On that very day, David composed this psalm of thanksgiving to the LORD just for Asaph and his companions:

Keep remembering the awesome deeds that he has done, along with his miracles and the rulings that he has handed down,

Remember his covenant forever, his promise that he made to the thousandth generation,

the covenant that he made with Abraham, and the oath he swore to Isaac.

When you were few in number very few, and strangers at that

Let the families of earth recognize the LORD that he is glorious and powerful.

Recognize the glory that is due the LORD! Bring your offering, and come into his presence, worshiping the LORD in all of his holy splendor.

Let the sea roar along with everything that fills it! Let the fields exult, along with everything in them!

sacrificing the regular burnt offerings regularly each morning and evening to the LORD on the altar dedicated to that purpose, doing everything written in the Law of the LORD, just as he had commanded Israel.

But later that same night, this message came to Nathan from God:

"""I'm also announcing to you that the LORD also will himself build a house for you. It will come about that when your life is complete and you go to join your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who is related to one of your sons, and I will fortify his kingdom.

"LORD, there is no one like you, and we have heard from no god other than you.

What other one nation on the earth is like your people Israel, God, which you have redeemed from slavery to become your own people, making a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You did awesome miraculous deeds, driving out nations that stood in their way.

"Because of you, my God, I have been bold to pray to you, as you have told your servant that you will build him a dynasty.

Furthermore, it has pleased you to bless the dynasty of your servant, so that it will continue in place forever in your presence, because when you, LORD, grant a blessing, it is an eternal blessing."

David also confiscated the gold shields that belonged to Hadadezer's officials and took them to Jerusalem.

When King Tou of Hamath learned that David had conquered King Hadadezer of Zobah's entire army,

to King David, which David also dedicated to the LORD, along with silver and gold that he confiscated from all the surrounding nations, including Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

But when David's delegation arrived to visit Hanun in Ammonite territory to console him, the Ammonite officials asked Hanun, "Do you think that because David has sent a delegation of consolers to you that he is honoring your father? His delegation has arrived to search, overthrow, and scout the land, hasn't it?"

When the Ammonites realized that they had created quite a stink with David, Hanun and the Ammonites spent 1,000 silver talents to hire chariots and mercenaries from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.

When Joab observed that the battle lines were set up to oppose him both in front and behind, he appointed some special forces from Israel and arrayed them to oppose the Arameans,

After the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent for the Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates River. Shophach was leading them as commander of Hadadezer's army.

When Hadadezer's officials saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sought terms of peace with David and became subservient to him. After this, the Arameans were unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.

Later the next spring, at the time that kings go out to fight, Joab led out the army, ravaged the territory of the Ammonites, and then went out and attacked Rabbah, while David remained behind in Jerusalem. Joab besieged Rabbah and conquered it.

David confiscated the crown of their king from his head, and found that its weight was a talent in gold. A precious stone had been set in it, and it was placed on David's head. He also confiscated a great amount of war booty that had been plundered from the city,

So the angel of the ORD remained standing near the threshing floor that belonged to Ornan the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.

The angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David that David was to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor that belonged to Ornan the Jebusite.

So David went up, obeying Gad's directive that he had spoken in the name of the LORD.

But King David told Ornan, "No. I will buy them for the full price because I will not offer to the LORD what is yours or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

From that time on, after David had observed that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he made his sacrifices there.

Meanwhile, the tent of the LORD that Moses had crafted in the desert, along with the altar of burnt offerings, were being stored at the high place in Gibeon at that time,

David thought, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The temple that will be built for the LORD is to be magnificent, well known, and internationally honored, so I will complete preparations for it." So before his death, David finished providing a great quantity of materials for it.

"You have shed a lot of blood and fought great battles. You won't be building a house for my name, since you have shed so much blood on the earth in my sight. But look! A son born to you will live comfortably, because I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him on every side, since his name will be "Solomon" - I will give peace and quiet for Israel during his lifetime.

So now, my son, may the LORD be with you, so that you are successful in constructing the Temple of the LORD your God, just as he has spoken about you.

Then you will be successful, if you keep on observing the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong, be courageous, and never give in to fear or dismay.

with 4,000 gatekeepers, and with 4,000 offering praises to the LORD with the musical instruments that I have had crafted."

