Offerings for the Temple
29 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is pyoung and inexperienced, and the work is great, for qthe palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. 2 So I 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 ronyx 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 s3,000 talents1 of gold, of the gold of tOphir, 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 uthe leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and vthe officers over the king’s work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 wdarics4 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 xJehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a ywhole 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: z“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 aYours, 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 bBoth riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. cIn 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 who 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 dFor we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are elike 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 for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, fthat you test the heart and ghave 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, the 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 hGrant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may ibuild the palace jfor which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, k“Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, land bowed 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 mdrink 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 nthe second time, and they oanointed him as prince for the Lord, and pZadok as priest.
23 qThen Solomon sat on the rthrone 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 mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 And the Lord made Solomon very sgreat in the sight of all Israel and tbestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
The Death of David
26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The utime that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 Then he died vat a good age, wfull of days, riches, 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 xof Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of yNathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of zGad the seer, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances athat 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 established himself in his kingdom, band the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.
2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the ccommanders 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 dthe high place that was at Gibeon, efor fthe tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there. 4 g(But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) 5 Moreover, hthe bronze altar that iBezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly jsought it1 out. 6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, kand offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
Solomon Prays for Wisdom
7 lIn that night God 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, mand have made me king in his place. 9 O Lord God, nlet your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous oas the dust of the earth. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to pgo 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 qpossessions, 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 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you qriches, possessions, and honor, rsuch as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from2 the shigh place at Gibeon, from before tthe tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.
Solomon Given Wealth
14 uSolomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. vHe had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed win the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 16 And Solomon’s import of horses 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 xNow Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. 1 2 yAnd Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and z3,600 to oversee them. 3 aAnd Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: b“As you dealt with David my father and sent 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 cincense of sweet spices before him, and for dthe regular arrangement of the showbread, and for eburnt offerings morning and evening, fon the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. 5 The house that I am to build will be great, gfor our God is greater than all gods. 6 hBut who is able to build him a house, since hheaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 7 So now isend me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, jwhom David my father provided. 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that kyour 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 lI 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, m“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, nwho made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, owho will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.
13 “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, 14 pthe son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is qtrained 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, rof which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. 16 sAnd we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to tJoppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”
17 Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, uafter the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 18 vSeventy 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 wThen Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem xon Mount Moriah, where the Lord1 had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, yon the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Solomon’s zmeasurements2 for building the house of God: athe 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 twenty 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 bThe nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold cand 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—cand he carved cherubim on the walls.
8 dAnd he made the Most Holy Place. Its 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 ethe upper chambers with gold.
10 fIn the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim 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, touched 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 extended twenty cubits. The cherubim9 stood on their feet, gfacing the nave. 14 hAnd he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.
15 iIn front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains 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 jHe 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 He made kan altar of bronze, twenty cubits1 long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2 lThen he made the sea 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. mIt held 3,000 baths.4 6 nHe also made ten basins 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 oas prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. 8 pHe also made ten tables 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 qthe court of the priests rand the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 sAnd he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.
11 tuHiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. uSo Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: 12 the two pillars, vthe 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 wand 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 nHe 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, xthe forks, and all the equipment for these tyHuram-abi made of burnished bronze 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 zSolomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought.
19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, athe tables for the bread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold bto burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; 22 the snuffers, basins, 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.
