1 Chronicles 28:9-21

New International Reader's Version

⁹ “My son Solomon, always remember the God of your father. Serve him with all your heart. Do it with a mind that wants to obey him. The Lord looks deep down inside every heart. He understands every desire and every thought. If you look to him, you will find him. But if you desert him, he will turn his back on you forever. ¹⁰ Think about it. The Lord has chosen you to build a house as a holy place where he can live. So be strong. Get to work.”

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the porch of the temple. He gave him the plans for its buildings and its storerooms. He gave him the plans for its upper parts and its inside rooms. He gave him the plans for the place where sin is paid for and forgiven. ¹² He gave him the plans for everything the Spirit of the Lord had put in his mind. There were plans for the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. There were plans for all the rooms around it. There were plans for the places where the treasure of God’s temple would be kept. There were plans for the places where the things set apart for God would be kept. ¹³ David told Solomon how to separate the priests and Levites into groups. He gave him directions for all the work they should do when they served in the Lord’s temple. David also showed Solomon how all the objects should be used at the temple. ¹⁴ Different things were used for different purposes. David told Solomon how much gold should be used for each gold object. He also told him how much silver should be used for each silver object. ¹⁵ He told him how much gold should be used to make each gold lampstand and its lamps. He told him how much silver should be used to make each silver lampstand and its lamps. The amount depended on how each lampstand would be used. ¹⁶ David told Solomon how much gold should be used to make each table for holy bread. He told him how much silver should be used to make the silver tables. ¹⁷ He told him how much pure gold should be used to make the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers. He told him how much gold should be used to make each gold dish. He told him how much silver should be used to make each silver dish. ¹⁸ And David told Solomon how much pure gold should be used to make the altar for burning incense. He also gave Solomon the plan for the chariot of the gold cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

¹⁹ David said, “I have written everything down. I wrote it all down as the Lord guided me. He helped me understand every part of the plan.”

²⁰ David also said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and brave. Get to work. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope. The Lord God is my God. He is with you. He won’t fail you. He won’t desert you until all the work for serving in the Lord’s temple is finished. ²¹ The groups of the priests and Levites are ready to do all the work on God’s temple. Every person who is willing and skilled can help you do all the work. The officials and all the people will obey every command you give them.”