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

David said to Solomon his son, "As for me, it was in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God.

Now, my son, may the LORD be with you and prosper you, and build the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you.

May the LORD give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel; that so you may keep the law of the LORD your God.

"Isn't the LORD your God with you? Hasn't he given you rest on every side? For he has delivered 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 after the LORD your God. Arise therefore, and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD."

But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

For David said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the rooms, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of God's house;

And thus were they divided impartially by drawing lots; for there were officiers of the sanctuary, and officiers of God, both of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

This was their ordering in their service, to come into the house of the LORD according to the ordinance given to them by Aaron their father, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of God's house; Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.

Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth; for God blessed him.

They cast lots, the small as well as the great, according to their fathers' houses, for every gate.

To Shuppim and Hosah westward, by the gate of Shallecheth, at the causeway that goes up, watch against watch.

Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of God's house, and over the treasures of the dedicated things.

His brothers, men of valor, were two thousand seven hundred, heads of ancestral houses, whom king David made overseers over the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites, for every matter pertaining to God, and for the affairs of the king.

Then David the king stood up on his feet, and said, "Hear me, my brothers, and my people. As for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God; and I had prepared for the building.

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

However the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For he has chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.

Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God; that you may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.

You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, for the courts of the house of the LORD, and for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of God's house, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things;

David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

Behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of God's house. There shall be with you in all kinds of work every willing man who has skill, for any kind of service. Also the captains and all the people will be entirely at your command."

David the king said to all the assembly, "Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.

Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

In addition, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, since I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, I give it to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

and they gave for the service of God's house of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents.

Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said, "You are blessed, LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

Now therefore, our God, we thank you, and praise your glorious name.

The LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build you a house for your holy name comes from your hand, and is all your own.

I know also, my God, that you try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. Now have I seen with joy your people, that are present here, offer willingly to you.

The LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart for you;

David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." All the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD and the king.

He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor: and Solomon his son reigned in his place.

Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer,

Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the Tent of Meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

But David had brought the ark of God up from Kiriath Jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."

Solomon said to God, "You have shown great loving kindness to David my father, and have made me king in his place.

Now, LORD God, let your promise to David my father be established; for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

God said to Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of those who hate you, neither yet have asked long life; but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king:

Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

"The house which I build is great; for our God is great above all gods.

"Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and behold, my servants shall be with your servants,

Behold, I will give to your servants, the cutters who cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil."

Huram continued, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for the LORD, and a house for his kingdom.

and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need; and we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa; and you shall carry it up to Jerusalem."

Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of God's house. The length by cubits after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he did for king Solomon in God's house:

Solomon made all the vessels that were in God's house, the golden altar also, and the tables with the show bread on them;

Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the LORD was finished. Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

it happened, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, "For he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever," then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD,

so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD filled God's house.

He said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David my father, and has with his hands fulfilled it, saying,

Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

"The LORD has performed his word that he spoke; for I have risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

and he said, "LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven, or on earth; you who keep covenant and loving kindness with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart;

"Now therefore, LORD, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, 'There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.'

Now therefore, LORD, the God of Israel, let your word be verified, which you spoke to your servant David.

"But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven can't contain you; how much less this house which I have built.

Yet have respect for the prayer of your servant, and to his supplication, LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you;

then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, and of your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on your land, which you have given to your people for an inheritance.

"Now, my God, let, I beg you, your eyes be open, and let your ears be attentive, to the prayer that is made in this place.

"Now therefore arise, LORD God, into your resting place, you, and the ark of your strength: let your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in what is good.

"LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed. Remember your loving kindnesses to David your servant."

All the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD was on the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped, and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good; for his loving kindness endures for ever."

King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated God's house.

They shall answer, 'Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and took other gods, worshiped them, and served them. Therefore he has brought all these disasters on them.'"

He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.

Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on his throne, to be king for the LORD your God: because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore made he you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

They spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

So the king did not listen to the people; for it was brought about of God, that the LORD might establish his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam made speed to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things found.

Ought you not to know that the LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

"But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and we have priests ministering to the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:

and they burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table; and the lampstand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening: for we keep the instruction of the LORD our God; but you have forsaken him.

Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers; for you shall not prosper."

Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

The children of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand.

Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.

So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:

for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and cut down the Asherim,

and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

He built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest.

For he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities, and make walls around them, with towers, gates, and bars. The land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.

Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, there is none besides you to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, LORD our God; for we rely on you, and in your name are we come against this multitude. LORD, you are our God. Do not let man prevail against you."

The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded:

Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

But when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity.