大衛對所羅門的囑咐
1大衛召以色列的眾首領到耶路撒冷。於是，各支派的首領、各班將領、千夫長、百夫長、負責王和王子的財產及牲畜的官員、宮廷侍臣、顯貴和勇士都來了， 2大衛王站起來說：「我的弟兄，我的人民啊，請聽我說。我本想建造一座殿宇安放耶和華的約櫃，作我們上帝的腳凳，我已準備好建造的材料。 3但上帝對我說，『你不可為我的名建造殿宇，因為你是個戰士，曾流過人的血。』 4以色列的上帝耶和華從我父親家中揀選我做以色列的王，直到永遠。因為祂揀選了猶大支派做首領；在猶大支派中，祂揀選了我父親家；在我父親的眾子中，祂喜悅我，立我做以色列的王。 5耶和華賜給我許多兒子，祂在我眾子中揀選了所羅門，讓他坐以色列的王位，治理耶和華的國。 6耶和華對我說，『你兒子所羅門必建造我的殿宇和庭院，因為我揀選他做我的兒子，我也必做他的父親。 7倘若他像今天一樣繼續堅守我的誡命和典章，我必使他的國度永遠穩固。』 8現在，當著耶和華的會眾——全體以色列人的面，趁著我們的上帝在垂聽，你們要謹遵你們的上帝耶和華的一切誡命，以便你們可以擁有這片佳美之地，並且把它傳給你們的子孫作永遠的產業。
9「我兒所羅門啊，你要認識你父親的上帝耶和華，誠心樂意地事奉祂，因為祂洞察人心，知道人一切的心思意念。倘若你尋求祂，祂必讓你尋見；倘若你背棄祂，祂必永遠丟棄你。 10現在你要謹慎，因為耶和華揀選你來建造殿宇作聖所。你要堅定不移地去做。」
11大衛將殿的走廊、房舍、庫房、樓房、內室和安放施恩座的聖所的圖樣都交給所羅門， 12又將心裡構想的耶和華殿的院子、四周的房屋、殿的庫房和聖物庫房的圖樣都交給他。 13大衛還讓他知道祭司和利未人的班次、耶和華殿裡各樣的工作及一切所需的器皿， 14製造各種金器銀器所需金銀的分量—— 15金燈臺和金燈的分量，銀燈臺和銀燈的分量——按每座燈臺的用途酌定金銀的分量， 16放供餅的金桌子的分量，銀桌子的分量， 17純金的叉子、碗、瓶的分量，每個金碗和銀碗的分量， 18純金香壇的分量，以及在施恩座上展開翅膀遮蓋耶和華約櫃的基路伯天使的樣式。 19大衛說：「以上這一切都是耶和華親手指示我的，讓我明白工作的細節。」
20大衛又對兒子所羅門說：「你要堅定勇敢地去做！不要懼怕，也不要驚慌，因為我的上帝耶和華必不撇下你，也不丟棄你，祂必與你同在，直到聖殿的一切工作完畢。 21你看，在上帝殿裡司職的各班祭司和利未人已準備就緒，又有各種能工巧匠樂意在各種工作上幫你，眾首領和百姓都聽你調遣。」
David’s plans for the temple
1David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.
2King David rose to his feet and said: ‘Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. 3But God said to me, “You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.”
4‘Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel for ever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5Of all my sons – and the Lord has given me many – he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6He said to me, “Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7I will establish his kingdom for ever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.”
8‘So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants for ever.
9‘And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you for ever. 10Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.’
11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. 13He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. 14He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: 15the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; 16the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; 17the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish; 18and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and overshadow the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
19‘All this,’ David said, ‘I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.’
20David also said to Solomon his son, ‘Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 21The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.’
