 Chronicles 28:11 tn Heb “house.”
  8. 1 Chronicles 28:12 tn The words “he gave him” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  9. 1 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “the pattern of all which was in the spirit with him.”
  10. 1 Chronicles 28:13 tn The words “he gave him the regulations” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  11. 1 Chronicles 28:14 tn The words “he gave him” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  12. 1 Chronicles 28:14 tn Heb “for the gold, by the weight, for the gold, for all the items of service and service, for all the items of silver by weight for all the items of service and service.”
  13. 1 Chronicles 28:18 tn The words “he gave him” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  14. 1 Chronicles 28:18 tc The Hebrew text reads מֶרְכָּבָה (merkavah, “chariot”), but the final he (ה) is probably dittographic—note the prefixed he (ה) on the immediately following word. It is preferable to read מֶרְכָּב (merkav, “seat”).
  15. 1 Chronicles 28:18 tc The Hebrew text does not have “their wings,” but the word כְּנָפַיִם (kenafayim, “wings”) has probably been accidentally omitted by homoioteleuton. Note that the immediately preceding לְפֹרְשִׂים (leforsim) also ends in mem (ם).
  16. 1 Chronicles 28:19 tn The words “David said” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  17. 1 Chronicles 28:19 tn Heb “the whole in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, he gave insight [for] all the workings of the plan.”
  18. 1 Chronicles 28:20 tn Or perhaps, “don’t be discouraged.”
  19. 1 Chronicles 28:21 tn Heb “and with you in all work, for every willing [one] in skill for all service.”
  20. 1 Chronicles 28:21 tn Heb “and the officials and all the people to all your words.”

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.”

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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