Chronological
Groups of temple guards
26 These are the groups of guards for the entrances of the temple:[a]
From Korah's descendants there was Kore's son Meshelemiah, who was a descendant of Asaph.
2 Meshelemiah's seven sons were: Zechariah (his firstborn son), then Jediael (his second son), Zebadiah (his third son), Jathniel (his fourth son), 3 Elam (his fifth son), Jehohanan (his sixth son) and Eliehoenai (his seventh son).
4 Obed-Edom's sons were: Shemaiah (his firstborn son), Jehozabad (his second son), Joah (his third son), Sachar (his fourth son), Nethanel (his fifth son), 5 Ammiel (his sixth son), Issachar (his seventh son) and Peullethai (his eighth son). God blessed Obed-Edom with those eight sons.
6-7 Obed-Edom's son Shemaiah had four sons. They were called Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad. They were leaders in their clan, because they were brave men. People respected them very much. People also respected their relatives, Elihu and Semakiah.
8 There were 62 descendants of Obed-Edom. People respected them, as well as their sons and their relatives. They could all do their work well.
9 Meshelemiah had 18 sons and relatives. People respected them as men who could work well.
10 From Merari's descendants there was Hosah. He had four sons: Shimri was his firstborn son. His father chose him to be the leader among his sons, but he was not the oldest of them. 11 Hilkiah was Hosah's second son, Tebaliah was his third son and Zechariah was his fourth son. 13 men from among Hosah's sons and relatives worked as guards for the temple.
12 Each group of guards had a leader. Like the other Levites, each group had a job to do as they served the Lord in his temple. 13 They used lots to decide which family group would be the guards for each gate of the temple. They chose the jobs for everyone in the same way, important people and ordinary people.
14 They chose Shelemiah's group to be guards for the East gate. They chose his son Zechariah's group for the North gate. Zechariah was a wise man who gave good advice. 15 They chose Obed-Edom's group to be guards at the South gate. They chose his sons to be guards for the rooms where they kept valuable things. 16 They chose Shuppim's group and Hosah's group to be guards at the West gate, as well as the Shalleketh Gate on the higher road.
They chose the times for each group of guards to work each day. 17 Six Levites watched the east side of the temple. Four men watched the north side and four men watched the south side. Two guards worked together at each room where they kept valuable things. 18 There were four guards on the road near the yard at the west side of the temple. And there were two guards in the yard.
19 That was the work of the different groups of guards who were descendants of Korah and Merari.
Other work for the Levites
20 Other Levites kept the valuable things in the temple safe. That included the money and the gifts that people had offered to God.
21 One group of these men were descendants of Ladan, who belonged to Gershon's clan. These were the leaders of those families: Jehieli, 22 and his sons, Zetham and Joel (his younger brother). They had authority for the rooms where they kept the money and other valuable things in the Lord's temple.
23 The other guards for those rooms were descendants of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 24 Shebuel was a descendant of Moses' son Gershom. He was the leader with authority to keep the money safe. 25 His relatives were descendants of Gershom's brother Eliezer. They were: Eliezer's son Rehabiah, Rebaiah's son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah's son Joram, Joram's son Zikri, and Zikri's son Shelomoth. 26 Shelomoth and his relatives had authority for all the holy things that people had offered as gifts to God. King David, the leaders of clans and army officers had given those things to God. 27 When the Israelites won battles, they took valuable things from their enemies. They brought some of those things to the Lord's temple to make it strong. 28 There were also gifts that Samuel the prophet, Kish's son Saul, Ner's son Abner and Zeruiah's son Joab had offered to the Lord. Shelomoth and his relatives had authority to keep safe everything that had been offered to the Lord.
29 There were also descendants of Izhar: Kenaniah and his sons did not work in the temple. Instead they served as judges and officers in different places in Israel.
30 There were descendants of Hebron: Hashabiah and his relatives served as officers on the west side of the Jordan River. There were 1,700 of those men who could work well. They had authority for the work the people did to serve the Lord and the king. 31 Jeriah was the leader among Hebron's descendants. The records of their ancestors showed that this was true. When David had been king for 40 years, people read those records carefully. They realized that there were descendants of Hebron who were living at Jazer in Gilead region, and people respected them very much. 32 There were 2,700 men from Jeriah's clan who were good leaders in their families. King David chose them to be officers with authority for the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh.[b] They had authority for all the work that people did to serve the Lord and the king.
