1 Chronicles 22

1 Then David said: This is the house of God, and this is the altar for the holocaust of Israel.

Then David said, “This is where the house of the Lord God will be, and this is the place for the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

2 And he commanded to gather together all the proselytes of the land of Israel, and out of them he appointed stonecutters to hew stones and polish them, to build the house of God.

So David gave orders to summon the foreigners living in the land of Israel, and he assigned stonecutters to prepare dressed stones to build the house of God.

3 And David prepared in abundance iron for the nails of the gates, and for the closures and joinings: and of brass an immense weight.

David provided plenty of iron to make the nails for the entrance doors and for the supports, as well as more bronze than could be weighed.

4 And the cedar trees were without number, which the Sidonians, and Tyrians brought to David.

He provided more cedar logs than could be counted, because the people of Sidon and Tyre had brought a huge quantity of cedar logs to David.

5 And David said: Solomon my son is very young and tender, and the house which I would have to be built to the Lord, must be such as to be renowned in all countries: therefore I will prepare him necessaries. And therefore before his death he prepared all the charges.

David said to himself, “My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be truly magnificent, famous and glorious around the world. I need to start preparing for it.” So David made sure plenty of building materials were ready before he died.

6 And he called for Solomon his son: and commanded him to build a house to the Lord the God of Israel.

Then he sent for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.

7 And David said to Solomon: My son, it was my desire to have built a house to the name of the Lord my God.

David told Solomon, “My son, I had always wanted to build a house to honor the Lord my God.

8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Thou hast shed much blood, and fought many battles, so thou canst not build a house to my name, after shedding so much blood before me:

But the Lord told me, ‘You have shed a lot of blood and engaged in many wars. You are not to build a house to honor me because I have seen you shed so much blood on the earth.

9 The son, that shall be born to thee, shall be a most quiet man: for I will make him rest from all his enemies round about: and therefore he shall be called Peaceable: and I will give peace and quietness to Israel all his days.

But you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace from all his enemies in the nations around. Solomon will be his name, and I will grant peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.

10 He shall build a house to my name, and he shall be a son to me, and I will be a father to him: and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.

He is the one who will build a house to honor me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will make sure the throne of his kingdom over Israel lasts forever.’

11 Now then, my son, the Lord be with thee, and do thou prosper, and build the house to the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken of thee.

Now, my son, may the Lord be with you so you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, just as he said you would.

12 The Lord also give thee wisdom and understanding, that thou mayest be able to rule Israel, and to keep the law of the Lord thy God.

Only may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he puts you in command of Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

13 For then thou shalt be able to prosper, if thou keep the commandments, and judgments, which the Lord commanded Moses to teach Israel: take courage and act manfully, fear not, nor be dismayed.

Then you will be successful, as long as you are careful to follow the laws and regulations that the Lord through Moses instructed Israel to do. Be strong and be brave! Don't be afraid or discouraged!

14 Behold I in my poverty have prepared the charges of the house of the Lord, of gold a hundred thousand talents, and of silver a million of talents: but of brass, and of iron there is no weight, for the abundance surpasseth all account: timber also and stones I have prepared for all the charges.

Look, I've taken a lot of trouble to provide for the house of the Lord— 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron, more than can be weighed.

15 Thou hast also workmen in abundance, hewers of stones, and masons, and carpenters, and of all trades the most skillful in their work,

I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more.

16 In gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, whereof there is no number. Arise then, and be doing, and the Lord will be with thee.

You have many workers such as stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen of gold, silver, bronze, and iron—without limit. So get started, and may the Lord be with you!”

17 David also charged all the princes of Israel, to help Solomon his son,

David also ordered all the leaders in Israel to help his son Solomon.

18 Saying: You see, that the Lord your God is with you, and hath given you rest round about, and hath delivered all your enemies into your hands, and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before his people.

“Isn't the Lord God with you? Hasn't he given you peace on all your borders?” he asked. “Why? Because he has placed the inhabitants of the land under my power, and they are now subject to the Lord and to his people.

19 Give therefore your hearts and your souls, to seek the Lord your God: and arise, and build a sanctuary to the Lord God, that the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the vessels consecrated to the Lord, may be brought into the house, which is built to the name of the Lord.

Now, with your whole mind and heart, make a definite decision to always worship the Lord your God. Get started on building the sanctuary of the Lord God, Then you can bring the Ark of the Lord's Agreement and the holy things of God into the house that is to be built to honor the Lord.”