David Gives Solomon the Plans for the Temple
1 David called a meeting in Jerusalem for all of Israel's leaders, including the tribal leaders, the government officials, the army commanders, the officials in charge of the royal property and livestock, the palace officials, and the brave warriors.
2 After everyone was there, David stood up and said:
Listen to me, my people. I wanted to build a place where the sacred chest would be kept, so we could go there and worship the Lord our God. I have prepared all the supplies for building a temple, 3 but the Lord has refused to let me build it, because he said I have killed too many people in battle.
4 The Lord God chose Judah to be the leading tribe in Israel. Then from Judah, he chose my father's family, and from that family, he chose me to be the king of Israel, and he promised that my descendants will also rule as kings. 5 The Lord has blessed me with many sons, but he chose my son Solomon to be the next king of Israel. 6 The Lord said to me, “Your son Solomon will build my temple, and it will honor me. Solomon will be like a son to me, and I will be like a father to him. 7 If he continues to obey my laws and commands, his kingdom will never end.”
8 My friends, you are the Lord's people. And now, with God as your witness, I want you to promise that you will do your best to obey everything the Lord God has commanded us. Then this land will always belong to you and your descendants.
9 Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. But if you ignore him, he will reject you forever. 10 The Lord has chosen you to build a temple for worshiping him. Be confident and do the work you have been assigned.
11 After David finished speaking, he gave Solomon the plans for building the main rooms of the temple, including the porch, the storerooms, the rooms upstairs and downstairs, as well as the most holy place. 12 He gave Solomon his plans for the courtyards and the open areas around the temple, and for the rooms to store the temple treasures and gifts that had been dedicated to God.
13 David also gave Solomon his plans for dividing the priests and the Levites into groups, as well as for the work that needed to be done at the temple and for taking care of the objects used for worship. 14 He told Solomon how much gold and silver was to be used in making the sacred objects, 15 including the lampstands and lamps, 16 the gold table which held the sacred loaves of bread, the tables made of silver, 17 the meat forks, the bowls and cups, 18 the gold incense altar, and the gold statue of a chariot for the winged creatures which were on the lid of the sacred chest.
19 David then said to Solomon:
The Lord showed me how his temple is to be built. 20 But you must see that everything is done according to these plans. Be confident, and never be afraid of anything or get discouraged. The Lord my God will help you do everything needed to finish the temple, so it can be used for worshiping him. 21 The priests and Levites have been assigned their duties, and all the skilled workers are prepared to do their work. The people and their leaders will do anything you tell them.
David's Instructions for the Temple
1 King David commanded all the officials of Israel to assemble in Jerusalem. So all the officials of the tribes, the officials who administered the work of the kingdom, the leaders of the clans, the supervisors of the property and livestock that belonged to the king and his sons—indeed all the palace officials, leading soldiers, and important men—gathered in Jerusalem.
2 David stood before them and addressed them: “My friends, listen to me. I wanted to build a permanent home for the Covenant Box, the footstool of the Lord our God. I have made preparations for building a temple to honor him, 3 but he has forbidden me to do it, because I am a soldier and have shed too much blood. 4 The Lord, the God of Israel, chose me and my descendants to rule Israel forever. He chose the tribe of Judah to provide leadership, and out of Judah he chose my father's family. From all that family it was his pleasure to take me and make me king over all Israel. 5 He gave me many sons, and out of them all he chose Solomon to rule over Israel, the Lord's kingdom.
6 “The Lord said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who will build my Temple. I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will make his kingdom last forever if he continues to obey carefully all my laws and commands as he does now.’
8 “So now, my people, in the presence of our God and of this assembly of all Israel, the Lord's people, I charge you to obey carefully everything that the Lord our God has commanded us, so that you may continue to possess this good land and so that you may hand it on to succeeding generations forever.”
9 And to Solomon he said, “My son, I charge you to acknowledge your father's God and to serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind. He knows all our thoughts and desires. If you go to him, he will accept you; but if you turn away from him, he will abandon you forever. 10 You must realize that the Lord has chosen you to build his holy Temple. Now do it—and do it with determination.”
11 David gave Solomon the plans for all the Temple buildings, for the storerooms and all the other rooms, and for the Most Holy Place, where sins are forgiven. 12 He also gave him the plans for all he had in mind for the courtyards and the rooms around them, and for the storerooms for the Temple equipment and the gifts dedicated to the Lord. 13 David also gave him the plans for organizing the priests and Levites to perform their duties, to do the work of the Temple, and to take care of all the Temple utensils. 14 He gave instructions as to how much silver and gold was to be used for making the utensils, 15 for each lamp and lampstand, 16 for the silver tables, and for each gold table on which were placed the loaves of bread offered to God. 17 He also gave instructions as to how much pure gold was to be used in making forks, bowls, and jars, how much silver and gold in making dishes, 18 and how much pure gold in making the altar on which incense was burned and in making the chariot for the winged creatures that spread their wings over the Lord's Covenant Box. 19 King David said, “All this is contained in the plan written according to the instructions which the Lord himself gave me to carry out.”
20 King David said to his son Solomon, “Be confident and determined. Start the work and don't let anything stop you. The Lord God, whom I serve, will be with you. He will not abandon you, but he will stay with you until you finish the work to be done on his Temple. 21 The priests and the Levites have been assigned duties to perform in the Temple. Workers with every kind of skill are eager to help you, and all the people and their leaders are at your command.”