Study Desk

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

But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel.

"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every plan and all thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.

Then David the king said to all the assembly, "God has chosen Solomon my son alone, a young man and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the citadel is not for humankind, but for Yahweh God.

(But the ark of God David had brought up from Kiriath-Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for David had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.)

Then God said to Solomon, "Because this was with your heart and you did not ask for wealth, possessions, honor, and the lives of your enemies, and also did not ask for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge that you might judge my people over whom I have made you king,

And he made ten basins. And he set five on the south and five on the north in which to wash; they washed off the work of the burnt offering in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash therein.

But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles from the ark were seen from before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside. And they are there until this day.

There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets that Moses had put inside at Horeb on which Yahweh had made a covenant with the Israelites when they went out from Egypt.

But I have built for you an exalted house, even a place for you to dwell in forever."

But I have chosen my name to be there in Jerusalem, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

But Yahweh said to David my father, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart,

but you yourself will not build the house, but your son who will proceed from your loins; he himself will build the house for my name.'

"But will God indeed dwell with humankind upon the earth? Look, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you! Surely then this house that I have built will not contain you!

But turn to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Yahweh my God, to hearken to the pleading and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you,

"And also, with respect to the foreigner, he who is not of your people Israel, but comes from a distant land, for the sake of your great name and your powerful hand and outstretched arm, when he comes and prays to this house,

but if they repent in the land where they were taken captive and repent and beg you for mercy in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and acted perversely and done wickedly,

"But if you turn yourselves away and forsake my ordinances and my commandments which I have given before you all and will go and serve other gods and bow down to them,

But from the Israelites Solomon did not give as servants for his work, but they were men of war, his commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and his horses.

but I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not reported to me; you surpass the rumors that I had heard.