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Gifts for Building the Temple

29 King David said to ·all the Israelites who were gathered [the entire assembly], “God chose my son Solomon, who is young and ·hasn’t yet learned what he needs to know [inexperienced], ·but [and] the ·work is important [task is great/huge]. This ·palace [temple] is not for ·people [mortals]; it is for the Lord God. I have ·done my best [made every effort; L according to all my strength] to prepare for building the ·Temple [L house] of my God. I have given gold for the things made of gold and silver for the things made of silver. I have given bronze for the things made of bronze and iron for the things made of iron. I have given wood for the things made of wood and onyx for the settings. I have given turquoise gems of many different colors, ·valuable [precious] stones, and ·white marble [alabaster]. I have given all these things in ·abundance [great quantities]. I have already given this for the ·Temple [L house], but because of my ·devotion to [commitment to; delight in] the ·Temple [L house] of my God, I am also giving my own treasures of gold and silver. I am giving ·about two hundred twenty thousand pounds [L three thousand talents] of gold from Ophir and ·about five hundred twenty thousand pounds [L seven thousand talents] of ·pure [refined] silver. They will be used to ·cover [overlay] the walls of the buildings and for all the gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is ·ready [willing] to ·give himself [consecrate/devote yourself] to the service of the Lord today [C by also making an offering]?”

The ·family [clan] leaders and the ·leaders [chiefs; heads] of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, and the ·leaders [officials; overseers] ·responsible for [in charge of] the king’s work gave willingly. They donated ·about three hundred eighty thousand pounds [L five thousand talents] of gold, ·about seven hundred fifty thousand pounds [L ten thousand darics] of silver, ·about one million three hundred fifty thousand pounds [L eighteen thousand talents] of bronze, and ·about seven million five hundred thousand pounds [L one hundred thousand talents] of iron to the ·Temple [L house] of God. People who had ·valuable gems [precious stones] gave them to the treasury of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, under the care of Jehiel, from the Gershon ·family [clan]. The leaders gave ·willingly and completely [freely and wholeheartedly] to the Lord. The people rejoiced to see their leaders give so gladly, and King David was also ·very happy [filled with joy].

David’s Prayer

10 David ·praised [blessed] the Lord in ·front [the presence] of all the ·people who were gathered [assembly]. He said:

“We ·praise [bless] you, Lord,
    God of our father Israel,
    forever and ever.
11 Lord, ·you are great and powerful [yours is the greatness and power].
    You have glory, victory, and ·honor [majesty; splendor].
    Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you.
·The kingdom [Sovereignty; Dominion] belongs to you, Lord;
    you are ·the ruler [head; exalted] over everything.
12 ·Riches [Wealth] and honor come from you.
    You rule everything.
·You have the [L In your hand is] power and ·strength [might]
    to make ·anyone [everyone] great and strong.
13 Now, our God, we thank you
    and praise your glorious name.

14 “·These things did not really come from me and my people. [L But who am I and who are my people that we have this much to give?]
    Everything comes from you;
    we have given you back what ·you [L your hand] gave us.
15 We are like ·foreigners [aliens; T sojourners] and ·strangers [transients; nomads],
    as our ·ancestors [fathers] were.
Our ·time [L days] on earth is like a shadow.
    There is no ·hope [or security].
16 Lord our God, we have gathered all this abundance
    to build your ·Temple [L house] for ·worship to you [L your holy name/Name].
But everything has come from ·you [L your hand];
    everything belongs to you.
17 I know, my God, that you ·test [examine; search] people’s hearts.
    You ·are happy when people do what is right [L delight/rejoice in integrity/T uprightness].
I ·was happy to [willingly; freely] give all these things,
    and I gave with ·an honest heart [pure motives].
Your people gathered here ·are happy to [willingly] give to you,
    and I rejoice to see their giving.
18 Lord, you are the God of our ·ancestors [fathers],
    the God of Abraham, Isaac, and ·Jacob [Israel].
·Make your people want to serve you always [Keep these motives always in their heart],
    and ·make them want to obey you [direct their heart toward you].
19 Give my son Solomon a ·desire to serve you [perfect heart; undivided mind; L whole heart].
    Help him always obey your commands, laws, and rules.
Help him build ·the Temple [this temple/palace]
    for which I have ·prepared [provided].”

