Beginning

28 Therefore David called together all the princes of Israel, the dukes of lineages, and the sovereigns of companies, that ministered to the king/that served the king, also the tribunes, and centurions, and them that were sovereigns over the cattle, or over the chattel, and the possessions of the king, and (of) his sons, with [the] eunuchs, and all the mighty and strong men in the host of Jerusalem. (And so David called together all the leaders of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, and the leaders of the companies, who served the king, and the tribunes, and the centurions, and those who were in charge of the king’s cattle and his possessions, and those of his sons, along with the eunuchs, and all the strong and mighty men in his kingdom, to come to Jerusalem.)

² And when the king had risen, and stood up, he said, My brethren and my people, hear ye me. I thought for to build an house, wherein the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord (where the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord), and the stool of the feet of our God, should rest; and I have made ready all things to build it.

³ But God said to me, Thou shalt not build an house to my name, for thou art a man warrior, and hast shed blood. (But God said to me, Thou shalt not build a House to honour my name, for thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood.)

⁴ But the Lord God of Israel chose me of all the house of my father, that I should be king on Israel without end; for of Judah he hath chosen princes, soothly of the house of Judah, he hath chosen the house of my father, and of the sons of my father, it pleased him to choose me king on all Israel (it pleased him to make me king upon all Israel).

⁵ But also of (all) my sons, for the Lord hath given to me many sons, he hath chosen Solomon, my son, that he should sit in the throne of the realm of the Lord on Israel. (And of all my sons, for the Lord hath given me many sons, he hath chosen my son Solomon, to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom upon Israel.)

⁶ And he said to me, Solomon, thy son, shall build mine house, and mine altars; for I have chosen him to me into a son, and I shall be to him into a father; (And he said to me, Thy son Solomon shall build my House, and my altars; for I have chosen him to be a son to me, and I shall be a father to him;)

⁷ and I shall make steadfast his realm into without end, if he shall continue to do my behests and [my] dooms, as and today. (and I shall establish his kingdom forevermore, if he shall continue to do my commands and my judgements/if he shall continue to obey my commands and my laws, as in this day.)

⁸ Now therefore before all the company of Israel, (and) in the hearing of God, (I say,) keep ye and seek ye all the commandments of your Lord God (obey ye and seek ye to understand all the commands of the Lord your God), (so) that ye (can) have in possession a good land, and that ye leave it to your sons after you into without end.

⁹ But thou, Solomon, my son, know [thou] the God of thy father, and serve thou him with (a) perfect heart, and with a willful soul, or mind (and with a willing mind); for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and he understandeth all the thoughts of souls; if thou seekest him, thou shalt find him; forsooth if thou forsakest him, he shall cast thee away without end.

¹⁰ Now therefore, for the Lord hath chosen thee, for to build the house of [the] saintuary, be thou comforted, and perform it. (And so now, for the Lord hath chosen thee, to build the House of the sanctuary, be thou strengthened, and do it.)

¹¹ And David gave to Solomon, his son, the describing, either the ensample, of the porch of the temple, and of [the] cellars, and of the solar, and of [the] closets in (the) privy places, and of the house of propitiation, or of mercy doing, that is, of the holy of holy things, where the propitiatory was;

¹² also and he gave him (the) ensample of all (the) things which he thought, of the large places, and of [the] chambers by compass, into the treasures of the house of the Lord, and into the treasures of [the] holy things, (and he also gave him the example for all the things which he had in mind, for the courtyards, and the rooms around them, and the treasuries of the House of the Lord, and the treasuries of the holy things,)

¹³ and of the partings of [the] priests and deacons, into all the works of the house of the Lord, and all [the] vessels of service of the temple of the Lord. (and for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the works of the House of the Lord, and for all the vessels for service in the Temple of the Lord.)

¹⁴ Of gold in weight by each vessel of service, and of silver, for [the] diversity of vessels, and of works; (And he told him the weight of the gold for each gold vessel used in its service, and the weight of the silver for the other vessels used for diverse services;)

¹⁵ but also to [the] golden candlesticks, and to their lanterns, he gave gold, for the measure of each candlestick, and of (its) lanterns; also and in [the] silveren candlesticks, and in their lanterns, he betook to them the weight of silver, for the diversity of (the) measure of those. (and the weight of the gold for the gold candlesticks, and their lanterns; and the weight of the silver for the silver candlesticks, and their lanterns, by the diversity of their service.)

¹⁶ And he gave gold into the board[s] of setting forth, for the diversity of measure, also and he gave silver into other silveren boards; (And he told him the weight of the gold for the tables for the loaves of proposition, or the loaves of setting forth, and the weight of the silver for the other silver tables;)

¹⁷ also to [the] fleshhooks, and vials, and to censers of purest gold; and to golden basins, for the manner of measure, he separated a weight into a basin and a basin; also and into silveren basins he separated diverse weight of silver. (and the weight of the pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the censers; and also the weight of the gold for the gold basins, in the manner of the measure; and the diverse weight of the silver for the silver basins.)