The descendants of Amram included Aaron and Moses. Aaron had been set apart to consecrate the most holy things, with the intent that he and his sons should present offerings in the LORD's presence forever, ministering to him and pronouncing blessings in his name forever.

More leaders were located among Eleazar's descendants than among those of Ithamar, so sixteen leaders were appointed from the leaders of the ancestral households of Eleazar's descendants and eight from those of Ithamar.

Asaph's first lottery was cast in favor of Joseph; the second went to Gedaliah, that is, to him, to his relatives, and his sons, for a total of twelve;

Furthermore, everything that Samuel the seer, Kish's son Saul, Ner's son Abner, and Zeruiah's son Joab had dedicated all of their dedicated gifts were under the care of Shelomoth and his brothers.

David did not complete a census of those younger than 20 years of age, since the LORD had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Shitrai the Sharonite supervised the herds that were pastured in Sharon. Adlai's son Shaphat supervised the herds in the valleys.

David gathered together all of the leaders of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, division officers who reported to the king, the commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, the supervisors of the property and livestock that belonged to the king and to his sons, along with all of the officers of the palace, the elite forces, and all of the soldiers.

Therefore, in the presence of all of Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and while our God is listening, observe and search through all of the commandments of the LORD your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land, leaving it for an inheritance forever to benefit your descendants who come after you."

and the plans for everything else that he had in mind for the courtyards of the Temple of the LORD. Included were plans for all of the surrounding vaults and treasuries of the Temple of God intended for storage of dedicated gifts,

David also transferred to him by weight the gold that was to be used to craft the service utensils, the silver that was to be used to craft the service utensils,

refined gold for the altar of incense, by weight, along with his plans for crafting the golden chariot for the cherubim that spread out their wings to cover the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD.

To the extent that I have been able to do so, I have provided supplies for the Temple of my God, including gold for what is to be made of gold, silver for what is to be made of silver, bronze for what is to be made of bronze, iron for what is to be made of iron, wood for what is to be made of wood, and great quantities of onyx, precious stones, antimony, colored stones, all types of other semi-precious stones, and plenty of marble.

"In addition to everything that I have supplied for the Temple, it pleases me to provide my own treasure of gold and silver, so because of my love for the Temple of my God I hereby give to the Temple of my God the following:

To you, LORD, belongs the greatness, and the valor, and the splendor, and the endurance, and the majesty because all that is in heaven and on earth is yours. To you belongs the kingdom, LORD, and you are exalted as head over all.

But who am I, and who are my people, that we make such voluntary offerings as these? For all things come from you, and from your own hand we are giving to you.

LORD our God, all of this abundance that we have given for building a temple for your great name was provided by you and all of it belongs to you.

And I know, God, that it is you who searches the heart and you who finds pleasure in righteousness. With a righteous heart I have freely given all these things, and now I have seen all of these people of yours giving freely and joyfully to you!

granting to my son Solomon to keep with a devoted heart your commands, your decrees, and your statutes, carrying out all of them, and that he may build the Temple for which I have made the preparations.

including details regarding his reign, his power, the circumstances that attended his life, Israel, and all of the kingdoms of the countries that surrounded him.

Solomon, along with the whole assembly with him, met at the high place in Gibeon because that's where God's Tent of Meeting that the LORD's servant Moses had constructed in the wilderness was located.

Nevertheless, David had brought the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, after having erected a tent for it in Jerusalem.

Also, the bronze altar that Uri's son Bezalel, Hur's grandson had erected, was in place in front of the LORD's tent. Solomon and the assembly sought the LORD there.

Solomon approached the presence of the LORD at the bronze altar that had been placed at the Tent of Meeting and offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it.

That very night God appeared to Solomon and told him, "Ask what I am to give you."

Give me wisdom now, so I may go in and out among this people, because who can rule this great people that belongs to you?

God told Solomon, "Since you had this in mind, to ask neither to focus on riches, wealth, honor, or the lives of those who hate you, nor have you requested a long life, but instead you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you may rule my people over whom I have established you as king,

The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and made cedar trees as plentiful as sycamore trees that grow in the Shephelah.

"The Temple that I'm building will be great, because the greatness of our God surpasses that of all gods.

