First Book of Chronicles 28

¹ David held a meeting in Jerusalem of all the officials of Israel, the commissioners for the tribes, and the officials of the orders in the royal service, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the bailiffs for all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the eunuchs and champions and all the stout fighting men.

² Then King David rose to his feet and said: ‘My brothers and my people, listen to me. I had set my heart on building a settled home for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, as a footstool for our God. I have made preparations for building,

³ but God has said to me, “You are not to build a house for my name, for you have been a man of war and have shed blood”.

⁴ ‘Of all my father’s House it was I whom Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose to be king over Israel for ever. He chose Judah for leader, my family within the House of Judah, and of my father’s sons myself, in his good pleasure, he gave to all Israel as king.

⁵ Of all my sons – and many sons Yahweh has granted me – he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the sovereign throne of Yahweh over Israel.

⁶ He said to me, “Solomon your son is the man to build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be a son to me and I will be a father to him.

⁷ I will make his sovereignty secure for ever if he sturdily maintains my commandments and my ordinances, as they are now.”

⁸ ‘So now in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of Yahweh, and in the hearing of our God, observe and make sure you understand all the commandments of Yahweh your God, so that you may possess this prosperous land and leave it to your children after you as an inheritance for ever.

⁹ ‘And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind; for Yahweh searches every heart, and knows every plan it devises. If you seek him, he will let you find him; once forsake him, and he casts you off for ever.

¹⁰ Think at this moment how Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for his sanctuary. Be strong and set to work.’

¹¹ David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, the buildings, the treasuries, the upper rooms, the inner apartments and the room for the throne of mercy;

¹² he also gave him a description of all he had in mind for the courts of the Temple of Yahweh, all the surrounding apartments, the treasuries of the Temple of God and the treasuries of votive offerings;

¹³ also of the orders of priests and Levites, the liturgical duties in the Temple of Yahweh,

¹⁴ the gold bullion, gold for every article for whatever function, the silver bullion for all the silver articles, for every article for whatever function,

¹⁵ the bullion for the golden lamp-stands and their lamps, the gold bullion for each lamp-stand and its lamps, the bullion for the silver lamp-stands, for the lamp-stand and its lamps according to the requirements for each lamp-stand,

¹⁶ gold bullion for the tables on which the rows of bread were set, for each of these tables, the silver for the silver tables,

¹⁷ the forks, the sprinkling bowls, basins of pure gold, the gold bullion for the bowls, for each of the bowls,

¹⁸ the bullion of refined gold for the altar of incense. He gave him the plans for the chariot,[*a] for the golden cherubs with wings outspread covering the ark of the covenant of Yahweh –

¹⁹ all this in accordance with what Yahweh with his hand had written in order to make the whole work clear for which he was providing the plans.

²⁰ Then David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong, stand firm; be fearless, be dauntless and set to work, because Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you before you have finished all the work to be done for the house of Yahweh.

²¹ Here are the orders of priests and Levites for all the duties of the house of God; every willing man of any aptitude will help you in all this work; the officials and all the people are entirely at your command.’