Chapter a Day

1 Chronicles 29 (A Chapter a Day)

Gifts for Building the Temple

1
Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one
whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great,
because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. 2
With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my
God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the
bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for
the settings, turquoise, ^[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3
Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal
treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above
everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents ^[b] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents ^[c] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5
for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done
by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to
the LORD ?”

6 Then
the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the
commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials
in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents ^[d] and ten thousand darics ^[e] of gold, ten thousand talents ^[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents ^[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents ^[h] of iron. 8 Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9
The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they
had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also
rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

14
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as
generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you
only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16
O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for
building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and
all of it belongs to you. 17
I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.
All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now
I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given
to you. 18 O LORD, God of
our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts
of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19
And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your
commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the
palatial structure for which I have provided.”

20
Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the LORD your God.” So
they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and
fell prostrate before the LORD and the king.

Solomon Acknowledged as King

21
The next day they made sacrifices to the LORD and presented burnt
offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male
lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in
abundance for all Israel. 22 They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD that day.
Then
they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing
him before the LORD to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officers and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon.

25
The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed
on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.

The Death of David

26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.

29
As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they
are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan
the prophet and the records of Gad the seer, 30
together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances
that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 29:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
2. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 110 tons (about 100 metric tons)
3. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 260 tons (about 240 metric tons)
4. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 190 tons (about 170 metric tons)
5. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 185 pounds (about 84 kilograms)
6. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 375 tons (about 345 metric tons)
7. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 675 tons (about 610 metric tons)
8. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 3,750 tons (about 3,450 metric tons)

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

1 Chronicles 28 (A Chapter a Day)

David’s Plans for the Temple

1
David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem:
the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the
service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of
hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock
belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials,
the mighty men and all the brave warriors.

2
King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my
people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for
the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and
I made plans to build it. 3 But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’

4
“Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be
king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the house
of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased
to make me king over all Israel. 5
Of all my sons—and the LORD has given me many—he has chosen
my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over
Israel. 6 He said to me:
‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for
I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’

8
“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of
the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the
commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and
pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

9
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve
him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD
searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.
If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he
will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

11
Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the
temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms
and the place of atonement. 12
He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for
the courts of the temple of the LORD and all the surrounding rooms, for
the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the
dedicated things. 13 He
gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and
for all the work of serving in the temple of the LORD, as well as for
all the articles to be used in its service. 14
He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used
in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the
silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: 15
the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the
weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for
each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each
lampstand; 16 the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; 17
the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers;
the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each
silver dish; 18 and the
weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him
the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread
their wings and shelter the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

19
“All this,” David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the LORD
upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.”

20
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do
the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is
with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for
the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. 21
The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on
the temple of God, and every willing man skilled in any craft will help
you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your
every command.”

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society