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A Psalm. A Song for the Dedication of the Temple. By David.

30 I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up,
    and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.
Yahweh my God, I cried to you,
    and you have healed me.
Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol.[a]
    You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his.
    Give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment.
    His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may stay for the night,
    but joy comes in the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong;
    but when you hid your face, I was troubled.
I cried to you, Yahweh.
    I made supplication to the Lord:
“What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit?
    Shall the dust praise you?
    Shall it declare your truth?
10 Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me.
    Yahweh, be my helper.”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me.
    You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,
12     to the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent.
Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Footnotes

  1. 30:3 Sheol is the place of the dead.

Thanksgiving for Answered Prayer

A psalm; a song for the dedication of the house.[a] Of David.[b]

30 I will exalt you, O Yahweh,
because you have drawn me up,
and have not made my enemies rejoice over me.
O Yahweh, my God,
I cried for help to you,
and you healed me.
O Yahweh, you have brought my life up from Sheol.
You preserved me alive
from among those going down [c] to the pit.
Sing praises to Yahweh, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy fame.[d]
For there is a moment in his anger;
there is a lifetime in his favor.
Weeping lodges for the evening,
but in the morning comes rejoicing.
But as for me, I had said in my prosperity,
“I shall not be moved ever.”
O Yahweh, by your favor
you caused my strong mountain to stand.
You hid your face. I was bewildered.
To you, O Yahweh, I called,
and to the Lord I pleaded for grace saying,
“What gain is there in my death,[e]
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 “O Yahweh, hear and be gracious to me.
O Yahweh, be my helper.”
11 You have turned my wailing into my dancing.
You have removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy
12 so that I[f] may sing praises to you
and not be quiet.
O Yahweh, my God,
I will give thanks to you forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 30:1 Or “temple”
  2. Psalm 30:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  3. Psalm 30:3 According to the Kethib; the reading tradition (Qere) reads “so I would not go down”
  4. Psalm 30:4 Literally “to the fame of his holiness”
  5. Psalm 30:9 Literally “blood”
  6. Psalm 30:12 Literally “my glory”

22 Then David said, “This is the house of Yahweh God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

David gave orders to gather together the foreigners who were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to cut dressed stones to build God’s house. David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and bronze in abundance without weight; and cedar trees without number, for the Sidonians and the people of Tyre brought cedar trees in abundance to David. David said, “Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David prepared abundantly before his death. 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

22 Then David said, “This will be the house of Yahweh God, and this altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

David’s Preparations for Building the Temple

And David commanded to assemble the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel and appointed stone craftsmen to cut dressed stones to build the house of God. And David provided much iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the seams, and abundant copper that could not be weighed, and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought abundant cedars to David. Then David said, “Solomon my son is a boy and inexperienced, and the house built for Yahweh must be exceedingly great in fame and splendor throughout every land. I will make preparations for him.” So David provided abundant materials before he died.

Solomon Charged with Building the Temple of Yahweh

Then he called to Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel. And David said to Solomon his son, “I myself had in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, but it happened that the word of Yahweh came over me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made much war; you shall not build a house for my name because you have shed much blood upon the ground before me. Behold, a son shall be born to you; he himself will be a man of rest, and I will give rest to him from all his enemies all around, for his name will be Solomon, and peace and quietness I will give to Israel in his days. 10 He himself will build a house for my name, and he himself will be to me a son, and I will be to him as a father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 11 Now, my son, Yahweh will be with you, that you may succeed and build the house of Yahweh your God as he has spoken concerning you. 12 Only may Yahweh give to you understanding and insight that he might give you charge over Israel and the keeping of the law of Yahweh your God. 13 Then you will prosper if you take care to do the statutes and judgments which Yahweh commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and be courageous; fear not and do not be dismayed. 14 Now see, with great effort I have made provision for the house of Yahweh: 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron that cannot be weighed, for there is an abundance. Also timber and stone I have provided, but to these you should add. 15 And with you there is an abundance of craftsmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and everyone skilled in every kind of craftsmanship 16 with gold, silver, bronze, and iron without number. Arise and work! Yahweh will be with you!”

17 And David commanded all the commanders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Is not Yahweh your God with you? And has he not given you rest all around? For he has put in my hand the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before Yahweh and before his people. 19 Now set your heart and mind to seek Yahweh your Go, and arise and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, that the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy vessels of God might be brought into the house built for the name of Yahweh.

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