Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹In the spring when kings march out to war, Joab led the army and destroyed the Ammonites’ land. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it.

²Then David took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David’s head. He found that the crown weighed seventy-five pounds of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city.

³He brought out the people who were in it and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

⁴After this, a war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.

⁵Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.

⁶There was still another battle at Gath where there was a man of extraordinary stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot — twenty-four in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.

⁷When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

⁸These were the descendants of the giant in Gath killed by David and his soldiers.

¹Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel.

²So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”

³Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply the number of his people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem.

⁵Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand armed men and in Judah itself four hundred seventy thousand armed men.

⁶But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him.

⁷This command was also evil in God’s sight, so he afflicted Israel.

⁸David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away your servant’s guilt, for I’ve been very foolish.”

⁹Then the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,

¹⁰“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.’”

¹¹So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice:

¹²three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes with the sword of your enemy overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD  — a plague on the land, the angel of the LORD bringing destruction to the whole territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”

¹³David answered Gad, “I’m in anguish. Please, let me fall into the LORD’s hands because his mercies are very great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁴So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand Israelite men died.

¹⁵Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city, the LORD looked, relented concerning the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁶When David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

¹⁷David said to God, “Wasn’t I the one who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? LORD my God, please let your hand be against me and against my father’s family, but don’t let the plague be against your people.”

¹⁸So the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go and set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁹David went up at Gad’s command spoken in the name of the LORD.

²⁰Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel. His four sons, who were with him, hid.

²¹David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.

²²Then David said to Ornan, “Give me this threshing-floor plot so that I may build an altar to the LORD on it. Give it to me for the full price, so the plague on the people may be stopped.”

²³Ornan said to David, “Take it! My lord the king may do whatever he wants. See, I give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering — I give it all.”

²⁴King David answered Ornan, “No, I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

²⁵So David gave Ornan fifteen pounds of gold for the plot.

²⁶He built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

²⁷Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

²⁸At that time, David offered sacrifices there when he saw that the LORD answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

²⁹The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at the high place in Gibeon,

³⁰but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified of the sword of the LORD’s angel.

¹Then David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

²So David gave orders to gather the resident aliens that were in the land of Israel, and he appointed stonecutters to cut finished stones for building God’s house.

³David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,

⁴and innumerable cedar logs because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.

⁵David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands. Therefore, I will make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.

⁶Then he summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel.

⁷“My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the LORD my God,

⁸but the word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me.

⁹But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.

¹⁰He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

¹¹“Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he said about you.

¹²Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.

¹³Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.

¹⁴“Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD  — 3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver, and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them.

¹⁵You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work

¹⁶in gold, silver, bronze, and iron — beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.”

¹⁷Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon:

¹⁸“The LORD your God is with you, isn’t he? And hasn’t he given you rest on every side? For he has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and his people.

¹⁹Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the LORD God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”

¹When David was old and full of days, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

²Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites.

³The Levites thirty years old or more were counted; the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.

⁴“Of these,” David said, “twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on the LORD’s temple, six thousand are to be officers and judges,

⁵four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the instruments that I have made for worship.”

⁶Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

⁸Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel — three.

⁹Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran — three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan.

¹⁰Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Beriah. Those were Shimei’s sons — four.

¹¹Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became one family and received a single assignment.

¹²Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel — four.

¹³Amram’s sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the LORD, to minister to him, and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.

¹⁴As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵Moses’s sons: Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶Gershom’s sons: Shebuel was first.

¹⁷Eliezer’s sons were Rehabiah, first; Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Rehabiah’s sons were very numerous.

¹⁸Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first.

¹⁹Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth.

²⁰Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second.

²¹Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish.

²²Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

²³Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth — three.

²⁴These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families  — the family heads, according to their registration by name in the headcount — twenty years old or more, who worked in the service of the LORD’s temple.

²⁵For David said, “The LORD God of Israel has given rest to his people, and he has come to stay in Jerusalem forever.

²⁶Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”  —

²⁷for according to the last words of David, the Levites twenty years old or more were to be counted —

²⁸“but their duty will be to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the LORD’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple —

²⁹as well as the rows of the Bread of the Presence, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of volume and length.

³⁰They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.