The leaders of Israel's army
27 This is a list of the men from Israel's families who served as soldiers in the army. Some were leaders of their families. Some were officers who led 1,000 soldiers or officers who led 100 soldiers. Other men were officers who served the king in different ways. Each month of the year, a group of 24,000 men served the king as soldiers.
2 Zabdiel's son Jashobeam was the leader of the first group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the first month of each year. 3 Jashobeam was a descendant of Perez. He was leader of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai was the leader of the second group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the second month. Dodai belonged to Ahoah's clan. Mikloth was the leader who helped him.
5 Benaiah was the leader of the third group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the third month. Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the priest. 6 Benaiah was the leader of the 30 great soldiers and his whole group. His son was Ammizabad.
7 Asahel was the leader of the fourth group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the fourth month. Asahel was Joab's brother. His son Zebadiah was the leader of the group after him.
8 Shamhuth, from Izrah's clan, was the leader of the fifth group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the fifth month.
9 Ira was the leader of the sixth group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the sixth month. Ira was the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa.
10 Helez was the leader of the seventh group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the seventh month. He belonged to Pelon's clan, in the tribe of Ephraim.
11 Sibbecai was the leader of the eighth group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the eighth month. Sibbecai was a descendant of Zerah, who came from Hushah.
12 Abiezer was the leader of the ninth group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the ninth month. Abiezer came from Anathoth, in the tribe of Benjamin.
13 Maharai was the leader of the tenth group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the tenth month. Maharai was a descendant of Zerah, who came from Netophah.
14 Benaiah was the leader of the 11th group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the 11th month. Benaiah came from Pirathon, in the tribe of Ephraim.
15 Heldai was the leader of the 12th group of 24,000 soldiers. They worked in the 12th month. He was a descendant of Othniel, who came from Netophah.
Officers with authority over Israel's tribes
16 This is a list of the officers who had authority over Israel's tribes:
For Reuben: Zikri's son, Eliezer.
For Simeon: Maakah's son, Shephatiah.
17 For Levi: Kemuel's son, Hashabiah. Zadok had authority over the descendants of Aaron.[c]
18 For Judah: Elihu, a brother of David.
For Issachar: Michael's son, Omri.
19 For Zebulun: Obadiah's son, Ishmaiah.
For Naphtali: Azriel's son, Jerimoth.
20 For Ephraim Hoshea's son, Azaziah.
For the half tribe of Manasseh in the west: Pedaiah's son, Joel.
21 For the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Zechariah's son, Iddo.
For Benjamin: Abner's son, Jaasiel.
22 For Dan: Jeroham's son, Azarel.
Those were the officers who led the tribes of Israel.
23 The Lord had promised to make Israel a nation with as many people as there are stars in the sky. So King David did not count the men who were less than 20 years old. 24 Zeruiah's son Joab had begun to count the men. He did not finish counting them because the Lord started to punish Israel. So nobody wrote the number in the history book about King David's life.
Other officers who served the king
25 Adiel's son Azmaveth had authority over the places in the palace where the king stored his valuable things.
Uzziah's son Jonathan had authority over the places in the different regions of Israel where the king stored his things. Those places were in towns, in villages and in strong towers.
26 Kelub's son Ezri had authority over the men who worked in the king's fields.
27 Shimei from Ramah had authority over the men who worked in the king's vineyards.
Zabdi from Shepham had authority over the men who stored wine in the vineyards.
28 Baal-Hanan from Geder had authority over the trees in the low hills in the west. They were olive trees and fig trees.
Joash had authority over the places where they stored the olive oil.
29 Shitrai from Sharon had authority to take care of the king's cows that were in Sharon.
Adlai's son Shaphat had authority to take care of the king's cows that were in the valleys.
30 Obil, a descendant of Ishmael, had authority for the king's camels.
Jehdeiah from Meronoth had authority for the donkeys.
31 Jaziz, a descendant of Hagar, had authority to take care of the king's sheep and goats.
These were the officers who had authority to take care of King David's things.
32 David's uncle, Jonathan, was a wise man who gave good advice. He wrote down records.
Hakmoni's son Jehiel taught the king's sons.
33 Ahithophel was the king's advisor, and Hushai, from Arki, was also the king's friend. 34 After Ahithophel died, Benaiah's son Jehoiada became the king's advisor. After him, Abiathar became his advisor.
Joab was the captain who led the king's army.
