The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then David said, "This is the house of ADONAI, God; and this is the altar Isra'el is to use for burnt offerings."
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Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for Israel's burned offerings.
2 David ordered that the foreigners in the land of Isra'el should be assembled, and he appointed stone-workers to shape stones for building the house of God.
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And David gave orders to get together all the men from strange lands who were in the land of Israel; and he put stone-cutters to work, cutting stones for building the house of God.
3 David prepared a large store of iron from which to make nails and clamps for the gateway doors and, a quantity of bronze too great to weigh,
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And he got together a great store of iron, for the nails for the doors and for the joins; and brass, more in weight than might be measured;
4 and cedar logs beyond numbering - because the Tzidonim and the people from Tzor brought cedar logs in abundance to David.
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And cedar-trees without number, for the Zidonians and the men of Tyre came with a great amount of cedar-trees for David.
5 David said, "Shlomo my son is young and inexperienced, while the house to be built for ADONAI must be so magnificent and splendid that its fame and glory will be known in every country; so I will make preparations for him." Therefore David made extensive preparations before his death.
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And David said, Solomon my son is young and untested, and the house which is to be put up for the Lord is to be very great, a thing of wonder and glory through all countries; so I will make ready what is needed for it. So David got ready a great store of material before his death.
6 Then he summoned Shlomo his son and charged him to build a house for ADONAI, the God of Isra'el.
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Then he sent for his son Solomon, and gave him orders for the building of a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 "My son,"said David to Shlomo, "my heart was set on building a house for the name of ADONAI my God.
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And David said to Solomon, My son, it was my desire to put up a house for the name of the Lord my God.
8 But a message from ADONAI came to me, 'You have shed much blood and fought great wars. You are not to build a house for my name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth in my sight.
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But the word of the Lord came to me saying, You have taken lives without number and made great wars; I will not let you be the builder of a house for my name, because of the lives you have taken on the earth before my eyes.
9 But you will have a son who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him; for his name is to be Shlomo, and during his reign I will give peace [Hebrew: shalom] and quiet to Isra'el.
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But you will have a son who will be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from wars on every side. His name will be Solomon, and in his time I will give Israel peace and quiet;
10 It is he who will build a house for my name. He will be my son and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Isra'el forever.'
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He will be the builder of a house for my name; he will be to me a son, and I will be to him a father; and I will make the seat of his rule over Israel certain for ever.
11 "Now, my son, may ADONAI be with you and give you success as you build the house of ADONAI your God, in keeping with what he said about you.
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Now, my son, may the Lord be with you; and may you do well, and put up the house of the Lord your God, as he has said of you.
12 May ADONAI give you common sense and understanding, and may he give you his orders concerning Isra'el, so that you will observe the Torah of ADONAI your God.
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Only may the Lord give you wisdom, and knowledge of his orders for Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.
13 Then you will succeed, if you take care to obey the laws and rulings that ADONAI ordered Moshe concerning Isra'el. Be strong, be bold; don't be afraid or become discouraged!
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And all will go well for you, if you take care to keep the laws and the rules which the Lord gave to Moses for Israel: be strong and take heart; have no fear and do not be troubled.
14 "Now look: despite my difficulties, I have prepared for the house of ADONAI 3,300 tons of gold, 33,000 tons of silver, and so much bronze and iron that it can't be weighed. I've also prepared timber and stone, and you can add to it.
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Now see, poor though I am, I have got ready for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver; and a weight of brass and iron greater than may be measured; and wood and stone have I made ready, and you may put more to it.
15 Moreover, you have plenty of workers - quarrymen, stone-workers, lumbermen, and all kinds of skilled craftsmen to do whatever has to be done with
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And you have a great number of workmen, cutters and workers of stone and wood, and experts in every sort of work,
16 the gold, silver, bronze and iron-they're beyond number. So get up, and get to work! And may ADONAI be with you."
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In gold and silver and brass and iron more than may be numbered. Up! then, and to work; and may the Lord be with you.
17 David also ordered all the leaders of Isra'el to help Shlomo his son:
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Then David gave orders to all the chiefs of Israel to give their help to Solomon his son, saying,
18 "Isn't ADONAI your God with you? Hasn't he given you rest on every side? For he has put the inhabitants of the land under my power - the land has been subdued before ADONAI and his people.
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Is not the Lord your God with you? and has he not given you rest on every side? for the Lord has given the people of the land into my hands, and the land is overcome before the Lord and before his people.
19 Now set your heart and being on seeking ADONAI your God. Get up, and build the sanctuary for ADONAI, God. Then you can bring the ark for the covenant of ADONAI and the holy articles of God into the house that will be built for the name of ADONAI."
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Now give your heart and soul to the worship of the Lord your God; and get to work on the building of the holy place of the Lord God, so that you may put the ark of the Lord's agreement and the holy vessels of God in the house which is to be made for the name of the Lord.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.