20 Then David said to all the ·people who were gathered [assembly], “·Praise [Bless] the Lord your God.” So they all ·praised [blessed] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], and they bowed to the ground ·to give honor to [and prostrated themselves before] the Lord and the king.

Solomon Becomes King(A)

21 The next day the people sacrificed to the Lord. They offered burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to him of a thousand bulls, a thousand ·male sheep [rams], and a thousand male lambs. They also brought ·drink offerings [libations]. Many sacrifices were made for all the people of Israel. 22 That day the people ·ate and drank [feasted] with much joy, ·and the Lord was with them [L before the Lord].

And they ·made [designated; acknowledged] David’s son Solomon king for the second time. They ·poured olive oil on Solomon to appoint [anointed] him king ·in the presence of [before] the Lord. And they ·poured oil on Zadok to appoint him [anointed Zadok] as priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king and took his father David’s place. Solomon ·was very successful [prospered], and all the people of Israel obeyed him. 24 All the ·leaders [officials; chiefs] and ·soldiers [mighty warriors] and King David’s sons ·accepted Solomon as king and promised to obey him [pledged their allegiance to King Solomon]. 25 The Lord ·made Solomon great before [exalted Solomon in the sight of] all the Israelites and gave him greater royal ·splendor [majesty] than any king before him in Israel.

David’s Death

26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 He had ·ruled [reigned] over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 David died when he was old. He had lived a good, long life ·and had received many [full of] riches and honors. His son Solomon ·became king after him [reigned in his place].

29 ·Everything David did as king [The acts/events of King David], from ·beginning to end [first to last], is ·recorded [written] in the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Samuel the ·seer [prophet], the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Nathan the prophet, and the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Gad the ·seer [prophet]. 30 Those writings tell what David did ·as king of Israel [during his reign]. They tell about his power and what happened to him and to Israel and to all the kingdoms ·around them [of the earth/land].

Gifts for Building the Temple

29 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced.(A) The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold(B) for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a](C) stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.(D) Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided(E) for this holy temple: three thousand talents[b] of gold (gold of Ophir)(F) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver,(G) for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”

Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials(H) in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.(I) They(J) gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. Anyone who had precious stones(K) gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.(L) The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly(M) to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, Lord,
    the God of our father Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power(N)
    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.(O)
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
    you are exalted as head over all.(P)
12 Wealth and honor(Q) come from you;
    you are the ruler(R) of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?(S) Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.(T) 15 We are foreigners and strangers(U) in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow,(V) without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart(W) and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.(X) 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion(Y) to keep your commands, statutes and decrees(Z) and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”(AA)

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Acknowledged as King(AB)

21 The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him:(AC) a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.(AD) 22 They ate and drank with great joy(AE) in the presence of the Lord that day.

Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok(AF) to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat(AG) on the throne(AH) of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons,(AI) pledged their submission to King Solomon.

25 The Lord highly exalted(AJ) Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor(AK) such as no king over Israel ever had before.(AL)

The Death of David(AM)

26 David son of Jesse was king(AN) over all Israel.(AO) 27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron(AP) and thirty-three in Jerusalem.(AQ) 28 He died(AR) at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.(AS)

29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer,(AT) the records of Nathan(AU) the prophet and the records of Gad(AV) the seer, 30 together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 29:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 110 tons or about 100 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 260 tons or about 235 metric tons
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 190 tons or about 170 metric tons
  5. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 185 pounds or about 84 kilograms
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 380 tons or about 340 metric tons
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 675 tons or about 610 metric tons
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 3,800 tons or about 3,400 metric tons