1 Chronicles 29

Translated from the Hebrew of the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Tap a verse to see why it reads as it does. Tap a small letter to read its footnote.

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Gifts for the temple

¹King David then spoke to the whole assembly: “God has chosen my son Solomon alone, but he is young and inexperienced, and the task is great, because this palace is not for a human being but for the LORD God. ²With all my strength I have provided for the house of my God: gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver, bronze and iron for what is to be made of them, and timber for the woodwork, along with onyx stones and stones for setting, dark antimony stones and stones of many colors, every kind of precious stone, and alabaster in great quantity. ³Moreover, because I delight in the house of my God, I am giving my own treasure of gold and silver to the house of my God, over and above everything I have provided for the holy house: ⁴about 110 tons of gold, gold of Ophir, and about 260 tons of refined silver for covering the walls of the buildings, ⁵gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver, and for all the work to be done by craftsmen. Now who is willing to give freely and consecrate themselves today to the LORD?” ⁶Then the family leaders and the tribal leaders of Israel gave freely, together with the commanders over thousands and hundreds and the officials who managed the king’s work. ⁷For the service of the house of God they gave about 190 tons and about 185 pounds of gold, about 375 tons of silver, about 675 tons of bronze and about 3,750 tons of iron. ⁸Any who owned precious stones handed them over to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹The people rejoiced over these freewill gifts, for with a whole heart they had given freely to the LORD. King David also rejoiced with great joy.

David’s prayer of praise

¹⁰Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of the whole assembly. David said, “Blessed are you, LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. ¹¹To you, LORD, belong the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory and the majesty; indeed everything in heaven and on earth is yours. The kingdom is yours, LORD, and you are lifted high as head over all. ¹²Riches and honor come from you; you rule over everything. In your hand are power and might, and it is in your hand to make anyone great and to give strength to all. ¹³And now, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. ¹⁴But who am I, and who are my people, that we should have the means to give as freely as this? Everything comes from you; what we have given you came from your own hand. ¹⁵For we are outsiders before you, and temporary settlers, as all our ancestors were. Our days on earth are like a shadow, with no hope of staying. ¹⁶LORD our God, all this wealth that we have gathered to build a house for your holy name has come from your hand, and every part of it belongs to you. ¹⁷My God, I know that you examine the heart and that uprightness pleases you. With an upright heart I have freely given all these things, and now I have watched your people gathered here give freely to you with joy. ¹⁸LORD, God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this willingness forever in the purposes and thoughts of your people’s hearts, and set their hearts firmly on you. ¹⁹Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep your commandments, your decrees and your statutes, to carry them all out, and to build the palace for which I have made preparations.”

Solomon is made king

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Now bless the LORD your God.” And the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their ancestors. They bowed their heads and lay face down before the LORD and before the king. ²¹The next day they offered sacrifices to the LORD and burnt offerings to the LORD: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams and 1,000 lambs, each with its drink offering, and a great many sacrifices for all Israel. ²²They ate and drank before the LORD that day with great joy. Then they made Solomon son of David king a second time and anointed him as ruler for the LORD, and Zadok as priest. ²³So Solomon took his seat on the throne of the LORD as king, succeeding his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴All the officials and the mighty warriors, and also all King David’s sons, pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. ²⁵The LORD made Solomon exceedingly great in the sight of all Israel and gave him royal majesty such as no king over Israel before him had had.

The end of David’s reign

²⁶So David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷His reign over Israel lasted forty years: seven of them he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three in Jerusalem. ²⁸He died at a good old age, having had his fill of days, riches and honor, and his son Solomon became king in his place. ²⁹The acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer, ³⁰together with all his reign and his power, and the events that came upon him, upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the lands.