Then David said, “This is the house of Yahweh God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
David Prepares for Temple Building
David gave orders to gather together the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, and he appointed masons to quarry dressed stones to build the house of God.
David prepared great quantities of iron for the nails for the doors of the gates and for the couplings, and bronze in such abundance it was not weighed.
and more cedar trees than could be counted, because the Sidonians and the men of Tyre brought an abundance of cedar trees to David.
And David said, “Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be exceedingly magnificent, having renown and glory throughout all lands. So I will make preparation for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
Solomon Charged to Build the Temple
Then he called for Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh the God of Israel.
David said to Solomon his son, “I had it in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God.
But the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ‘You have shed blood abundantly and have made great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.
Behold, a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around, for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.
He will build a house for my name, and he will be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
“Now my son, may Yahweh be with you, and you will prosper and build the house of Yahweh your God as he has spoken concerning you.
May Yahweh give you good judgment and understanding and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may keep the law of Yahweh your God.
Then you will prosper if you are careful to do the statutes and the ordinances that Yahweh gave Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed.
“Now, behold, with great effort I have prepared for the house of Yahweh 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron that is not weighed because it is in such abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone, but you must add to them.
There are also workmen with you in abundance, cutters and workers of stone and of wood and all those skilled in every kind of work—
for the gold, for the silver, and for the bronze and for the iron—there is no number. Arise and work! And may Yahweh be with you.”
David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
“Isn’t Yahweh your God with you? Hasn’t he given you rest on every side? For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before Yahweh and before his people.
Now set your heart and your soul to seek Yahweh your God. Arise therefore and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, in order to bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of Yahweh.”