³¹Whenever burnt offerings are offered to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed festivals, they are to offer them regularly in the LORD’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.

³²They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place, and for their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the LORD’s temple.”

¹The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

²But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

³Together with Zadok from the descendants of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the descendants of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service.

⁴Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar’s.

⁵They were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

⁶The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

⁷The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

⁸the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

⁹the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

¹¹the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

¹²the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

¹³the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

¹⁵the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

¹⁶the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

¹⁷the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

¹⁸the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

¹⁹These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the LORD’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

²⁰As for the rest of Levi’s sons: from Amram’s sons: Shubael; from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah.

²¹From Rehabiah: from Rehabiah’s sons: Isshiah was the first.

²²From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath.

²³Hebron’s sons: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁴From Uzziel’s sons: Micah; from Micah’s sons: Shamir.

²⁵Micah’s brother: Isshiah; from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah.

²⁶Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi, and from his sons, Jaaziah his son.

²⁷Merari’s sons, by his son Jaaziah: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

²⁸From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

²⁹From Kish, from Kish’s sons: Jerahmeel.

³⁰Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. Those were the descendants of the Levites according to their ancestral families.

³¹They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites — the family heads and their younger brothers alike.

¹David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals. This is the list of the men who performed their service:

²From Asaph’s sons: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under Asaph’s authority, who prophesied under the authority of the king.

³From Jeduthun: Jeduthun’s sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah — six — under the authority of their father Jeduthun, prophesying to the accompaniment of lyres, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.

⁴From Heman: Heman’s sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.

⁵All these sons of Heman, the king’s seer, were given by the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

⁶All these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the LORD’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority.

⁷They numbered 288 together with their relatives who were all trained and skillful in music for the LORD.

⁸They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.

⁹The first lot for Asaph fell to Joseph, his sons, and his relatives — — 12 to Gedaliah the second: him, his relatives, and his sons — — 12

¹⁰the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹¹the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹²the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹³the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹⁴the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹⁷the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁰the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²¹the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²²the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²³the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁴the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁵the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁶the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁷the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁸the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

²⁹the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

³⁰the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his relatives — — 12

³¹and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his relatives — — 12.

¹The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

²Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

³Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,

⁵Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him.

⁶Also, to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled their ancestral families because they were strong, capable men.

⁷Shemaiah’s sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semachiah were also capable men.

⁸All of these were among the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and relatives; they were capable men with strength for the work — sixty-two from Obed-edom.

⁹Meshelemiah also had sons and relatives who were capable men — eighteen.

¹⁰Hosah, from the Merarites, also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first),

¹¹Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were thirteen in all.

¹²These divisions of the gatekeepers, under their leading men, had duties for ministering in the LORD’s temple, just as their relatives did.

¹³They cast lots for each temple gate according to their ancestral families, young and old alike.

¹⁴The lot for the east gate fell to Shelemiah. They also cast lots for his son Zechariah, an insightful counselor, and his lot came out for the north gate.

¹⁵Obed-edom’s was the south gate, and his sons’ lot was for the storehouses;

¹⁶it was the west gate and the gate of Shallecheth on the ascending highway for Shuppim and Hosah. There were guards stationed at every watch.

¹⁷There were six Levites each day on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the storehouses.

¹⁸As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court.

¹⁹Those were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the descendants of the Korahites and Merarites.

²⁰From the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the treasuries of God’s temple and the treasuries of what had been dedicated.

²¹From the sons of Ladan, who were the descendants of the Gershonites through Ladan and were the family heads belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli.

²²The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple.

²³From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:

²⁴Shebuel, a descendant of Moses’s son Gershom, was the officer in charge of the treasuries.

²⁵His relatives through Eliezer: his son Rehabiah, his son Jeshaiah, his son Joram, his son Zichri, and his son Shelomith.

²⁶This Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries of what had been dedicated by King David, by the family heads who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders.

²⁷They dedicated part of the plunder from their battles for the repair of the LORD’s temple.

²⁸All that the seer Samuel, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated, along with everything else that had been dedicated, were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

²⁹From the Izrahites: Chenaniah and his sons had duties outside the temple as officers and judges over Israel.

