Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it.

²David took the crown of their king from his head, and he found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoils of the city, a very great amount.

³He brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work at saws, iron picks, and axes. And David did the same to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

⁴Now it came about after this, that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the giants, and they were subdued.

⁵And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

⁶Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also was descended from the giants.

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

⁸These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

¹Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel.

²So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me word so that I may know their number.”

³But Joab said, “May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?”

⁴Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

⁵Then Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David. Israel was 1,100,000 men in all who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword.

⁶But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, because the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab.

⁷Now God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.

⁸David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, by doing this thing. But now, please overlook Your servant’s guilt, for I have behaved very foolishly.”

⁹The LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,

¹⁰“Go and speak to David, saying, ‘This is what the LORD says: “I extend to you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.” ’ ”

¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take for yourself

¹²three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD: a plague in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout the territory of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall bring back to Him who sent me.”

¹³David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁴So the LORD sent a plague on Israel; seventy thousand men of Israel fell.

¹⁵And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry about the catastrophe, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now relax your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁶Then David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.

¹⁷And David said to God, “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? LORD, my God, just let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, and not against Your people as a plague.”

¹⁸Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David was to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁹So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the LORD.

²⁰Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat.

²¹As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself to David with his face to the ground.

²²Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, so that I may build on it an altar to the LORD; you shall give it to me for the full price, so that the plague may be brought to a halt from the people.”

²³But Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself, and may my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I am giving the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I am giving it all.”

²⁴Nevertheless, King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will certainly buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”

²⁵So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site.

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

²⁷The LORD commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

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

²⁹For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were on the high place at Gibeon at that time.

³⁰But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the LORD.

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 strangers who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to cut out stones to build the house of God.

³And David prepared large quantities of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more bronze than could be weighed;

⁴and timbers of cedar beyond number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought large quantities of cedar timber to David.

⁵David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout the lands. Therefore I now will make preparations for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.

⁶Then he called for his son Solomon, and commanded him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel.

⁷David said to Solomon, “My son, I had intended to build a house for the name of the LORD my God.

⁸But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.

⁹Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.

¹⁰He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

¹¹Now, my son, the LORD be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the LORD your God just as He has spoken concerning you.

¹²Only the LORD give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God.

¹³Then you will prosper, if you are careful to follow the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.

¹⁴Now behold, with great pains I have prepared for the house of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond measure, for they are in great quantity; I have also prepared timber and stone, and you may add to that.

¹⁵Moreover there are many workmen with you, stonecutters, masons of stone, and carpenters; and all of them are skillful in every kind of work.

¹⁶Of the gold, silver, bronze, and iron there is no limit. Arise and work, and may the LORD be with you.”

¹⁷David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon, saying,

¹⁸“Is the LORD your God not with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has handed over to me the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before the LORD and before His people.

¹⁹Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; then arise, and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”

¹Now when David reached old age, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

²And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.

³Now the Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward, and their number by head count of men was thirty-eight thousand.

⁴Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand were officers and judges,

⁵and four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand were praising the LORD with the instruments which David made for giving praise.

⁶David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷Of the Gershonites there were Ladan and Shimei.

⁸The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the first, and Zetham and Joel, three.

⁹The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan.

¹⁰The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

¹¹Jahath was the first and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became a father’s household, one group for duty.

¹²The sons of Kohath were four in number: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹³The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the LORD, to serve Him and bless in His name forever.

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

¹⁵The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶The son of Gershom was Shebuel the chief.

¹⁷The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

¹⁸The son of Izhar was Shelomith the chief.

¹⁹The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰The sons of Uzziel were Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

²¹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.

²²Eleazar died and had no sons, but only daughters; so their relatives, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.

²³The sons of Mushi were three: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

²⁴These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ households, the heads of the fathers’ households of those among them who were counted, in the number of names by their head count, doing the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from twenty years old and upward.

²⁵For David said, “The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever.

²⁶Also, the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.”

