22 David said, “The ·Temple [^Lhouse] 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

² 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 [^Lhouse] of God. ³ 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, ⁴ 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.

⁵ David said, “We should build a ·great [exceedingly magnificent] ·Temple [^Lhouse] for the Lord, which will be famous everywhere for its ·greatness and beauty [splendor; gloriousness]. But my son Solomon is young and ·inexperienced [^Ltender], so I will make preparations for it.” So David got many of the materials ready before he died.

⁶ Then David called for his son Solomon and ·told [commanded; charged] him to build the ·Temple [^Lhouse] for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ David said to him, “My son, I ·wanted [intended; planned; ^Lhad my heart set] to build a ·temple [^Lhouse] ·for worshiping [^Lto the name of] the Lord my God. ⁸ 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 [^Lhouse] ·for worship to me [to my name], because you have ·killed many people [shed so much blood on the earth in my sight; ^Che completed the conquest of Canaan]. ⁹ But, you will have a son, a man of ·peace [^Lrest]. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon [^Ca name derived from shalom, “peace”], and I will give Israel peace and quiet ·while he is king [^Lin his days]. ¹⁰ Solomon will build a ·temple [^Lhouse] 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 [^Lhouse] 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 [^Lhouse] of the Lord. I have supplied ·about seven and one-half million pounds [^Lone hundred thousand talents] of gold, ·about seventy-five million pounds [^Lone 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 [^Lhouse] ·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 [^Lhouse].”