Offerings for the Temple

1And king David spoke to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one God has chosen, is still a tender boy. And yet the work is great, for a habitation is being prepared, not for man, but for God. 2Now with all my ability, I have prepared the expenses for the house of my God: gold for items of gold, and silver for those of silver, brass for those of brass, iron for those of iron, and wood for those of wood, and stones of onyx, and stones like alabaster, and stones of diverse colors, and every kind of precious stone, and marble from Paros in great abundance. 3And in addition to these things that I have offered into the house of my God, I give, from my own belongings, gold and silver for the temple of my God, aside from those things that I have prepared for the holy shrine: 4three thousand talents of gold, from the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of highly-refined silver, for the gilding of the walls of the temple; 5and gold for wherever there is need of gold, and silver for wherever there is need of silver, for the works to be done by the hands of the artisans. And if anyone freely offers, let him fill his hand this day, and let him offer whatever he wishes to the Lord.”

6And so the leaders of the families, and the nobles of the tribes of Israel, as well as the tribunes and the centurions and the overseers of the king’s possessions, promised 7and gave, for the works of the house of the Lord, five thousand talents and ten thousand pieces of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of brass, and also one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8And whoever found precious stones among their belongings gave them to the treasuries of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9And the people rejoiced, since they were promising their votive offerings willingly. For they were offering these to the Lord with all their heart. And king David also rejoiced with great gladness.

David’s Prayer of Blessing

10And he blessed the Lord before the entire multitude, and he said: “Blessed are you, O Lord God of Israel, our Father from eternity to eternity. 11Yours, O Lord, is magnificence and power and glory, and also victory; and to you is praise. For all the things that are in heaven and on earth are yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are above all rulers. 12Yours is wealth, and yours is glory. You have dominion over all things. In your hand is virtue and power. In your hand is greatness and authority over all things. 13Now therefore, we confess to you, our God, and we praise your famous name.

14Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to promise all these things to you? All is yours. And so the things that we received from your hand, we have given to you. 15For we are sojourners and new arrivals before you, as all our fathers were. Our days upon the earth are like a shadow, and there is no delay. 16O Lord our God, all this abundance, which we have prepared so that a house may be built to your holy name, is from your hand, and all things are yours. 17I know, my God, that you test hearts, and that you love simplicity. Therefore, in the simplicity of my heart, I also have offered all these things joyfully. And I have seen, with immense gladness, your people, who have been found here, offering their donations to you. 18O Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Israel, preserve unto eternity this desire of their heart, and let this purpose remain forever, for the worship of you. 19Also, I give to my son Solomon a perfect heart, so that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your ceremonies, and so that he may accomplish all things, and may build the temple, for which I have prepared the expenses.”

20Then David instructed the entire assembly: “Bless the Lord our God.” And the entire assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. And they bowed themselves, and they adored God, and next they reverenced the king.

Solomon Anointed King
(1 Kings 1:32–40)

21And they immolated victims to the Lord. And they offered holocausts on the following day: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, one thousand lambs, with their libations and with every ritual, very abundantly, for all of Israel. 22And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day, with great rejoicing. And they anointed Solomon, the son of David, a second time. And they anointed him to the Lord as the ruler, and Zadok as the high priest. 23And Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord as king, in place of his father David, and it pleased everyone. And all of Israel obeyed him. 24Moreover, all the leaders, and the powerful, and all the sons of king David pledged with their hand, and they became subject to king Solomon. 25Then the Lord magnified Solomon over all of Israel. And he gave to him a glorious reign, of a kind such as no one has had before him, as king of Israel.

David’s Reign and Death
(1 Kings 2:10–12)

26Now David, the son of Jesse, reigned over all of Israel. 27And the days during which he reigned over Israel were forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

28And he died at a good old age, full of days and wealth and glory. And his son Solomon reigned in his place. 29Now the acts of king David, from the first to the last, have been written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, 30concerning his entire reign and strength, and the times that passed under him, both in Israel and in all the kingdoms of the lands.