David's speech, in a solemn assembly: his exhortation to Solomon. He
giveth him a pattern of the temple.
28:1. And David assembled all the chief men of Israel, the princes of
the tribes, and the captains of the companies, who waited on the king:
and the captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and them who had the
charge over the substance and possessions of the king, and his sons with
the officers of the court, and the men of power, and all the bravest of
the army at Jerusalem.
28:2. And the king rising up, and standing said: Hear me, my brethren
and my people: I had a thought to have built a house, in which the ark
of the Lord, and the footstool of our God might rest: and prepared all
things for the building.
28:3. And God said to me: Thou shalt not build a house to my name:
because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood.
28:4. But the Lord God of Israel chose me of all the house of my father,
to be king over Israel for ever: for of Juda he chose the princes: and
of the house of Juda, my father's house: and among the sons of my
father, it pleased him to choose me king over all Israel.
28:5. And among my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons) he hath
chosen Solomon my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord
over Israel.
28:6. And he said to me: Solomon thy son shall build my house, and my
courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be a father to
him.
28:7. And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he continue to keep
my commandments, and my judgments, as at this day.
28:8. Now then before all the assembly of Israel, in the hearing of our
God, keep ye, and seek all the commandments of the Lord our God: that
you may possess the good land, and may leave it to your children after
you for ever.
28:9. And thou my son Solomon, know the God of thy father, and serve him
with a perfect heart, and a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all
hearts, and understandeth all the thoughts of minds. If thou seek him,
thou shalt find him: but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for
ever.
28:10. Now therefore seeing the Lord hath chosen thee to build the house
of the sanctuary, take courage, and do it.
28:11. And David gave to Solomon his son a description of the porch, and
of the temple, and of the treasures, and of the upper floor, and of the
inner chambers, and of the house for the mercy seat,
28:12. As also of all the courts, which he had in his thought, and of
the chambers round about, for the treasures of the house of the Lord,
and for the treasures of the consecrated things,
28:13. And of the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, for all
the works of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of the
service of the temple of the Lord.
28:14. Gold by weight for every vessel for the ministry. And silver by
weight according to the diversity of the vessels and uses.
28:15. He gave also gold for the golden candlesticks, and their lamps,
according to the dimensions of every candlestick, and the lamps thereof.
In like manner also he gave silver by weight for the silver
candlesticks, and for their lamps according to the diversity of the
dimensions of them.
28:16. He gave also gold for the tables of proposition, according to the
diversity of the tables: in like manner also silver for other tables of
silver.
28:17. For fleshhooks also, and bowls, and censors of fine gold, and for
little lions of gold, according to the measure he gave by weight, for
every lion. In like manner also for lions of silver he set aside a
different weight of silver.
28:18. And for the altar of incense, he gave the purest gold: and to
make the likeness of the chariot of the cherubims spreading their wings,
and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
28:19. All these things, said he, came to me written by the hand of the
Lord that I might understand all the works of the pattern.
28:20. And David said to Solomon his son: Act like a man, and take
courage, and do: fear not, and be not dismayed: for the Lord my God will
be with thee, and will not leave thee, nor forsake thee, till thou hast
finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
28:21. Behold the courses of the priests and the Levites, for every
ministry of the house of the Lord, stand by thee, and are ready, and
both the princes, and the people know how to execute all thy
commandments.