Study Desk

He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who will build My house and My open spaces. For I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his father.

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father. Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord looks into all hearts, and understands every plan and thought. If you look to Him, He will let you find Him. But if you turn away from Him, He will turn away from you forever.

Listen now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a place of worship. Be strong, and do it."

Then David gave his son Solomon the plan of the porch of the Lord's house, its buildings, and its store-houses. He gave him the plan of the rooms on its second floor, its inside rooms, and the room for the mercy-seat.

He gave him the plan for the way the religious leaders and the Levites were to be divided up for all the work of the Lord's house. He told how all the objects were to be used in worship in the Lord's house.

David gave the weight of all the gold objects to be used in each part of worship. He gave the weight for all the silver objects to be used in each part of the worship.

The plan gave the weight of gold for the gold lamp-stands and gold lamps. It gave the weight of each lamp-stand and its lamps. It gave the weight of silver for the silver lamp-stands. It gave the weight of each lamp-stand and its lamps, by the use of each lamp-stand.

It gave the weight of gold for each table of holy bread, and of silver for the silver tables.

It gave the weight of the meat-hooks, the pots and the cups of pure gold. It gave the weight for each of the gold and silver pots.

Then David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong. Have strength of heart, and do it. Do not be afraid or troubled, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not stop helping you. He will not leave you until all the work of the house of the Lord is finished.

Then King David said to all the people, "My son Solomon is the one God has chosen. He is still young and has not had much time to know what to do. It is a very big work because this beautiful house is not for man, but for the Lord God.

I have given all that I have been able to give for the house of my God. I have given the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass. I have given the iron for the things of iron, and the wood for the things of wood. I have given stones of much worth, stones for setting, silver-white stones, and stones of different colors. I have given all kinds of stones of much worth, and many smooth, special white stones.

The house of my God means much to me. I have much gold and silver and I give it to the house of my God, together with all I have already given for the holy house.

I gave gold for the things of gold, and silver for the things of silver for all the work done by the able men. Now who is willing to give himself and be set apart today to the Lord?"

For the work of the house of God, they gave gold weighing as much as 5,000 men, and 10,000 gold pieces. They gave silver weighing as much as 10,000 men. They gave brass weighing as much as 18,000 men, and iron weighing as much as 100,000 men.

"But who am I and who are my people, that we should be able to give so much? For all things come from You. We have given You only what already belongs to You.

We are strangers before You. We are just staying here for a time, as all our fathers did. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and without hope.

O Lord our God, from Your hand are all these many things that we have given to build You a house for Your holy name. It all belongs to You.

Give my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your Words and Your Laws and to obey them all. And so let him build the beautiful house I have planned and given for."

On the next day they killed animals and gave burnt gifts in worship to the Lord. They gave 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams and 1,000 lambs, with their drink gifts. They gave many gifts in worship for all Israel.