²⁷For by the last words of David, the sons of Levi were counted from twenty years old and upward.

²⁸For their office is to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, in the courtyards and in the chambers, and in the purification of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God,

²⁹and with the showbread, and the fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or what is baked in the pan or what is well-mixed, and all measures of volume and size.

³⁰They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the LORD, and likewise at evening,

³¹and to offer all burnt offerings to the LORD, on the Sabbaths, the new moons and the appointed festivals, in the number determined by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the LORD.

³²So they are to perform the duties of the tent of meeting, the holy place, and of assisting the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of the LORD.

¹Now the divisions of the descendants of Aaron were these: the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

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

³David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices for their ministry.

⁴Since more chief men were found from the descendants of Eleazar than the descendants of Ithamar, they divided them this way: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the descendants of Eleazar, and eight of the descendants of Ithamar according to their fathers’ households.

⁵So they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the descendants of Eleazar and the descendants of Ithamar.

⁶Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and the Levites; one father’s household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar.

⁷Now the first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah,

⁸the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim,

⁹the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin,

¹⁰the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah,

¹¹the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah,

¹²the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim,

¹³the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab,

¹⁴the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer,

¹⁵the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez,

¹⁶the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel,

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

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

¹⁹These were their offices for their ministry when they entered the house of the LORD according to the ordinance given to them through their father Aaron, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

²⁰Now for the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.

²¹Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah, the first.

²²Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.

²³The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

²⁴Of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir.

²⁵The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.

²⁶The sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno.

²⁷The sons of Merari: by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

²⁸By Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

²⁹By Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel.

³⁰The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.

³¹These also cast lots just as their relatives, the sons of Aaron did in the presence of David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites—the head of fathers’ households as well as those of his younger brother.

¹Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals; and the number of those who performed this service was:

²Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.

³Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all, under the direction of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising the LORD.

⁴Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.

⁵All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer to exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman.

⁶All of these were under the direction of their father to sing 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 direction of the king.

⁷Their number who were trained in singing to the LORD, with their relatives, all who were skillful, was 288.

⁸They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the pupil.

⁹Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph, the second for Gedaliah, he with his relatives and sons were twelve;

¹⁰the third to Zaccur, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹¹the fourth to Izri, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹²the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹³the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹⁴the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹⁷the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁰for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²¹for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²²for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²³for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁴for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁵for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁶for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁷for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁸for the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

²⁹for the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

³⁰for the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve;

³¹for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve.

¹For the divisions of the gatekeepers there were of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.

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

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

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

⁵Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him.

⁶Also to his son Shemaiah sons were born who ruled over the house of their father, for they were valiant mighty men.

⁷The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were valiant men.

⁸All these were of the sons of Obed-edom; they and their sons and relatives were able men with strength for the service, sixty-two from Obed-edom.

⁹Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, eighteen valiant men.

¹⁰Also Hosah, one of the sons of Merari had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father made him first),

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

¹²To these divisions of the gatekeepers, to the chief men, were given duties like their relatives, to serve in the house of the LORD.

¹³They cast lots, the small and the great alike, according to their fathers’ households, for every gate.

¹⁴The lot to the east fell to Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a counselor with insight, and his lot came out to the north.

¹⁵For Obed-edom it fell to the south, and to his sons went the storehouse.

¹⁶For Shuppim and Hosah it was to the west, by the gate of Shallecheth, on the ascending highway. Guard corresponded to guard.

¹⁷On the east there were six Levites, on the north four daily, on the south four daily, and at the storehouse two by two.

¹⁸At the annex on the west there were four at the highway and two at the annex.

¹⁹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers of the sons of Korah and of the sons of Merari.

²⁰The Levites, their relatives, were in charge of the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the dedicated gifts.

²¹The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, namely, the Jehielites, were the heads of the fathers’ households, belonging to Ladan the Gershonite.

²²The sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasures of the house of the LORD.

²³As for the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites,

²⁴Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was officer over the treasures.

