1
So David declared, "From now on, this is the site for the worship of God; this is the place for Israel's Altar of Burnt Offering."
2
David ordered all the resident aliens in the land to come together; he sent them to the stone quarries to cut dressed stone to build The Temple of God.
3
He also stockpiled a huge quantity of iron for nails and bracings for the doors of the gates, more bronze than could be weighed,
4
and cedar logs past counting (the Sidonians and Tyrians shipped in huge loads of cedar logs for David).
5
David was thinking, "My son Solomon is too young to plan ahead for this. But the sanctuary that is to be built for God has to be the greatest, the talk of all the nations; so I'll get the construction materials together." That's why David prepared this huge stockpile of building materials before he died.
6
Then he called in Solomon his son and commanded him to build a sanctuary for the God of Israel.
7
David said to Solomon, "I wanted in the worst way to build a sanctuary to honor my God.
8
But God prevented me, saying, 'You've killed too many people, fought too many wars. You are not the one to honor me by building a sanctuary - you've been responsible for too much killing, too much bloodshed.
9
But you are going to have a son and he will be a quiet and peaceful man, and I will calm his enemies down on all sides. His very name will speak peace - that is, Solomon, which means Peace - and I'll give peace and rest under his rule.
10
He will be the one to build a sanctuary in my honor. He'll be my royal adopted son and I'll be his father; and I'll make sure that the authority of his kingdom over Israel lasts forever.'