1 Chronicles 29:10–20

David Praises the Lord

¹⁰David praised the Lord in front of the whole community. He said,

“Lord, we give you praise.

You are the God of our father Israel.

We give you praise for ever and ever.

¹¹Lord, you are great and powerful.

Glory, majesty and beauty belong to you.

Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you.

Lord, the kingdom belongs to you.

You are honored as the One who rules over all.

¹²Wealth and honor come from you.

You are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power.

You can give honor and strength to everyone.

¹³Our God, we give you thanks.

We praise your glorious name.

¹⁴“But who am I? And who are my people? Without your help we wouldn’t be able to give this much. Everything comes from you. We’ve given back to you only what comes from you. ¹⁵We are outsiders and strangers in your sight. So were all of our people who lived long ago. Our days on this earth are like a shadow. We don’t have any hope.

¹⁶“Lord our God, we’ve given more than enough. We’ve provided it to build you a temple where you will put your holy Name. But all of it comes from you. All of it belongs to you. ¹⁷My God, I know that you put our hearts to the test. And you are pleased when we are honest. I’ve given all of these things just because I wanted to. When I did it, I was completely honest with you. And I’ve been happy to see that your people who are here have also been willing to give to you.

¹⁸“Lord, you are the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Keep this longing in the hearts of your people forever. Keep their hearts true to you. ¹⁹Help my son Solomon serve you with all his heart. Then he will keep your commands and rules. He will do what you require. He’ll do everything to build the grand and wonderful temple I’ve provided for.”

²⁰Then David spoke to the whole community. He said, “Praise the Lord your God.” So all of them praised the Lord. He’s the God of their people who lived long ago. The whole community bowed low. They fell down flat with their faces toward the ground. They did it in front of the Lord and the king.