²⁵His relatives by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomoth his son.

²⁶This Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of all the treasures of the dedicated gifts which King David and the heads of the fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had dedicated.

²⁷They dedicated part of the spoils won in battles to repair the house of the LORD.

²⁸And all that Samuel the seer had dedicated, and Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, everyone who had dedicated anything, all of this was under the care of Shelomoth and his relatives.

²⁹As for the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were assigned to outside duties for Israel, as officers and judges.

³⁰As for the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, were responsible for the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan, for all the work of the LORD and the service of the king.

³¹As for the Hebronites, Jerijah the chief (these Hebronites were sought out according to their genealogies and fathers’ households, in the fortieth year of David’s reign, and men of outstanding capability were found among them at Jazer of Gilead)

³²and his relatives, capable men, numbered 2,700, heads of fathers’ households. And King David appointed them as overseers of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites concerning all the affairs of God and of the king.

¹Now this is the number of the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all the affairs of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout the months of the year, each division numbering twenty-four thousand:

²Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division for the first month; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

³He was from the sons of Perez, and was chief of all the commanders of the army for the first month.

⁴Dodai the Ahohite and his division was in charge of the division for the second month, Mikloth being the chief officer; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

⁵The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, as chief; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

⁶This Benaiah was the mighty man of the thirty, and was in charge of thirty; and over his division was his son Ammizabad.

⁷The fourth, for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

⁸The fifth, for the fifth month was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

⁹The sixth, for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰The seventh, for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹¹The eighth, for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹²The ninth, for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite of the Benjaminites; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹³The tenth, for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁴The eleventh, for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁵The twelfth, for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite of Othniel; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁶Now in charge of the tribes of Israel: chief officer for the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah;

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

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

¹⁹for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel;

²⁰for the sons of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah;

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

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

²³But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven.

²⁴Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of this, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David.

²⁵Now Azmaveth the son of Adiel was responsible for the king’s storehouses. And Jonathan the son of Uzziah was responsible for the storehouses in the country, the cities, the villages, and the towers.

²⁶Ezri the son of Chelub was responsible for the agricultural workers who tilled the soil.

²⁷Shimei the Ramathite was responsible for the vineyards; and Zabdi the Shiphmite was responsible for the produce of the vineyards stored in the wine cellars.

²⁸Baal-hanan the Gederite was responsible for the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah; and Joash was responsible for the stores of oil.

²⁹Shitrai the Sharonite was responsible for the cattle which were grazing in Sharon; and Shaphat the son of Adlai was responsible for the cattle in the valleys.

³⁰Obil the Ishmaelite was responsible for the camels; and Jehdeiah the Meronothite was responsible for the donkeys.

³¹Jaziz the Hagrite was responsible for the flocks. All these were overseers of the property which belonged to King David.

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

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

³⁴Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar succeeded Ahithophel; and Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

¹Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and the mighty men, all the valiant warriors.

²Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it.

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

⁴Yet, the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from all the household of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.

⁵Of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

⁶He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courtyards; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a Father to him.

⁷I will establish his kingdom forever if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as is done now.’

⁸So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the presence of our God, keep and seek after all the commandments of the LORD your God so that you may possess the good land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons after you forever.

⁹“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

¹⁰Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.”

¹¹Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan of the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms, and the room for the atoning cover;

¹²and the plan of all that he had in mind, for the courtyards of the house of the LORD, and for all the surrounding rooms, for the storehouses of the house of God and for the storehouses of the dedicated things;

¹³also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD and for all the utensils of service in the house of the LORD;

¹⁴for the golden utensils, by weight of gold for all utensils for every service; for all the silver utensils, by weight of silver for all utensils for every service;

¹⁵and the weight of gold for the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand;

¹⁶and the gold by weight for the tables of the showbread, for each table; and silver for the silver tables;

¹⁷and the forks, the basins, and the pitchers of pure gold; and for the golden bowls with the weight for each bowl; and for the silver bowls with the weight for each bowl;

¹⁸and for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, and the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

¹⁹“All this,” said David, “the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.”

