David Prepares for Temple Building

2 David commanded to gather together the tresident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he uset stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, vas well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, 4 and cedar timbers without number, wfor the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. 5 For David said, x“Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

Solomon Charged to Build the Temple

6 Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, yI had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, z‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. aI will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. bFor his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 cHe shall build a house for my name. dHe shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

11 “Now, my son, ethe Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 fOnly, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 gThen you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. hBe strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. 14 With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord i100,000 talents1 of gold, a million talents of silver, and jbronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. 15 You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working 16 gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and work! kThe Lord be with you!”

17 David also commanded lall the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? And mhas he not given you peace2 on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people. 19 Now nset your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, oso that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built pfor the name of the Lord.”

David Organizes the Levites

23 qWhen David was old and full of days, rhe made Solomon his son king over Israel.

2 David1 assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites, sthirty years old and upward, were numbered, and tthe total was u38,000 men. 4 “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,2 v“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be wofficers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments xthat I have made for praise.” 6 yAnd David organized them in divisions zcorresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 aThe sons of Gershon3 were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: bJehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, therefore they became counted as a single father’s house.

12 cThe sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 dThe sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. eAaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should fmake offerings before the Lord and gminister to him and hpronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 But the sons of Moses the iman of God were named among the jtribe of Levi. 15 The ksons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The sons of Gershom: lShebuel the chief. 17 The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The msons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 nThe sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.

21 oThe sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and pKish. 22 Eleazar died qhaving no sons, but only daughters; their rkinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 sThe sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

24 tThese were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses uas they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from vtwenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, whas given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need xto carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from vtwenty years old and upward. 28 For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 Their duty was also to assist with the yshowbread, the zflour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the abaked offering, the boffering mixed with oil, and all cmeasures of quantity or size. 30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord don Sabbaths, enew moons, and feast days, faccording to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 Thus gthey were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the hservice of the house of the Lord.