¹⁸ And he gave most fine gold to the altar, wherein incense was burnt, (and) that a likeness of the cart of cherubims, holding forth (their) wings, and covering the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, should be made thereof. (And he told him the weight of the most fine gold for the altar, on which the incense was burned, and also for the likeness, or the model, of the chariot of the cherubim, with them holding forth their wings, and covering the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.)

¹⁹ And David said, All (these) things came written by the hand of the Lord to me, that I should understand all the works of the exemplar/of the ensampler (so that I could understand all the works in the example).

²⁰ And David said to Solomon, his son, Do thou manly, and be thou comforted, and make; dread thou not withoutforth, neither dread thou within; for my Lord God shall be with thee, and he shall not leave thee, neither shall forsake thee, till thou perform all the work of the service of the house of the Lord. (And David said to his son Solomon, Be thou confident, and be thou strengthened, and make it; fear thou not anything from withoutforth, nor fear thou anything from within; for the Lord my God shall be with thee, and he shall not leave thee, nor shall desert thee, until thou finish all the work needed in the service of the House of the Lord.)

²¹ Lo! the partings of priests and of deacons, into all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, shall stand nigh [to] thee; and they be ready to do their service, and both the princes and the people know to do all thy commandments. (Lo! the divisions of the priests, and the Levites, shall do their duties, ready to do all the work in the service of the House of the Lord; and all the craftsmen be ready to do their service; and also the leaders, and all the people, shall be wholly at thy command.)

29 And king David spake to all the church, (and said,) God hath chosen Solomon, my son, yet a child and tender; forsooth the work is great, and a dwelling is not made ready to man, but to God. (And King David spoke to all the congregation, and said, God hath chosen my son Solomon, yet a tender young man; and the work is great, but this dwelling place is not made for man, but for God.)

² Soothly I in all my mights have made ready the costs of the house of my God; gold to golden vessels, silver to silveren vessels, brass to brazen vessels, iron to iron vessels, and tree to treen vessels, onyx stones, and stones as of the colour of women’s ointment, and each precious stone of diverse colours, and marble of diverse colours, most plenteously. (And with all my power I have prepared the expenses and the materials for the House of my God; gold for the gold vessels, silver for the silver vessels, bronze for the bronze vessels, iron for the iron vessels, and wood for the wooden vessels, and onyx stones, and stones the colour of women’s ointment, and each precious stone of diverse colour, and most plentiful marble of diverse colours.)

³ And over these things, I give gold and silver into the temple of my God, which I have offered of my proper chattel into the house of my God, besides these things which I have made ready into the holy house, (And in addition to these things, I have given gold and silver for the Temple of my God, which I have offered out of my own substance, or possessions, for the House of my God, besides these things which I have prepared for the Holy House,)

⁴ (namely) three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand of talents of silver most proved (and seven thousand talents of most proved silver), to overgild the walls of the temple;

⁵ and (for the) works (which) be made by the hands of craftsmen, wherever gold is needful, of gold, and wherever silver is needful, of silver; and if any man offereth by his free will, [full-]fill he his hand today, and offer he that that he will to the Lord. (and for the works which be made by the hands of craftsmen, yea, the gold, wherever gold is needed, and the silver, wherever silver is needed; and if anyone else will offer by his free will, open he his hand today, and offer he what he will to the Lord.)

⁶ Therefore the princes of [the] families, and the dukes of the lineages of Israel, and the tribunes, and the centurions, and the princes of the possessions of the king, promised to give thereto/promised to give gifts to the temple; (And so the leaders of the families, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel, and the tribunes, and the centurions, and the overseers of the king’s possessions, promised to give gifts for the Temple;)

⁷ and they gave into the works of the house of the Lord, five thousand talents of gold, and ten thousand shillings; and ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of brass, and an hundred thousand talents of iron. (and they gave for the work of the House of the Lord, five thousand talents of gold, and ten thousand shillings; and ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and a hundred thousand talents of iron.)

⁸ And at whomever precious stones were found, they gave (them) into the treasure/into the treasury of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel (the) Gershonite. (And whoever had precious stones, gave them to the treasury of the House of Lord, where Jehiel the Gershonite was in charge.)