But who can build a temple for him, since neither heaven nor the highest of the heavens can contain him? So who am I, that I should build a temple to him, except to burn incense in his presence?

Also send me cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, since I'm aware that your servants know how to cut down timber from Lebanon. My servants will accompany your servants

to prepare an abundant amount of timber for me, because the Temple that I'm building is to be great and awesome.

In a letter that he sent to Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre wrote, "Because he loves his people, the LORD has placed you as king over them."

Solomon took a census of all the non-Israeli men who lived in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had taken, and 153,600 were counted.

So Solomon began construction of the LORD's Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the LORD had appeared to his father David, that is, where David had prepared Ornan the Jebusite's threshing floor.

These are the foundations that Solomon set in place for God's Temple. The length in terms of the former standard measurements: 60 cubits; its width: 20 cubits.

He also made two pillars 35 cubits high for the front of the Temple, topped by a capital that was five cubits high.

Hiram-abi crafted the pots, shovels, and basins, thus completing the work that he did for King Solomon on the Temple of God;

that is, the two pillars, the bowls, the two capitals on top of the pillars, the two lattice works that covered the two bowls for the capitals that were on top of the pillars;

along with its pots, shovels, forks, and all of its other implements that Hiram-abi made from polished bronze for King Solomon and the LORD's Temple.

Solomon made so many utensils in such great quantities that the weight of the bronze was never fully recorded.

the gold trimming instruments, basins, pans, censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (that is, the Most Holy Place), and for the doors to the main hall of the Temple.

As soon as Solomon had completed the LORD's Temple, he installed the holy items that had belonged to his father David, including the silver, gold, and all the other items in the treasure rooms of God's Temple.

All the men of Israel assembled in front of the king during the Festival of Tents that takes place in the seventh month of the year.

and carried it, the tent where God met with his people, and all of the sacred implements that belonged in the tent. The Levitical priests carried these up to the City of David.

King Solomon and all the Israelis who had assembled together proceeded ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and oxen than could be counted or recorded due to the number of sacrifices.

There was nothing in the ark except for the two tablets that Moses had placed there while Israel was encamped at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelis after he had brought them out of the land of Egypt.

the trumpeters and musicians played in union, praising and giving thanks to the LORD. They praised the LORD loudly and sang, "He is good, and his gracious love is eternal," accompanied by the trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments.) As they did this, a cloud filled the Temple, that is, the LORD's Temple,

Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he lives shrouded in darkness.

Now I have constructed a magnificent temple dedicated to you that will serve as a place for you to inhabit forever."

I have placed in it the ark in which the covenant that the LORD made with the Israelis is stored."

"LORD God of Israel, there is no one like you, God of heaven and earth, who watches over his covenant, showing gracious love to your servants who live their lives in your presence with all their hearts. It is you, LORD God, who has kept your promise to my father, your servant David, that you made to him. Indeed, you made a commitment to my father David and then personally fulfilled what you had promised today.

"Now therefore, LORD God of Israel, keep your promise that you made to my father, your servant David, when you said, "You are to not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants will watch their lives, to live according to my Law, just as you have lived in my presence.'

"Now therefore, LORD God of Israel, may your promise that you made to your servant David be fulfilled"

and yet, will God truly reside on earth with human beings? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built!

Pay attention to the prayer of your servant and to his request, LORD my God, and listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying in your presence.

Let your eyes always look toward this Temple day and night, toward the location where you have said you would place your name. Listen to the prayer that your servant prays in this direction.

then hear from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and return them to the soil that you gave to them and to their ancestors.

then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel. Indeed, teach them the best way to live and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance.

so they will fear you and live life your way as long as they live in the land that you have given to our ancestors.

then hear from heaven where you reside, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name, fear you as do your people Israel, and so they may know that this Temple that I have built is called by your name.

"When your people go out to war against their enemies, no matter what way you send them, and they pray to you in the direction of this city that you have chosen and in the direction of the Temple that I have built for your name,

"When they sin against you because there isn't a single human being who doesn't sin and you become angry with them and deliver them over to their enemy, who takes them away captive to a land that's near or far away,

if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land where they have been taken captive, as they pray in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name,

"And now, my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers that are uttered in this place.