1 Chronicles 29

1 Then King David said to everyone gathered there, “My son Solomon, chosen by God alone, is young and inexperienced, and the work to be done is great because this Temple will not be for man, but for the Lord God.

And king David spoke to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one God has chosen, is still a tender boy. And yet the work is great, for a habitation is being prepared, not for man, but for God.

2 Using all my means I have provided for the house of my God—gold for the articles made of gold, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood; onyx stones and stones for settings: turquoise, different colored stones, every kind of precious stone; and plenty of marble.

Now with all my ability, I have prepared the expenses for the house of my God: gold for items of gold, and silver for those of silver, brass for those of brass, iron for those of iron, and wood for those of wood, and stones of onyx, and stones like alabaster, and stones of diverse colors, and every kind of precious stone, and marble from Paros in great abundance.

3 More than this, because of my devotion to the house of my God, I'm now giving my personal fortune of gold and silver, in addition to everything that I have provided for this holy house.

And in addition to these things that I have offered into the house of my God, I give, from my own belongings, gold and silver for the temple of my God, aside from those things that I have prepared for the holy shrine:

4 3,000 talents of gold—the gold of Ophir—and 7,000 talents of refined silver will go to cover the walls of the buildings,

three thousand talents of gold, from the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of highly-refined silver, for the gilding of the walls of the temple;

5 gold for the gold work, and silver for the silver work, and for all the work done by the craftsmen. Now who willingly wants to commit themselves to giving to the Lord today?”

and gold for wherever there is need of gold, and silver for wherever there is need of silver, for the works to be done by the hands of the artisans. And if anyone freely offers, let him fill his hand this day, and let him offer whatever he wishes to the Lord.”

6 They gave willingly—the family leaders, those in charge of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work.

And so the leaders of the families, and the nobles of the tribes of Israel, as well as the tribunes and the centurions and the overseers of the king’s possessions, promised

7 They gave to the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.

and gave, for the works of the house of the Lord, five thousand talents and ten thousand pieces of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of brass, and also one hundred thousand talents of iron.

8 Those who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, under the supervision of Jehiel the Gershonite.

And whoever found precious stones among their belongings gave them to the treasuries of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.

9 The people celebrated because their leaders had been so willing to give to the Lord, freely and wholeheartedly. King David was also really delighted.

And the people rejoiced, since they were promising their votive offerings willingly. For they were offering these to the Lord with all their heart. And king David also rejoiced with great gladness.

10 Then David praised the Lord before the whole assembly: “Praise to you, Lord, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever!

And he blessed the Lord before the entire multitude, and he said: “Blessed are you, O Lord God of Israel, our Father from eternity to eternity.

11 Lord, yours is the greatness, the power, the glory, the splendor, and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Lord, yours is the kingdom, and you are admired as ruler of all.

Yours, O Lord, is magnificence and power and glory, and also victory; and to you is praise. For all the things that are in heaven and on earth are yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are above all rulers.

12 Riches and honor come from you and you reign supreme. You possess power and might, and have the ability to make people great and to give strength to all.

Yours is wealth, and yours is glory. You have dominion over all things. In your hand is virtue and power. In your hand is greatness and authority over all things.

13 Now our God we thank you, and we praise you and your glorious character.

Now therefore, we confess to you, our God, and we praise your famous name.

14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we are able to give as willingly as this? For everything we have comes from you—we are only giving back what you have given us.

Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to promise all these things to you? All is yours. And so the things that we received from your hand, we have given to you.

15 In your eyes we are strangers and foreigners, just like our forefathers. Our time here on earth passes like a shadow, we have no hope of staying here long.

For we are sojourners and new arrivals before you, as all our fathers were. Our days upon the earth are like a shadow, and there is no delay.

16 Lord our God, even all this wealth that we have provided to build you a house for your holy name comes from what you give, and it all belongs to you.

O Lord our God, all this abundance, which we have prepared so that a house may be built to your holy name, is from your hand, and all things are yours.

17 I know, my God, that you look on the inside and are happy when we live right. Everything I have given willingly and with an honest heart, and now I have seen your people here giving happily and willingly to you.

I know, my God, that you test hearts, and that you love simplicity. Therefore, in the simplicity of my heart, I also have offered all these things joyfully. And I have seen, with immense gladness, your people, who have been found here, offering their donations to you.

18 Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and our forefathers, please keep these thoughts and commitments in the minds of your people forever, and make sure they stay loyal to you.

O Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Israel, preserve unto eternity this desire of their heart, and let this purpose remain forever, for the worship of you.

19 Please also give my son Solomon a desire to whole-heartedly keep your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to do all he can to build your Temple that I have provided for.”

Also, I give to my son Solomon a perfect heart, so that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your ceremonies, and so that he may accomplish all things, and may build the temple, for which I have prepared the expenses.”

20 Then David said to everyone there, “Praise the Lord your God!” So everyone praised the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed down in reverence to the Lord and to the king.

Then David instructed the entire assembly: “Bless the Lord our God.” And the entire assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. And they bowed themselves, and they adored God, and next they reverenced the king.

21 The following day they presented sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and plenty of sacrifices for all of Israel.

And they immolated victims to the Lord. And they offered holocausts on the following day: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, one thousand lambs, with their libations and with every ritual, very abundantly, for all of Israel.

22 Then they ate and drank in the presence of the Lord with great happiness that day. They made Solomon, the son of David, king for a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for the Lord, and anointed Zadok as priest.

And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day, with great rejoicing. And they anointed Solomon, the son of David, a second time. And they anointed him to the Lord as the ruler, and Zadok as the high priest.

23 So Solomon took the throne of the Lord as king in place of David, his father. He was successful, and all the Israelites obeyed him.

And Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord as king, in place of his father David, and it pleased everyone. And all of Israel obeyed him.

24 All the officials and warriors, as well as all of King David's sons, gave a solemn promise of loyalty to King Solomon.

Moreover, all the leaders, and the powerful, and all the sons of king David pledged with their hand, and they became subject to king Solomon.

25 The Lord made Solomon highly respected throughout Israel, and gave him greater royal majesty than had been given to any king of Israel before him.

Then the Lord magnified Solomon over all of Israel. And he gave to him a glorious reign, of a kind such as no one has had before him, as king of Israel.

26 So David, son of Jesse, ruled over all of Israel.

Now David, the son of Jesse, reigned over all of Israel.

27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron, and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

And the days during which he reigned over Israel were forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

28 David died at a good old age, having lived a long life, blessed with wealth and honor. Then his son Solomon took over and ruled in his place.

And he died at a good old age, full of days and wealth and glory. And his son Solomon reigned in his place.

29 Everything that King David did, from beginning to end, is written down in the Records of Samuel the Seer, the Records of Nathan the Prophet, and the Records of Gad the Seer.

Now the acts of king David, from the first to the last, have been written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,

30 These include all the details of his reign, his power, and what happened to him, and to Israel, and all to the kingdoms of the neighboring countries.

concerning his entire reign and strength, and the times that passed under him, both in Israel and in all the kingdoms of the lands.