Study Desk

Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD , have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."

David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."

They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.

Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.

Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight."

"Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' "

David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD , for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."

Araunah said to David, "Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this."

But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."

So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site.

Then David said, "The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel."

So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God.

He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.

He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it." So David made extensive preparations before his death.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD , the God of Israel.

David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God.

But this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.

He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'