The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 251

And the general of the king's army was Joab.

1 Paralipomenon Chapter 28

David's speech, in a solemn a.s.sembly: his exhortation to Solomon. He giveth him a pattern of the temple.

28:1. And David a.s.sembled 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 G.o.d might rest: and prepared all things for the building.

28:3. And G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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, it he continue to keep my commandments, and my judgments, as at this day.

28:8. Now then before all the a.s.sembly of Israel, in the hearing of our G.o.d, keep ye, and seek all the commandments of the Lord our G.o.d: 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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.

1 Paralipomenon Chapter 29

David by word and example encourageth the princes to contribute liberally to the building of the temple. His thanksgiving, prayer, and sacrifices: his death.

29:1. And king David said to all the a.s.sembly: Solomon my son, whom alone G.o.d hath chosen, is as yet young and tender: and the work is great, for a house is prepared not for man, but for G.o.d.

29:2. And I with all my ability have prepared the expenses for the house of my G.o.d. Gold for vessels of gold, and silver for vessels of silver, bra.s.s for things of bra.s.s, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood: and onyx stones, and stones like alabaster, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble of Paros in great abundance.

29:3. Now over and above the things which I have offered into the house of my G.o.d I give of my own proper goods, gold and silver for the temple of my G.o.d, beside what things I have prepared for the holy house.

29:4. Three thousand talents of gold of the gold of Ophir: and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the temple.

29:5. And gold for wheresoever there is need of gold: and silver for wheresoever there is need of silver, for the works to be made by the hands of the artificers: now if any man is willing to offer, let him fill his hand to day, and offer what he pleaseth to the Lord.

29:6. Then the heads of the families, and the princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands, and of hundreds, and the overseers of the king's possessions promised,

29:7. And they gave for the works of the house of the Lord, of gold, five thousand talents, and ten thousand solids: of silver ten thousand talents: and of bra.s.s eighteen thousand talents: and of iron a hundred thousand talents.

29:8. And all they that had stones, gave them to the treasures of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jahiel the Gersonite.

29:9. And the people rejoiced, when they promised their offerings willingly: because they offered them to the Lord with all their heart: and David the king rejoiced also with a great joy.

29:10. And he blessed the Lord before all the mult.i.tude, and he said: Blessed art thou, O Lord the G.o.d of Israel, our father from eternity to eternity.

29:11. Thine, O Lord, is magnificence, and power, and glory, and victory: and to thee is praise: for all that is in heaven, and in earth, is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art above all princes.

29:12. Thine are riches, and thine is glory, thou hast dominion over all, in thy hand is power and might: in thy hand greatness, and the empire of all things.

29:13. Now therefore our G.o.d we give thanks to thee, and we praise thy glorious name.

29:14. Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to promise thee all these things? all things are thine: and we have given thee what we received of thy hand.

29:15. For we are sojourners before thee, and strangers, as were all our fathers. I Our days upon earth are as a shadow, and there is no stay.

29:16. O Lord our G.o.d, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name, is from thy hand, and all things are thine.

29:17. I know my G.o.d that thou provest hearts, and lovest simplicity, wherefore I also in the simplicity of my heart, have joyfully offered all these things: and I have seen with great joy thy people, which are here present, offer thee their offerings.

29:18. O Lord G.o.d of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Israel our fathers, keep for ever this will of their heart, and let this mind remain always for the wors.h.i.+p of thee.

29:19. And give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, that he may keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy ceremonies, and do all things: and build the house, for which I have provided the charges.

29:20. And David commanded all the a.s.sembly: Bless ye the Lord our G.o.d.

And all the a.s.sembly blessed the Lord the G.o.d of their fathers: and they bowed themselves and wors.h.i.+pped G.o.d, and then the king.

29:21. And they sacrificed victims to the Lord: and they offered holocausts the next day, a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their libations, and with every thing prescribed most abundantly for all Israel.

29:22. And they ate, and drank before the Lord that day with great joy.

And they anointed the second time Solomon the son of David. And they anointed him to the Lord to be prince, and Sadoc to be high priest.

29:23. And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and he pleased all: and all Israel obeyed him.