1 Chronicles 28

David’s Charge to Solomon and the Assembly

1David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel — the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the divisions who served the king, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men, and every mighty warrior. 2King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, for the footstool of our God, and I had made preparations to build it. 3But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ 4Yet Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and within the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among my father’s sons, he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5And of all my sons — for Yahweh has given me many sons — he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel. 6He said to me, ‘Solomon your son — he shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7I will establish his kingdom forever, if he remains steadfast in keeping my commandments and my judgments, as he does today.’ 8Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Yahweh, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek out all the commandments of Yahweh your God, so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your children after you forever. 9And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for Yahweh searches every heart and understands every intention of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10Consider now, for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and act.”

The Plan for the Temple

11Then David gave his son Solomon the plan of the portico and its buildings, its storerooms, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and the room for the atonement cover, 12and the plan of all that he had in the spirit with him, for the courts of the house of Yahweh, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries of the dedicated things; 13also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh, and for all the articles used in the service of the house of Yahweh; 14the weight of gold for the gold articles, for all the articles used in each kind of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles, for all the articles used in each kind of service; 15the weight for the gold lampstands and their gold lamps, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps, and for the silver lampstands, the weight for each lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; 16the weight of gold for each table of the bread of the presence, and the silver for the silver tables; 17the pure gold for the forks, the basins, and the pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold bowl and the weight of silver for each silver bowl; 18the weight of refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plan of the chariot — the gold cherubim that spread their wings and cover the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. 19All this was in writing from the hand of Yahweh upon me; he gave me understanding of all the works of the plan.* 20David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act. Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of Yahweh is finished. 21Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing skilled worker will be with you for every kind of work, and the officials and all the people will be at your command.”