David brings all his officers together[d]
28 David told all Israel's officers to come and meet with him in Jerusalem. They included:
The officers who had authority over Israel's tribes.
The leaders of the army groups that served the king.
The army officers who led groups of 1,000 soldiers or 100 soldiers.
The officers who had authority for the king's valuable things and animals.
The officers who had authority for the animals and things that belonged to the king's sons.
The officers in the king's palace.
The brave army officers and soldiers.
2 King David stood up and he said, ‘Listen to me, my people. I wanted to build a house where we could put the Lord's Covenant Box. It would be like a place for our God to rest his feet. I prepared the things that I would need to build a temple. 3 But God said to me, “You are a fighter and you have killed many people in war. So you must not build a house to give honour to my name.”
4 But it was the Lord, Israel's God, who chose me to become Israel's king. He chose my family to rule Israel for all time. First, he chose the tribe of Judah to be the leader of Israel's people. Then he chose my father's family from among the clans of Judah. Finally, he chose me from among my father's sons. He made me king to rule over all Israel. 5 The Lord has given me many sons. Now he has chosen my son Solomon from among them to rule over his kingdom, Israel. 6 The Lord said to me, “Your son Solomon will build my temple and the yards around it. I have chosen him to become my son. And I will become his father. 7 He must always continue to obey my commands and my laws, as he now does. If he is careful to do that, I will make his kingdom strong for all time.”
8 I am telling you this now, while we meet together as the Lord's people. All Israel's people, as well as our God, know what I have said. You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God. Then this good land will continue to be your home. And after you die it will belong to your descendants for ever.
9 As for you, Solomon, my son, keep near to your father's God. Be happy to serve him faithfully in every way. The Lord knows what you are thinking. He understands all your thoughts. If you turn to him, you will find him. But if you turn away from him, he will leave you alone for ever. 10 You must realize that the Lord has chosen you to build a temple to be his special home. Now you must be strong! Do this work.’
Solomon learns how to build the temple
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the temple buildings. That included the entrance room, the rooms to store things, the upstairs rooms and the inside rooms. And it included the Most Holy Place where the Covenant Box would be. 12 David showed Solomon the ideas that God had put in his mind. He gave him the plans for the yards around the Lord's temple and the rooms around the yards. There were also plans of the rooms to store the valuable things and the gifts that people had offered to God.
13 David gave Solomon the rules for the work of the priests and Levites. He gave him a list of the different kinds of work that each group must do in the Lord's temple. He also gave him a list of the special things that were used to serve the Lord in the temple.
14 He told Solomon the weight of gold and the weight of silver that he must use to make some of those special things. 15 That included the weight of gold for the lampstands and for their lamps. It also included the weight of silver for the silver lampstands and for their lamps. Each lampstand was different because they would use it for a different purpose. 16 It included the weight of gold to make the special table where the priests would put the special bread. And it included the weight of silver to make the silver tables. 17 It also included the weight of pure gold to make the forks, dishes, cups and small bowls. Each gold bowl had its own weight. There was also the weight of silver for each of the silver bowls. 18 And there was the weight of pure gold for the altar to burn incense.
David also gave Solomon the plan for the gold images of cherubs for the Lord's Covenant Box. They would have wings that touched each other above the lid of the Covenant Box. They would be like a chariot for the Lord.
19 David said, ‘I have written down everything about these things, as the Lord told me to do. He helped me to understand how these plans would work.’
20 David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and brave to do this work. The Lord God, my God, is with you to help you. He will not leave you alone. So do not be afraid. He will stay with you until you have finished all the work to build his temple.
21 Look! Here are the groups of priests and Levites who are ready to serve the Lord in the temple. The men with special skills are ready to help you with the work. The officers and all the people are ready to do what you tell them to do.’
Gifts to help build the temple
29 Then King David spoke to all the people who were meeting together. He said, ‘God has clearly chosen my son Solomon to do this great work. But he is still young and he has no special skills. It is a very important work for him to build the temple. It will not be a palace for people, but for the Lord God himself! 2 I have tried to provide the things that he will need to build the temple for my God. They include gold, silver, bronze, iron and wood to make things. I have also given many valuable stones, including onyx, antimony and other jewels, as well as a lot of marble.[e] 3 I want very much to build a beautiful temple for my God. So I have added my own gold and silver to help to build it. I have added that to the other things that I have provided for God's holy temple. 4 I have given 110 tons of the best gold and 260 tons of pure silver to cover the walls of the buildings. 5 Workers with special skills can also use that gold and silver to make beautiful things. So now, who else will make a gift today to serve the Lord?’
