29:1
David then addressed the whole assembly, 'Solomon my son, whom Yahweh has specifically chosen, is young and immature, and the work is great; this palace is not for any human being but for Yahweh God.
29:2
With all the resources I can command, for the house of my God I have provided gold for what must be made of gold, silver for what must be made of silver, bronze for what must be made of bronze, iron for what must be made of iron, wood for what must be made of wood, as well as cornelian for inlay work, slabs of multi-coloured mosaic, every kind of precious stone and quantities of alabaster.
29:3
Furthermore, because my affections are set on the house of my God, I have also given what gold and silver I personally own for the house of my God, over and above everything which I have already provided for the holy Temple-
29:4
that is to say, three thousand talents of gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,
29:5
the gold being for what must be made of gold, and the silver for what must be made of silver: and for whatever the craftsmen must make. Who, then, is willing to devote himself to Yahweh's service today?'
29:6
At this, the heads of families, the tribal chiefs of Israel, the commanders of the thousands and the hundreds and those who managed the king's affairs,
29:7
volunteered a gift of 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,
29:8
while those who owned precious stones presented them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.
29:9
The people rejoiced at what these had given so readily, since they had presented their freewill offerings wholeheartedly to Yahweh. King David too was filled with joy.
29:10
Hence, in the presence of the whole assembly David blessed Yahweh. David said: 'May you be blessed, Yahweh, God of Israel our ancestor, for ever and for ever!
29:11
Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the splendour, length of days and glory, everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Yours is the sovereignty, Yahweh; you are exalted, supreme over all.
29:12
Wealth and riches come from you, you are ruler of all, in your hand lie strength and power, and you bestow greatness and might on whomsoever you please.
29:13
So now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name,
29:14
for who am I and what is my people, for us to be able to volunteer offerings like this? - since everything has come from you and we have given you only what you bestowed in the first place,
29:15
and we are guests before you, and passing visitors as were all our ancestors, our days on earth fleeting as a shadow and without hope.
29:16
Yahweh our God, all this wealth, which we have provided to build a house for your holy name, has come from you and all belongs to you.
29:17
'Knowing, my God, how you examine our motives and how you delight in integrity, with integrity of motive I have willingly given all this and have been overjoyed to see your people, now present here, willingly offering their gifts to you.
29:18
Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our ancestors, watch over this for ever, shape the purpose of your people's heart and direct their hearts to you,
29:19
and give an undivided heart to Solomon my son to keep your commandments, your decrees and your statutes, to put them all into effect and to build the palace for which I have made provision.'
29:20
David then addressed the whole assembly: 'Now bless Yahweh your God!' And the whole assembly blessed Yahweh, God of their ancestors, bowing down in homage to Yahweh, and to the king.
29:21
On the day following this, they slaughtered sacrifices and brought burnt offerings to Yahweh on behalf of Israel -- a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs with their libations, as well as many other sacrifices-
29:22
and they ate and drank that day in Yahweh's presence with great joy. They then made Solomon son of David king a second time, anointing him as leader for Yahweh, and Zadok as priest.
29:23
Solomon took his seat on Yahweh's throne, to reign in succession to David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
29:24
All the chiefs, all the leading citizens and all King David's other sons pledged allegiance to King Solomon.
29:25
Yahweh made Solomon exceedingly powerful, as all Israel could see, and gave him a reign of such splendour as no previous king of Israel ever had.
29:26
David son of Jesse was king of all Israel.
29:27
He was king of Israel for a period of forty years; he reigned at Hebron for seven years, and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.
29:28
He died at a good old age, full of days, riches and honour. Then his son Solomon succeeded him.
29:29
The history of King David, from first to last, is all written down in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer,
29:30
with his entire reign, his mighty deeds and the times which he, Israel and all the kings of other countries, had experienced.
Previous
Next