Offerings for the Temple
29 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, vwhom alone God has chosen, wis young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. 2 So xI have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. 3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 4 y3,000 talents1 of gold, of the gold of zOphir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,2 5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself3 today to the Lord?”
6 Then the aleaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics4 of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
David Prays in the Assembly
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both briches and honor come from you, and cyou rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
14 “But dwho am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For ewe are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are flike a shadow, and there is no abiding.5 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house gfor your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that hyou test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, ithe God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 jGrant to Solomon my son a kwhole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and lbowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king. 21 And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness.
Solomon Anointed King
And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they manointed him as nprince for the Lord, and oZadok as priest.
23 Then Solomon psat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the qmighty men, and also all the rsons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 And the Lord made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty sas had not been on any king before him in Israel.
The Death of David
26 tThus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned useven years vin Hebron and thirty-three years win Jerusalem. 28 Then he died xat a good age, yfull of days, zriches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of aSamuel the bseer, and in the Chronicles of cNathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of dGad the seer, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.
2 Chronicles
Solomon Worships at Gibeon
1 aSolomon the son of David bestablished himself in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was cwith him and made him dexceedingly great.
2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. 3 And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at eGibeon, ffor the tent of meeting of God, gwhich Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there. 4 (But hDavid had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the iplace that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) 5 Moreover, the jbronze altar that kBezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, lhad made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly sought it1 out. 6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered ma thousand burnt offerings on it.
Solomon Prays for Wisdom
7 nIn that night oGod appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” 8 And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king pin his place. 9 O Lord God, qlet your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people ras numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 sGive me now wisdom and knowledge to tgo out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” 11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 uwisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, vsuch as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from2 the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.
Solomon Given Wealth
14 wSolomon gathered together xchariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 And the king made ysilver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the zsycamore of the Shephelah. 16 And Solomon’s import of ahorses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders would buy them from Kue for a price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels3 of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
Preparing to Build the Temple
2 bNow Solomon purposed to build a temple cfor the name of the Lord, and a droyal palace for himself. 1 2 And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them. 3 And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and esent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of fincense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the gshowbread, and for burnt offerings hmorning and evening, ion the Sabbaths and the jnew moons and the kappointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. 5 lThe house that I am to build will be great, for our God is mgreater than all gods. 6 But nwho is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? oWho am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 7 So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in ppurple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, qwhom David my father provided. 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, 9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. 10 I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors2 of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths3 of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”
11 Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord rloves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.
13 “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, sHuram-abi, 14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. 15 Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. 16 And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”
17 tThen Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 18 Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.
Solomon Builds the Temple
3 uThen Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount vMoriah, where the Lord1 had appeared to David his father, wat the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of xOrnan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Solomon’s measurements2 for building the house of God: the length, in cubits3 of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was ytwenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house,4 and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. 5 The nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold and made palms and chains on it. 6 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. 7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls.
8 And he made the zMost Holy Place. aIts length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents5 of fine gold. 9 The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels.6 And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10 In the Most Holy Place he made two bcherubim of wood7 and overlaid8 them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, ctouched the wing of the other cherub; 12 and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim dextended twenty cubits. The cherubim9 stood on their feet, facing the nave. 14 And he made the eveil of fblue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.
15 In front of the house he made two gpillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made hchains like a necklace10 and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 iHe set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.
The Temple’s Furnishings
4 jHe made an kaltar of bronze, twenty cubits1 long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2 Then he made the lsea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3 Under it were figures of gourds,2 for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 4 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 5 Its thickness was a handbreadth.3 And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths.4 6 He also made ten mbasins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 And he made ten golden lampstands nas prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. 8 He also made ten otables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. 9 He made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.
11 Hiram also made the ppots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: 12 the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 13 and the 400 pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars. 14 He made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, 15 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. 16 The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the equipment for these qHuram-abi made of burnished rbronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord. 17 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.5 18 Solomon made all these things in great quantities, for sthe weight of the bronze was not sought.
19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the tgolden altar, the utables for the vbread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, was prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; 22 the snuffers, xbasins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets6 of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.