³⁰From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had assigned duties in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king.

³¹From the Hebronites: Jerijah was the head of the Hebronites, according to the family records of his ancestors. A search was made in the fortieth year of David’s reign and strong, capable men were found among them at Jazer in Gilead.

³²There were among Jerijah’s relatives 2,700 capable men who were family heads. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh as overseers in every matter relating to God and the king.

¹This is the list of the Israelites, the family heads, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter to do with the divisions that were on rotated military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 in each division:

²Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division, for the first month; 24,000 were in his division.

³He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army commanders for the first month.

⁴Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader; 24,000 were in his division.

⁵The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of the priest Jehoiada; 24,000 were in his division.

⁶This Benaiah was a mighty man among the Thirty and over the Thirty, and his son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

⁷The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him; 24,000 were in his division.

⁸The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; 24,000 were in his division.

⁹The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; 24,000 were in his division.

¹⁰The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite from the descendants of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division.

¹¹The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division.

¹²The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite; 24,000 were in his division.

¹³The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division.

¹⁴The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite from the descendants of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division.

¹⁵The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel’s family; 24,000 were in his division.

¹⁶The following were in charge of the tribes of Israel: For the Reubenites, Eliezer son of Zichri was the chief official; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah son of Maacah;

¹⁷for the Levites, Hashabiah son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok;

¹⁸for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri son of Michael;

¹⁹for Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel;

²⁰for the Ephraimites, Hoshea son of Azaziah; for half the tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah;

²¹for half the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner;

²²for Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham. Those were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

²³David didn’t count the men aged twenty or under, for the LORD had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.

²⁴Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census, and the number was not entered in the Historical Record of King David.

²⁵Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.

²⁶Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of those who worked in the fields tilling the soil.

²⁷Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars.

²⁸Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Judean foothills. Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil.

²⁹Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds that grazed in Sharon, while Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

³⁰Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

³¹Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these were officials in charge of King David’s property.

³²David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor; he was a man of understanding and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended the king’s sons.

³³Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.

³⁴After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Benaiah, then Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

¹David assembled all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials, the fighting men, and all the best soldiers.

²Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the LORD’s covenant and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build,

³but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’

⁴“Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me out of all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah, my father’s family, and from my father’s sons, he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

⁵And out of all my sons  — for the LORD has given me many sons — he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the LORD’s kingdom over Israel.

⁶He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who is to build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

⁷I will establish his kingdom forever if he perseveres in keeping my commands and my ordinances as he is doing today.’

⁸“So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and follow all the commands of the LORD your God so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

⁹“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.

¹⁰Realize now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong, and do it.”

¹¹Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple and its buildings, treasuries, upstairs rooms, inner rooms, and a room for the mercy seat.

¹²The plans contained everything he had in mind for the courts of the LORD’s house, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of God’s house, and the treasuries for what is dedicated.

¹³Also included were plans for the divisions of the priests and the Levites; all the work of service in the LORD’s house; all the articles of service of the LORD’s house;

¹⁴the weight of gold for all the articles for every kind of service; the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service;

¹⁵the weight of the gold lampstands and their gold lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand;

¹⁶the weight of gold for each table for the rows of the Bread of the Presence and the silver for the silver tables;

¹⁷the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling basins, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl;

¹⁸the weight of refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread out their wings and cover the ark of the LORD’s covenant.

¹⁹David concluded, “By the LORD’s hand on me, he enabled me to understand everything in writing, all the details of the plan.”

²⁰Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or abandon you until all the work for the service of the LORD’s house is finished.

²¹Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God’s house. Every willing person of any skill will be at your disposal for the work, and the leaders and all the people are at your every command.”

¹Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon — God has chosen him alone — is young and inexperienced. The task is great because the building will not be built for a human but for the LORD God.

²So to the best of my ability I’ve made provision for the house of my God: gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, stones for mounting, antimony, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and a great quantity of marble.

³Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve provided for the holy house:

⁴100 tons of gold (gold of Ophir ) and 250 tons of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,

⁵the gold for the gold work and the silver for the silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”

⁶Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.

⁷For the service of God’s house they gave 185 tons of gold and 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 4,000 tons of iron.