⁹ And the people was glad, when they promised (their) avows by their free will, for with all the heart they offered those to the Lord (for with all their hearts they offered them to the Lord). But also king David was glad with great joy,

¹⁰ and he blessed the Lord before all the multitude, and said, Lord God of Israel, our father, thou art blessed from without beginning [and] into without end; (and he blessed the Lord before all the multitude, and said, Blessed art thou, Lord God of our father Israel, from without beginning, and forevermore;)

¹¹ Lord, worthy doing is thine, that is, thy doing is worthy and great, and power, and glory, and victory, and praising is to thee; for all things that be in heaven and in earth be thine; Lord, the realm is thine, and thou art over all princes; (Lord, thy doing is worthy and great, and power, and glory, and victory, and praising be to thee; for everything that is in heaven and on earth be thine; Lord, the kingdom is thine, and thou art over all the leaders;)

¹² riches be thine, and glory is thine; thou art Lord of all; in thine hand is strength, and power, and in thine hand is greatness, and lordship of all.

¹³ Now therefore, our God (And so now, our God), we acknowledge to thee, and we praise thy noble name.

¹⁴ Who am I, and who is my people, that we may promise all these things to thee? All things be thine, and we have (but) given (back) to thee those things, which we have taken of thine hand. (But who am I, and who be my people, that we can give anything to thee? For all things be thine, and we have only given back to thee those things, which we have received from thy own hands.)

¹⁵ For we be pilgrims and comelings before thee, as all our fathers were (For we be foreigners and newcomers before thee, as all our forefathers were); our days be as (a) shadow on the earth, and there is no tarrying.

¹⁶ Our Lord God, all this plenty of diverse goods which we have made ready, that an house should be builded to thine holy name, is of thine hand; and all things be thine. (Lord our God, all this plenty of diverse goods which we have prepared, so that a House could be built to honour thy holy name, is from thy own hands; and all things be thine.)

¹⁷ My God, I know, that thou provest hearts, and that thou lovest simpleness, that is, lowness, or meekness, of heart; wherefore in the simpleness of mine heart, I have offered gladly all these things; and I have seen with great joy thy people, which is found here, to offer gifts to thee (and so with an honest heart, I have gladly offered all these things; and I have seen with great joy thy people, who be found here, to willingly offer their gifts to thee).

¹⁸ Lord God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep thou without end this will of their hearts; and this mind dwell ever[more] into the worshipping of thee. (Lord God of our fathers Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, keep thou this desire forevermore in their hearts; and may their hearts forevermore worship thee.)

¹⁹ Also give thou to Solomon, my son, a perfect heart, that he keep thy behests, and thy witnessings, and thy ceremonies; and do all these things, and that he build the house, whose costs I have made ready. (And give thou to my son Solomon a perfect heart, that he obey thy commands, and thy testimonies, and thy statutes; and do all these things, and that he build the House, whose materials and expenses I have prepared.)

²⁰ Soothly David commanded to all the church, that is, (to) all the people gathered together, Bless ye the Lord our God. And all the church, that is, the people, blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and they bowed themselves, and worshipped God, and [then] afterward the king. (And David commanded to all the congregation, Bless ye the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and they bowed themselves, and worshipped God, and then the king.)

²¹ And they offered slain sacrifices to the Lord, and they offered burnt sacrifices in the day following; a thousand bulls, and a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their flowing sacrifices, and with all the custom, most plenteously, into all Israel. (And they offered slain sacrifices to the Lord, and then they offered burnt sacrifices on the following day; a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their wine offerings, by all the custom, most plentifully, for all Israel.)

²² And they ate and drank before the Lord in that day, with great gladness. And they anointed the second time Solomon, the son of David; and they anointed him into prince to the Lord, and Zadok into bishop. (And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day, with great gladness. And a second time, they anointed David’s son Solomon, as king; yea, they anointed him as the Lord’s prince, and Zadok as the High Priest.)

²³ And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord into king, for David, his father; and it pleased all men, and all Israel obeyed to him. (And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king, in place of his father David; and it pleased everyone, and all Israel obeyed him.)

²⁴ But also all [the] princes, and mighty men, and all the sons of king David, gave (the) hand, that is, (in) swearing or steadfast(ly) promising to be faithful, and were (made) subject to Solomon the king. (And all the princes/all the leaders, and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, raised up their hands to swear, or to steadfastly promise, to be faithful, and were made subject to King Solomon.)

²⁵ Therefore the Lord magnified, or made great, Solomon upon all Israel, and gave to him (such) glory of the realm, what manner (of) glory no king of Israel (had ever) had before him.

²⁶ And (so) David, the son of Jesse, reigned upon all Israel;

²⁷ and the days in which he reigned upon Israel were forty years; in Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned three and thirty years.

²⁸ And he died in [a] good eld (age), and was full of days, and riches, and glory; and Solomon, his son, reigned for him.

²⁹ Forsooth the former and the last deeds of king David (And the first and the last deeds of King David), be written in the book of Samuel, the prophet, and in the book of Nathan, the prophet, and in the book of Gad, the prophet;

³⁰ and of all his realm, and strength, and times, that passed under him, either in Israel, either in all realms of lands. (yea, all about his kingdom, and power, and the times through which he, and Israel, and all the kingdoms of the lands, had passed.)

