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Thanksgiving for Escaping Death

A psalm of David. A song for ·giving the Temple to the Lord [L the dedication of the Temple; C perhaps written by David in anticipation of the dedication of the Temple under Solomon; the connection with healing is uncertain].

30 I will ·praise [L exalt] you, Lord,
    because you ·rescued me [L brought me up].
    You did not let my enemies ·laugh at [rejoice over] me.
Lord, my God, I ·prayed to you [cried to you for help],
    and you healed me.
You lifted me out of ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol];
    you spared me from going down to the ·place of the dead [L Pit; 16:10].

Sing praises to the Lord, you ·who belong to him [loyal ones; saints];
    ·praise [give thanks to] his holy name.
His anger lasts only a moment,
    but his ·kindness [favor] lasts for a lifetime.
Crying may last for a night,
    but joy comes in the morning.

When I ·felt safe [or was prosperous], I said,
    “I will never ·fear [L be moved].”
Lord, in your ·kindness [favor] you made my mountain ·safe [L stand; C God made him prosperous and safe].
    But when you ·turned away [L hid your face; C because he became self-reliant, v. 6], I was ·frightened [terrified; or discouraged].

I ·called [prayed] to you, Lord,
    and ·asked you to have mercy on me [made supplication].
I said, “What ·good will it do if I die [profit is there for you in my blood]
    or if I go down to ·the grave [corruption; destruction]?
·Dust cannot [L Will the dust…?; Gen. 2:7; Eccl. 12:7] ·praise [thank] you;
    ·it cannot [L will it…?] speak about your ·truth [faithfulness].
10 Lord, hear me and have mercy on me.
    Lord, help me.”

11 You changed my ·sorrow [mourning] into dancing.
    You took away my ·clothes of sadness [sackcloth],
    and clothed me in ·happiness [joy].
12 I will sing to you and not be silent.
    Lord, my God, I will ·praise you [give you thanks] forever.

22 David said, “The ·Temple [L house] of the Lord God and the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] will be here.”

David Makes Plans for the Temple

So David ordered all ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] living in Israel to gather together. From that group David ·chose [appointed; assigned] stonecutters to cut stones to be used in building the ·Temple [L house] of God. David supplied a large amount of iron to be used for making nails and ·hinges [clamps; braces; fittings] for the gate doors. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed, and he supplied more cedar logs than could be counted. ·Much of the [Great quantities of] cedar had been brought to David by the people from Sidon and Tyre.

David said, “We should build a ·great [exceedingly magnificent] ·Temple [L house] for the Lord, which will be famous everywhere for its ·greatness and beauty [splendor; gloriousness]. But my son Solomon is young and ·inexperienced [L tender], so I will make preparations for it.” So David got many of the materials ready before he died.

Then David called for his son Solomon and ·told [commanded; charged] him to build the ·Temple [L house] for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to him, “My son, I ·wanted [intended; planned; L had my heart set] to build a ·temple [L house] ·for worshiping [L to the name of] the Lord my God. But the Lord spoke his word to me, ‘David, you have ·killed many people [shed much blood]. You have fought ·many [great] wars. You cannot build a ·temple [L house] ·for worship to me [to my name], because you have ·killed many people [shed so much blood on the earth in my sight; C he completed the conquest of Canaan]. But, you will have a son, a man of ·peace [L rest]. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon [C a name derived from shalom, “peace”], and I will give Israel peace and quiet ·while he is king [L in his days]. 10 Solomon will build a ·temple [L house] for ·worship to me [my name]. He will be my son, and I will be his father [2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7]. I will ·make his kingdom strong; someone from his family will rule [establish/secure his throne over] Israel forever.’”

11 David said, “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success. May you build a ·temple [L house] for the Lord your God, as he ·said [announced; promised] you would. 12 When he makes you the king of Israel, may the Lord give you ·wisdom [discretion] and understanding so you will be able to ·obey [keep; observe] the ·teachings [law; instructions] of the Lord your God. 13 Be careful to obey the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and laws the Lord ·gave [commanded] Moses for Israel. If you obey them, you will ·have success [prosper]. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid or ·discouraged [dismayed].

14 “Solomon, I have ·worked hard getting many of the materials [taken great pains to provide] for building the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. I have supplied ·about seven and one-half million pounds [L one hundred thousand talents] of gold, ·about seventy-five million pounds [L one million talents] of silver, so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, and wood and stone. You may add to them. 15 You have many workmen—stonecutters, ·bricklayers [stonemasons], carpenters, and ·people skilled [craftsmen; artisans] in every kind of work. 16 They are skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have more craftsmen than can be counted. ·Now begin the [Set to] work, and may the Lord be with you.”

17 Then David ·ordered [commanded] all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 David said to them, “The Lord your God is with you. He has given you ·rest from our enemies [peace on every side; Deut. 12:2]. He has handed over to me the people living around us. The Lord and his people ·are in control of [have subdued] this land. 19 Now ·give yourselves completely to obeying [devote your heart/mind and soul to seeking] the Lord your God. Build the ·holy place [sanctuary] of the Lord God; build the ·Temple [L house] ·for worship to the Lord [to honor the Lord’s name]. Then bring the Ark of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant] with the Lord and the holy ·items [vessels; articles] that belong to God into the ·Temple [L house].”

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