1 Chronicles 28–29

28TH CHAPTER

David’s Public Assembly at Jerusalem

¹David held a meeting in Jerusalem for all the leaders of Israel—the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the army units that served the king, the commanders of regiments and battalions, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, the palace officials, the soldiers, and the fighting men. 

²David stood in front of them and said, “Listen to me, my relatives and subjects. I had my heart set on building the temple where the ark of the Lord’s promise could be placed. This temple would be a stool for our God’s feet, and I have made preparations to build it. ³But God told me, ‘You must not build the temple for my name. You have fought wars and caused bloodshed.’ ⁴Yet, from my entire family the Lord God of Israel chose me to be king of Israel permanently. He had chosen the tribe of Judah to lead ⸤Israel⸥. From the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. From among my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king of all Israel. ⁵And of all my sons (the Lord has given me many sons) he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom to rule Israel. 

⁶“He told me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my temple and my courtyards because I have chosen him to be my son. I will be his father. ⁷I will establish his kingdom forever if he will remain determined to obey my commands and laws, as he is doing today.’ ⁸Now, ⸤leaders, I order you⸥ in the sight of Israel (the Lord’s congregation) and as our God listens to dedicate your lives to doing everything the Lord your God has commanded. Then you will be able to possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants. 

⁹“And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⸤we have⸥. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. ¹⁰So be careful, because the Lord has chosen you to build the temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.” 

¹¹Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the temple, its storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy. ¹²He gave him plans for the courtyards of the Lord’s temple and for all the rooms around it. (These rooms served as treasuries for God’s temple and the gifts dedicated to God.) ¹³He determined the divisions of priests and Levites. He planned all the work done for worship in the Lord’s temple. He designed all the utensils for worship in the Lord’s temple. ¹⁴⸤David specified⸥ the weight of gold to be used for each of the utensils for worship, ¹⁵the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps (⸤that is,⸥ the weight of gold for each lamp stand and its lamps), the weight of silver for each silver lamp stand and its lamps (according to the use of each lamp stand for worship), ¹⁶the weight of gold for each table with the rows of bread, and the silver for the silver tables, ¹⁷the pure gold for the forks, bowls, and pitchers, the weight of each gold bowl, the weight of each silver bowl, ¹⁸and the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot, that is, the gold angels^awith their wings spread to cover the ark of the Lord’s promise. ¹⁹⸤David said,⸥ “All this was written for me by the Lord’s hand. He made all the details of the plan clear to me.” 

²⁰David also told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on the Lord’s temple is finished. ²¹Here are also the divisions of the priests and Levites for every type of worship in God’s temple. You have with you every skilled worker to do all the work. In addition, all the leaders and people are at your command.” 

29TH CHAPTER

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. Yet, the work is important because this palace is not for a person but for the Lord God. ²With all my might I gathered ⸤the materials⸥ for the temple of my God: gold for gold objects, silver for silver objects, bronze for bronze objects, iron for iron objects, wood for wooden objects, onyx stones and settings, black stones, stones of different colors, gems, and marble. ³Moreover, I delight in the temple of my God. I have a personal treasury of gold and silver that I’m giving to my God’s temple in addition to everything else I gathered for the holy temple. ⁴There are 225,000 pounds of gold from Ophir and 525,000 pounds of refined silver. They are to be used to cover the walls of the buildings, ⁵to make gold objects, silver objects, and everything else the craftsmen will make. Who else is willing to make an offering and dedicate himself to the Lord today?” 

⁶Then the leaders of the families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of regiments and battalions, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave generously. ⁷They gave 375,186 pounds of gold, 750,000 pounds of silver, 135,000 pounds of bronze, and 7,500,000 pounds of iron for the work on God’s temple. ⁸Whoever happened to have precious stones gave them to Jehiel, Gershon’s descendant, for the treasury of the Lord’s temple. ⁹The people were overjoyed that the leaders gave so generously and wholeheartedly to the Lord. 

King David was also overjoyed, and ¹⁰he praised the Lord while the whole assembly watched. David said, 

“May you be praised, Lord God of Israel, 

our father forever and ever.^a

¹¹Greatness, power, splendor, glory, and majesty are yours, Lord, 

because everything in heaven and on earth is yours. 

The kingdom is yours, Lord, 

and you are honored as head of all things. 

¹²Riches and honor are in front of you. 

You rule everything. 

You hold power and strength in your hands, 

and you can make anyone great and strong. 

¹³“Our God, we thank you 

and praise your wonderful name. 

¹⁴But who am I and who are my people 

that you enable us to give so generously? 

Everything comes from you. 

We give you only what has come from your hands. 

¹⁵To you we are all like our ancestors— 

foreigners without permanent homes. 

Our days are as fleeting as shadows on the ground. 

There’s no hope ⸤for them⸥. 

¹⁶“Lord, our God, all this wealth that we gathered to build a temple for your holy name is from you. All of it is yours. ¹⁷I know, my God, that you examine hearts and delight in honesty. With an honest heart I have willingly offered all these things. I’ve been overjoyed to see your people here offering so willingly to you. ¹⁸Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, always watch over your people’s deepest thoughts. Keep their hearts directed toward you. ¹⁹Make my son Solomon completely committed ⸤to you⸥ so that he will obey your commands, requests, and laws and do everything to build the palace I have planned.” 

Solomon Is Made King

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God!” So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors and knelt in front of the Lord and the king. 

²¹The next day they sacrificed to the Lord. They sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs, wine offerings, and many sacrifices for all Israel. ²²That day they ate and drank as they joyfully celebrated in front of the Lord. For the second time they made David’s son Solomon king. On the Lord’s behalf they anointed Solomon to be leader and Zadok to be the priest. 

²³Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of his father David. Solomon was successful and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴All the leaders and soldiers and all of King David’s sons pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. ²⁵The Lord made Solomon extremely powerful, as all Israel could see. The people of Israel gave him royal honor like no king of Israel before him ever had. 

David’s Reign—1 Kings 2:10–12

²⁶David, son of Jesse, had ruled all Israel. ²⁷He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 in Jerusalem. ²⁸He died at a very old age. His long life was full of wealth and honor. Then his son Solomon succeeded him as king. 

²⁹Everything about King David from first to last is written in the records of the seer^bSamuel, the prophet Nathan, and the seer Gad. ³⁰It includes everything about his reign, his power, and the things that happened to him, Israel, and all the other kingdoms.