1 Therefore Solomon, the son of David, was comforted in his realm (And so Solomon, the son of David, was strengthened, or confirmed, in his kingdom), and the Lord was with him, and magnified him on high.

² And Solomon commanded to all Israel, to tribunes, and centurions, and to dukes, and to doomsmen of all Israel, and to the princes of families; (And Solomon commanded to all Israel, to the tribunes, and the centurions, and the leaders, and the judges of all Israel, and the leaders of the families;)

³ and Solomon went with all the multitude into the high place of Gibeon, where the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace of the Lord was, which tabernacle Moses, the servant of the Lord, made in wilderness. (and Solomon went with all the multitude to the hill shrine of Gibeon, where the Tabernacle of the Covenant of the Lord was, that is, the Tabernacle of the Witnessing, which Tabernacle Moses, the Lord’s servant, had made in the wilderness.)

⁴ Forsooth David had brought the ark of God from Kiriathjearim into the place which he had made ready to it, and where he had set a tabernacle to it, that is, in Jerusalem. (But David had brought the Ark of God from Kiriathjearim to the place which he had prepared for it, and where he had set up a Tent for it, that is, in Jerusalem.)

⁵ And the brazen altar, which Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord; which also Solomon and all the church sought. (And the bronze altar, which Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there in front of the Tabernacle of the Lord; and Solomon and all the congregation sought the Lord at that altar.)

⁶ And Solomon went up to the brazen altar, before the tabernacle of the bond of peace of the Lord, and offered in it a thousand sacrifices. (And Solomon went up to the bronze altar, before the Tabernacle of the Covenant of the Lord, and offered on it a thousand sacrifices.)

⁷ Lo! forsooth in that night God appeared to him, and said, Ask that that thou wilt, that I give to thee (Ask what thou wilt, that I give it to thee).

⁸ And Solomon said to God, Thou hast done great mercy with David, my father, and hast ordained me king for him. (And Solomon said to God, Thou hast shown great love for my father David, and hast made me king in his place.)

⁹ Now therefore, Lord God, thy word be fulfilled, which thou promisedest to David, my father; for thou hast made me king upon thy great people, which is so unnumberable as the dust of [the] earth. (And so now, Lord God, let thy word be fulfilled, which thou hast promised to my father David; for thou hast made me king upon thy great people, who be as innumerable as the dust of the earth.)

¹⁰ Give thou to me wisdom and understanding, that I go in and go out before thy people; for who may deem worthily this thy people, which is so great? (Give thou to me wisdom and understanding, so that I can come in and go out before thy people; for who can worthily judge this thy people, who be so great in number?)

¹¹ And God said to Solomon, For that this thing pleased more thine heart, and thou askedest not riches, and chattel, and glory, neither the lives of them that hate thee, but neither full many days of thy life; but thou hast asked (for) wisdom and knowing, that thou mayest deem my people, upon which I have ordained thee king, (And God said to Solomon, For that this thing more pleased thy heart, and thou hast asked not for riches, or possessions, or glory, or for the lives of those who hate thee, or for a great many days for thy own life; but thou hast asked for wisdom and knowledge, so that thou can judge my people, on whom I have ordained thee to be king,)

¹² wisdom and knowing (shall) be given to thee; and over this, I shall give to thee riches, and chattel, and glory (and in addition to this, I shall give to thee riches, and possessions, and glory), so that none among kings, neither before thee, nor after thee, (shall) be like thee.

¹³ Then Solomon came from the high place of Gibeon into Jerusalem, (from) before the tabernacle of the bond of peace, and he reigned upon Israel. (Then Solomon came from the hill shrine at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and he reigned upon Israel.)

¹⁴ And Solomon gathered together to him chariots and knights, and a thousand and four hundred chariots were made to him, and twelve thousand knights; and he made them to be in the cities of carts, and with the king in Jerusalem. (And Solomon gathered to himself chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and he ordained some of them to be in the cities for the chariots, and some of them to be with the king in Jerusalem.)

¹⁵ And the king gave in Jerusalem gold and silver as stones in plenty, and he gave cedar trees as sycamores, that come forth in field places in great multitude. (And the king made gold and silver to be as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem, and cedar trees to be like the sycamores that come forth in the fields in great multitude.)

¹⁶ And horses were brought to him from Egypt, and from Coa, by the merchants of the king, which went, and bought by price (who went there, and bought them for money),

¹⁷ a chariot of horses for six hundred pieces of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty. In like manner buying was made of all the realms of cities, and of the kings of Syria (In like manner, purchases were made from all the kings of the Hittites, and from the kings of Syria).