1David announced, “The house of the Lord God will be built here. Israel’s altar for burnt offerings will also be here.”
David Makes Plans for Building the Temple
2David gave orders to bring together the outsiders who were living in Israel. He appointed some of them to cut stones. He wanted them to prepare blocks of stone for building the house of God. 3David provided a large amount of iron to make nails. They were for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings. He provided more bronze than anyone could weigh. 4He also provided more cedar logs than anyone could count. The people of Sidon and Tyre brought large numbers of logs to David.
5David said, “My son Solomon is young. He’s never done anything like this before. The house that will be built for the Lord should be very grand and wonderful. All the nations should consider it to be famous and beautiful. I’ll get things ready for it.” So David got many things ready before he died.
6Then he sent for his son Solomon. He told him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7David said to Solomon, “My son, with all my heart I wanted to build a house for the Lord my God. That’s where his Name will be. 8But a message from the Lord came to me. It said, ‘You have spilled the blood of many people. You have fought many wars. You are not the one who will build a house for my Name. That is because I have seen you spill the blood of many people on the earth. 9But you are going to have a son. He will be a man of peace. And I will give him peace and rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon. I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king. 10He will build a house for my Name. He will be my son. And I will be his father. I will make his kingdom secure over Israel. It will last forever.’
11“My son, may the Lord be with you. May you have success. May you build the house of the Lord your God, just as he said you would. 12May the Lord give you good sense. May he give you understanding when he makes you king over Israel. Then you will keep the law of the Lord your God. 13Be careful to obey the rules and laws the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Then you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.
14“I’ve tried very hard to provide for the Lord’s temple. I’ve provided 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver. I’ve provided more bronze and iron than anyone can weigh. I’ve also given plenty of wood and stone. You can add to it. 15You have a lot of workers. You have people who can cut stones and people who can lay the stones. You have people who can work with wood. You also have people who are skilled in every other kind of work. 16Some of them can work with gold and silver. Others can work with bronze and iron. There are more workers than anyone can count. So begin the work. May the Lord be with you.”
17Then David ordered all Israel’s leaders to help his son Solomon. 18He said to them, “The Lord your God is with you. He’s given you peace and rest on every side. He’s handed over to me the people who are living in the land. The land has been brought under the control of the Lord and his people. 19So be committed to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Start building the temple of the Lord God. Then bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord into it. Also bring in the sacred objects that belong to God. The temple will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
David gør klar til, at et tempel kan bygges
1Derefter bekendtgjorde David: „Her er stedet, hvor Herrens Hus skal bygges. Her skal Israels folk bringe brændofre.” 2Så befalede han, at alle udlændinge, der boede i landet, skulle samles og sættes i arbejde med at tilhugge stenblokke til templet. 3Han skaffede også en masse jern til at smede søm og hængsler til portene foruden en umådelig mængde bronze. 4Fra Tyrus og Sidon skaffede han enorme mængder af cedertræ til byggeriet.
5David tænkte nemlig: „Det tempel, som skal bygges for Herren, skal være så storslået, at det bliver berømt ud over hele verden. Men min søn Salomon, som skal bygge det, er stadig ung og uerfaren, så jeg vil hjælpe ham ved at gøre det hele klar.” Det var grunden til, at David inden sin død gjorde alle disse forberedelser.
6David gav derpå Salomon ansvaret for at bygge et tempel for Herren, Israels Gud. 7„Det var min plan at bygge et hus til Herren, min Gud,” forklarede David ham, 8„men han sagde til mig: ‚Du har dræbt mange mennesker i de hårde krige, du har udkæmpet. Fordi du har udgydt så meget blod, bliver det ikke dig, der kommer til at bygge mit tempel. 9Men du skal få en søn, som vil blive en fredens mand. Jeg vil sørge for, at han kan leve i fred med alle nabofolkene rundt omkring jer. Han skal hedde Salomon,22,9 Navnet „Salomon” (hebraisk Shlomoh) minder om ordet for „fred” (shalom). for i hans regeringstid vil Israel have fred. 10Han skal bygge mig et hus og være min søn. Jeg vil være hans far, og jeg vil gøre hans herredømme over Israel urokkeligt for evigt.’
11Og nu, min søn, må Herren hjælpe dig, så du kan få bygget det hus for Herren, din Gud, som han har talt om. 12Og må han give dig visdom og dømmekraft, så han kan gøre dig til konge over Israel, og så du følger Herren, din Guds, bud. 13Hvis du nøje følger de love og forskrifter, han gav Israel gennem Moses, vil det gå dig godt. Vær frimodig og stærk. Vær ikke bange og lad dig ikke skræmme. 14Med hensyn til templet har jeg gjort et stort forarbejde. Jeg har samlet næsten 4000 tons guld og 40.000 tons sølv samt umådelige mængder af jern og bronze. Jeg har også skaffet bjælker og stenblokke, og du kan selv sørge for mere. 15-16Mange erfarne arbejdere står til din rådighed, både stenhuggere, murere og tømrere, samt kunsthåndværkere, der kan udføre al slags arbejde i guld, sølv, bronze og jern. Gå blot i gang! Og må Herren være med dig!”
17David befalede alle Israels ledere at hjælpe Salomon med projektet. 18„Herren vil være med jer!” sagde han. „Han har givet os fred med nabofolkene. Han har hjulpet mig med at besejre dem, og de er nu underlagt Herren og hans folk. 19Sæt derfor alt ind på at adlyde Herren, jeres Gud, og tag fat på at bygge hans helligdom, så Herrens Pagts Ark og alle de andre hellige ting kan blive anbragt deri.”
