22 2 David prepareth things necessary for the building of the Temple. 6 He commandeth his son Solomon to build the Temple of the Lord, which thing he himself was forbidden to do. 9 Under the figure of Solomon Christ is promised.

And David said, This is the [a]house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for the burnt offering of Israel.

And David commanded to gather together the [b]strangers that were in the land of Israel, and he set masons to hew and polish stones to build the house of God.

David also prepared [c]much iron for the nails of the doors and of the gates, and for the joinings, and abundance of brass passing weight,

And cedar trees without number: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and we must build an house for the Lord, magnifical, excellent and of great fame and dignity throughout all countries: I will therefore now prepare for him. So David prepared very much before his death.

Then he called Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel.

And David said to Solomon, (A)My son, I purposed with myself to build an house to the Name of the Lord my God,

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (B)[d]Thou hast shed much blood, and hast made great battles: thou shalt not build an house unto my name: for thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

Behold, a son is born to thee, which shall be a man of rest, for I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: therefore his name is Solomon: and I will send peace and quietness upon Israel in his days.

10 (C)He shall build an house for my Name, and he shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom upon Israel forever.

11 Now therefore my son, the Lord shall be with thee, and thou shalt [e]prosper, and thou shalt build an house to the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken of thee.

12 Only the Lord give thee [f]wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge over Israel, even to keep the Law of the Lord thy God.

13 Then thou shalt prosper, if thou take heed to observe the statutes and the judgments which the Lord commanded Moses for Israel: be strong and of good courage: fear not, neither be afraid.

14 For behold, according to my [g]poverty have I prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and of brass and of iron passing weight: for there was abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone, and thou mayest provide more thereto.

15 Moreover thou hast workmen with thee enough, [h]hewers of stone, and workmen of timber, and all men expert in every work.

16 Of gold, of silver, and of brass, and of iron there is no number: [i]Up therefore, and be doing, and the Lord will be with thee.

17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,

18 Is not the Lord your God with you, and hath given you rest on every side? for he hath given the [j]inhabitants of the land into mine hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before his people.

19 Now set [k]your hearts and your souls to seek the Lord your God, and arise, and build the Sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God into the house built for the Name of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:1 That is, the place wherein he will be worshipped.
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:2 Meaning, cunning men of other nations which dwelt among the Jews.
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:3 To wit, which weighed fifty shekels of gold, 2 Chron. 3:9.
  4. 1 Chronicles 22:8 This declareth how greatly God detesteth the shedding of blood, seeing David for this cause is stayed to build the Temple of the Lord, albeit he enterprised no war, but by God’s commandment and against his enemies.
  5. 1 Chronicles 22:11 He showeth that there can be no prosperity, but when the Lord is with us.
  6. 1 Chronicles 22:12 These are only the means whereby Kings govern their subjects aright, and whereby the Realms do prosper and flourish.
  7. 1 Chronicles 22:14 For David was poor in respect of Solomon.
  8. 1 Chronicles 22:15 Or, masons and carpenters.
  9. 1 Chronicles 22:16 That is, go about it quickly.
  10. 1 Chronicles 22:18 The nations round about.
  11. 1 Chronicles 22:19 For else he knew that God would plague them, and not prosper their labor, except they sought with all their hearts to set forth his glory.

22 Then David said, “The house of the Lord God(A) is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

Preparations for the Temple

So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners(B) residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters(C) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.(D) He also provided more cedar logs(E) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

David said, “My son Solomon is young(F) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor(G) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build(H) a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart(I) to build(J) a house for the Name(K) of the Lord my God. But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars.(L) You are not to build a house for my Name,(M) because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace(N) and rest,(O) and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,[a](P) and I will grant Israel peace and quiet(Q) during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name.(R) He will be my son,(S) and I will be his father. And I will establish(T) the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’(U)

11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with(V) you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding(W) when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success(X) if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws(Y) that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.(Z) Do not be afraid or discouraged.

14 “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents[b] of gold, a million talents[c] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.(AA) 15 You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,(AB) as well as those skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen(AC) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

17 Then David ordered(AD) all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest(AE) on every side?(AF) For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.(AG) Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:9 Solomon sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for peace.
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 3,750 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 37,500 tons or about 34,000 metric tons