Offerings for the Temple
1King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for this palace is not for man but for Yahweh God. 2With all my strength I have made provision for the house of my God: gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, together with onyx stones, stones for settings, stones of antimony, stones of varied colors, every kind of precious stone, and marble in abundance. 3Moreover, because of my devotion to the house of my God, I now give my personal treasure of gold and silver for the house of my God, over and above all that I have provided for the holy house: 4three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings, 5gold for the gold articles and silver for the silver, and for all the work done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to Yahweh?” 6Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and a hundred thousand talents of iron. 8Those who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh, under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9The people rejoiced at their willing gifts, for they gave to Yahweh with a whole heart; and King David also rejoiced greatly.
David’s Prayer of Blessing
10David blessed Yahweh in the sight of the whole assembly, and David said, “Blessed are you, Yahweh, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for everything in the heavens and on the earth is yours. Yours, Yahweh, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. 12Riches and honor come from you; you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. 14But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give so willingly as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15For we are foreigners and strangers before you, as all our fathers were; our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope of remaining.* 16Yahweh our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build you a house for your holy name comes from your hand, and all of it is yours. 17I know, my God, that you test the heart and delight in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have willingly given all these things, and now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are present here have given to you. 18Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the purpose of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19Give to my son Solomon a whole heart, to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the palace for which I have made provision.”
Solomon Anointed King
20Then David said to the whole assembly, “Now bless Yahweh your God.” And the whole assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and paid homage to Yahweh and to the king. 21The next day they offered sacrifices to Yahweh and presented burnt offerings to Yahweh — a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and abundant sacrifices for all Israel. 22They ate and drank before Yahweh that day with great joy. They made Solomon son of David king a second time, and anointed him to Yahweh as leader, and Zadok as priest. 23So Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh as king in place of his father David; he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24All the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David submitted themselves to King Solomon. 25Yahweh exalted Solomon greatly in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel had ever had before him.
The Death of David
26David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27The length of his reign over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in his place. 29Now the 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 might, and the events that came upon him, upon Israel, and upon all the kingdoms of the lands.
Notes
- 29:15 — The Hebrew phrase admits two senses: “there is no hope” and “there is no abiding,” no way of staying. It is rendered by the letter of the Masoretic Text, so as to answer the first half of the verse, where our days pass like a shadow.
