Study Desk

Preparations for the Temple

So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners^(b) residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters^(c) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God.

He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.^(d)

He also provided more cedar logs^(e) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

David said, "My son Solomon is young^(f) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor^(g) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it." So David made extensive preparations before his death.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build^(h) a house for the Lord , the God of Israel.

David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart⁽ⁱ⁾ to build^(j) a house for the Name^(k) of the Lord my God.

But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars.^(l) You are not to build a house for my Name,^(m) because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.

But you will have a son who will be a man of peace⁽ⁿ⁾ and rest,^(o) and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,^[a](p) and I will grant Israel peace and quiet^(q) during his reign.

He is the one who will build a house for my Name.^(r) He will be my son,^(s) and I will be his father. And I will establish^(t) the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'^(u)

"Now, my son, the Lord be with^(v) you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would.

May the Lord give you discretion and understanding^(w) when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

Then you will have success^(x) if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws^(y) that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.^(z) Do not be afraid or discouraged.

"I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents^[b] of gold, a million talents^[c] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.^(aa)

You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,^(ab) as well as those skilled in every kind of work

in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen^(ac) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you."

Then David ordered^(ad) all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon.

He said to them, "Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest^(ae) on every side?^(af) For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people.

Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.^(ag) Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord ."

The Levites

When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon^(a) king over Israel.^(b)

He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.

The Levites thirty years old or more^(c) were counted,^(d) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.^(e)

David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge^(f) of the work^(g) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.^(h)

Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments⁽ⁱ⁾ I have provided for that purpose."^(j)

David separated^(k) the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi:^(l) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Belonging to the Gershonites:^(m) Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel—three in all.

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Ziza,^[a] Jeush and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.

Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.

The sons of Kohath:⁽ⁿ⁾ Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four in all.

The sons of Amram:^(o) Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart,^(p) he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord , to minister^(q) before him and to pronounce blessings^(r) in his name forever.

The sons of Moses the man^(s) of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.^(t)

The descendants of Gershom:^(u) Shubael was the first.

The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah^(v) was the first. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith^(w) was the first.

The sons of Hebron:^(x) Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first and Ishiah the second.

The sons of Merari:^(y) Mahli and Mushi.^(z) The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.^(aa)

The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth—three in all.

These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more^(ab) who served in the temple of the Lord .

For David had said, "Since the Lord , the God of Israel, has granted rest^(ac) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,

the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service."^(ad)

According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord : to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification^(ae) of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.

They were in charge of the bread set out on the table,^(af) the special flour for the grain offerings,^(ag) the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.^(ah)

They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord . They were to do the same in the evening^(ai)

and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon^(aj) feasts and at the appointed festivals.^(ak) They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

And so the Levites^(al) carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting,^(am) for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord .^(an)