²⁰Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

²¹Now behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.”

¹Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced, and the work is great; for the temple is not for mankind, but for the LORD God.

²Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance.

³In addition, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple,

⁴namely, three thousand talents of gold, from the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings;

⁵gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?”

⁶Then the rulers of the fathers’ households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with the supervisors of the king’s work, offered willingly;

⁷and for the service of the house of God they gave five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of brass, and a hundred thousand talents of iron.

⁸Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in care of Jehiel the Gershonite.

⁹Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

¹⁰So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

¹¹Yours, LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion, LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

¹²Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

¹³Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

¹⁴“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You.

¹⁵For we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.

¹⁶LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and everything is Yours.

¹⁷Since I know, my God, that You put the heart to the test and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.

¹⁸LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts to You;

¹⁹and give my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”

²⁰Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the LORD your God.” And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and the king.

²¹On the next day they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD, a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

²²So they ate and drank that day before the LORD with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for the LORD and Zadok as priest.

²³Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of his father David; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

²⁴And all the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David pledged allegiance to King Solomon.

²⁵The LORD highly honored Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been bestowed on any king before him in Israel.

²⁶Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

²⁷The period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

²⁸Then he died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor; and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

²⁹Now the acts of King David, from the first to the last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the chronicles of Gad the seer,

³⁰with all of his reign, his power, and the circumstances which came upon him, Israel, and all the kingdoms of the lands.

¹Now Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and exalted him greatly.

²And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands, of hundreds, and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households.

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

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

⁵Now the bronze altar which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of the LORD, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out.

⁶And Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

⁸And Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great faithfulness, and have made me king in his place.

⁹Now, LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

¹⁰Now give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?”

¹¹Then God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor did you even ask for long life, but you asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge so that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king,

¹²wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed, nor will those who will come after you.”

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

¹⁴Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

¹⁵The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland.

¹⁶Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders acquired them from Kue for a price.

¹⁷They imported chariots from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver apiece, horses for 150 apiece, and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

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

²So Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to quarry stone in the mountains, and 3,600 to supervise them.

³Then Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with my father David and sent him cedars to build him a house to live in, do it for me.

⁴Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on Sabbaths, on new moons, and on the appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is to be done in Israel forever.

⁵The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is greater than all the gods.

⁶But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? And who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?

⁷Now send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, and in purple, crimson, and violet fabrics, one who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled workers whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

⁸Send me also cedar, juniper, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed my servants will work with your servants,

⁹to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.

¹⁰Now behold, I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand kors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

¹¹Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.”

¹²Then Huram continued, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

¹³“Now then, I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding,

¹⁴the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, violet, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which is assigned to him, to work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, your father David.

¹⁵Now then, let my lord send his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which he has spoken.

¹⁶We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, following the census which his father David had taken; and 153,600 were found.

¹⁸He appointed seventy thousand of them to carry loads and eighty thousand to quarry stones in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

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

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

³Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits.

⁴The porch which was in front of the house was as long as the width of the house, twenty cubits, and the height twenty; and inside he overlaid it with pure gold.

⁵He overlaid the main room with juniper wood and overlaid it with fine gold; and he ornamented it with palm trees and chains.

⁶Further, he overlaid the house with precious stones; and the gold was gold from Parvaim.

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

⁸Then he made the room of the Most Holy Place: its length across the width of the house was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

⁹The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

¹⁰Then he made two sculptured cherubim in the room of the Most Holy Place and overlaid them with gold.

¹¹The wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits; the wing of one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub.

¹²The wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing, of five cubits, was attached to the wing of the first cherub.

¹³The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet facing the main room.

¹⁴He made the veil of violet, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and he worked cherubim into it.

¹⁵He also made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five cubits high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits.

¹⁶He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains.

¹⁷He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.