6 Then the Israelite leaders and officers agreed to offer gifts to help the Lord's work. They included the leaders of clans and the leaders of Israel's tribes, the army officers who led 1,000 men and who led 100 men, and the officers with authority for the king's work. 7 They gave these gifts for God's temple:
190 tons of gold.
10,000 gold coins.
380 tons of silver.
675 tons of bronze.
3,750 tons of iron.
8 People who had valuable stones gave them for the Lord's house. Jehiel from Gershon's clan stored them in a safe place. 9 The people were very happy that their leaders gave these things. They were pleased to give to help the Lord's work. King David was also very happy.
David praises the Lord
10 David praised the Lord in front of all the people who had met together. He said,
‘We praise you Lord,
the God of our ancestor, Israel.[f]
You deserve that people praise you for ever!
11 Lord, you are great, powerful and beautiful!
You rule as king over everything in heaven and on earth.
Yes, Lord, everything belongs in your kingdom!
12 You are the one who gives people riches and honour.
You rule over everything.
You have great strength and power,
so you are able to make people strong and famous.
13 So we thank you, our God.
We praise your great name!
14 But I and my people are like nothing. How are we able to give all these gifts to help your work? Everything that we have comes from you. So we are giving back to you things that already belong to you. 15 We are like strangers and foreign people who live in your world. Our ancestors also lived in that way. We live here only for a short time and then we disappear, like a shadow. We know that we will die one day. 16 Lord, our God, we have given these things to build a temple for you, to give honour to your holy name. But all these valuable things come from you. They already belong to you. 17 My God, I know that you look carefully at our thoughts. You are pleased when we want to do things that are right. And I really do want to offer all these things to you. I know that your people who have met together here are happy. I can see that they are pleased to give these things to you. 18 Lord, you are the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Please help us, your people, to continue to obey you. Help us to serve you faithfully. 19 Please help my son Solomon to want to obey you. Help him to obey all your commands, rules and laws. Help him to work well to build your temple. I have prepared the things that he will need to do that.’
20 Then David spoke to all the people who were meeting there together. He told them, ‘Now praise the Lord, your God!’ So all the people praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors. They bent down low to worship the Lord. They gave honour to the Lord and also to the king.
Solomon becomes king
21 On the next day, they offered sacrifices to the Lord. They made burnt offerings of 1,000 bulls, 1,000 male sheep and 1,000 lambs. They made the proper drink offerings with those sacrifices. They also offered many other sacrifices on behalf of all the Israelites.
22 They ate a big feast to give honour to the Lord and they were very happy.
Then they anointed David's son Solomon to be the next king, with the Lord's blessing. That was the second time that they had chosen him as their king.[g] They also anointed Zadok to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat on the Lord's throne as king, in his father David's place. Everything went well for him as king. All the people in Israel obeyed him. 24 All King David's officers, his brave soldiers and all of his sons promised to serve King Solomon faithfully.
25 The Lord caused all the people in Israel to respect Solomon as a great king. They gave him much honour, more than any king that had ruled Israel before him.
David dies
26 Jesse's son David had ruled over all Israel as king. 27 He had ruled Israel for 40 years. He ruled for seven years in Hebron. Then he ruled for 33 years in Jerusalem. 28 He was an old man when he died. During his long life, God gave him riches as well as honour. Then David's son Solomon became king instead of him.
29 The prophets Samuel, Nathan and Gad wrote history books about all the things that King David did. They wrote down everything that he did as king, from the beginning to the end. 30 The books tell us how he ruled with great power. They tell us about the things that happened to him. They also tell us about the things that happened in Israel and in the other kingdoms in that region.
A song to sing as we climb.
Solomon wrote this song.
Every good thing comes from God[a]
127 The Lord must build your house.
If not, the work of the builders is useless.
The Lord must keep the city safe.
If not, the city guards are useless.
2 It will not help you to work all day for food, and never stop.
God gives food to the people that he loves.
Even while they sleep, God takes care of them.
3 Children are a gift from the Lord.
He blesses us with descendants.
4 If you have sons while you are a young man,
they are like a soldier's arrows.
5 If a man has many sons,
God has blessed him.[b]
When his enemies speak against him at the city gate,
they will not win.[c]
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.