Study Desk

David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God.

Then he called for Solomon his son 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 to the name of the Lord my God.

"Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you.

Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

"Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people.

Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord ."

But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi.

For David said, "The Lord , the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord , having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God.

They divided them by lot, all alike, for there were sacred officers and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar.

These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king.

Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him.

And of the Levites, Ahijah had charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated gifts.

King David appointed him and his brothers, 2,700 men of ability, heads of fathers' houses, to have the oversight of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of the Manassites for everything pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building.

But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.'

Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father's house, and among my father's sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.