Study Desk

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

And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure,

and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

Now David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it." So David made abundant preparations before his death.

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

And David said to Solomon: "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the LORD my God;

but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.

Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, [fn] for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.

He 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.'

Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond measure, for it is so abundant. I have prepared timber and stone also, and you may add to them.

Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work.

"Is not the LORD your God with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and before His people.

Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD."

four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with musical instruments, "which I made," said David, "for giving praise."

These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses--the heads of the fathers' houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and above.

For David said, "The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever";

and also to the Levites, "They shall no longer carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service."

For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above;

both with the showbread and the fine flour for the grain offering, with the unleavened cakes and what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of measures and sizes;

Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.