Here, said David, is the Lord’s home; here Israel shall find an altar for its burnt-sacrifices.

And thereupon he held a muster of all the men of alien birth that dwelt in Israel, and chose out from these masons that should cut and dress the stone for building God’s house.

It was David that procured iron in abundance for door-nail and flange and socket, a weight of bronze, too, beyond all reckoning;

nor was there any counting the cedar planks that were provided for David by the men of Sidon and Tyre.

My son Solomon, thought he, is but a boy and still untried; and this house I mean to have built for the Lord must be such that all the world tells of its renown; I must store up for him what he needs. So it was that before his death he had all the preparations made for it.

Then he summoned the young prince and laid a charge upon him, bidding him build a house for the Lord God of Israel.

My son, he told him, it was my thought to have built such a house myself, to be a shrine for the name of the Lord my God; but this message came to me from the Lord:

Blood thou hast spilt in rivers and wars thou hast waged a many; not for thee to build me a house, that comest before me with so much blood on thy hands.

Thou shalt have a son born to thee whose reign shall be all peace; on every side I will secure his frontiers from attack, and he will be well named Solomon, the Peaceful, such untroubled ease shall Israel enjoy during his reign.

He it is that shall build a house to be the shrine of my name; I shall find in him a son, and he in me a father, and I will maintain his dynasty on the throne of Israel for all time.

Courage, then, my son; the Lord be with thee, and prosper thou ever. Build a house for the Lord thy God, as he himself has promised;

and may he grant thee prudence and discernment, in ruling thy people of Israel and in holding fast by the law of the Lord thy God.

Do thou but keep decree and award of his, handed on through Moses to Israel, and all shall be well with thee; play the man, and keep thy courage high, never doubting, never daunted.

My hard-earned store thou hast, to build the house with; a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a million talents of silver, bronze and iron of what weight I know not, past all reckoning; wood and stone too I have made ready against all thy needs.✻

Many workmen thou hast in thy service, stone-cutters and stone-masons and carpenters, and masters of every craft to work for thee,

fashioning the gold and silver, the bronze and iron, that passes all reckoning. To the task, then! The Lord will be ever at thy side.

On all the rulers of Israel David laid the same charge, bidding them lend Solomon their aid.

You can see for yourselves, he told them, that the Lord your God is with you; has he not secured all your frontiers from attack, and given you the mastery over your enemies, so that the whole land now gives ready obedience to the Lord and to the Lord’s people?

Give yourselves, then, heart and soul, to the following of the Lord your God; bestir yourselves, and build the Lord God a sanctuary, a house dedicated to his name, where the ark that bears witness of the Lord’s covenant, and all the holy things consecrated to him, may find a resting-place.