⁸Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the LORD’s house under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.

⁹Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders’ willingness to give, for they had given to the LORD wholeheartedly. King David also rejoiced greatly.

¹⁰Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly. David said, May you be blessed, LORD God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity.

¹¹Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.

¹²Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.

¹³Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name.

¹⁴But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand.

¹⁵For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

¹⁶LORD our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand; everything belongs to you.

¹⁷I know, my God, that you test the heart and that you are pleased with what is right. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to you.

¹⁸LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and confirm their hearts toward you.

¹⁹Give my son Solomon an undivided heart to keep and to carry out all your commands, your decrees, and your statutes, and to build the building for which I have made provision.

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the LORD your God.” So the whole assembly praised the LORD God of their ancestors. They knelt low and paid homage to the LORD and the king.

²¹The following day they offered sacrifices to the LORD and burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

²²They ate and drank with great joy in the LORD’s presence that day. Then, for a second time, they made David’s son Solomon king; they anointed him as the LORD’s ruler, and Zadok as the priest.

²³Solomon sat on the LORD’s throne as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

²⁴All the leaders and the mighty men, and all of King David’s sons as well, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

²⁵The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been bestowed on any king over Israel before him.

²⁶David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.

²⁷The length of his reign over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.

²⁸He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon became king in his place.

²⁹As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, note that they are written in the Events of the Seer Samuel, the Events of the Prophet Nathan, and the Events of the Seer Gad,

³⁰along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents that affected him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the surrounding lands.

¹Solomon son of David strengthened his hold on his kingdom. The LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him.

²Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel — the family heads.

³Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was in Gibeon because God’s tent of meeting, which the LORD’s servant Moses had made in the wilderness, was there.

⁴Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had set up for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem,

⁵but he put the bronze altar, which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, in front of the LORD’s tabernacle. Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.

⁶Solomon offered sacrifices there in the LORD’s presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him: “Ask. What should I give you?”

⁸And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and you have made me king in his place.

⁹LORD God, let your promise to my father David now come true. For you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

¹⁰Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people, for who can judge this great people of yours?”

¹¹God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king,

¹²wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the kings who were before you, or will be given to those after you.”

¹³So Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place that was in Gibeon in front of the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.

¹⁴Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

¹⁵The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.

¹⁶Solomon’s horses came from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders would get them from Kue at the going price.

¹⁷A chariot could be imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds of silver and a horse for nearly four pounds. In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.

¹Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself,

²so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.

³Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram of Tyre: Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.

⁴Now I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously, and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening, the Sabbaths and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently.

⁵The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.

⁶But who is able to build a temple for him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him? Who am I then that I should build a temple for him except as a place to burn incense before him?

⁷Therefore, send me an artisan who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the artisans who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, appointed by my father David.

⁸Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants

⁹to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wondrous.

¹⁰I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, one hundred thousand bushels of wheat flour, one hundred thousand bushels of barley, one hundred ten thousand gallons of wine, and one hundred ten thousand gallons of oil.

¹¹Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter and sent it to Solomon: Because the LORD loves his people, he set you over them as king.

¹²Hiram also said: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

¹³I have now sent Huram-abi, a skillful man who has understanding.

¹⁴He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your artisans and the artisans of my lord, your father David.

¹⁵Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.

¹⁶We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.

¹⁷Solomon took a census of all the resident alien men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted, and the total was 153,600.

¹⁸Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

¹Then Solomon began to build the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

²He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

³These are Solomon’s foundations for building God’s temple: the length was ninety feet, and the width thirty feet.

⁴The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was thirty feet wide; its height was thirty feet; he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold.

⁵The larger room he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains.

⁶He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim.

⁷He overlaid the temple — the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors — with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet. He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds of fine gold.

⁹The weight of the nails was twenty ounces of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.

¹⁰He made two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold.

¹¹The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, touching the wing of the other cherub.

¹²The wing of the other cherub was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, reaching the wing of the other cherub.

¹³The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.

¹⁴He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.

¹⁵In front of the temple he made two pillars, each 27 feet high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high.

¹⁶He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.

¹⁷Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.