6 Then the princes of the fathers’ households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king’s work, offered willingly; 7 and they gave for the service of God’s house of gold five thousand talents§ and ten thousand darics,† of silver ten thousand talents, of bronze eighteen thousand talents, and of iron one hundred thousand talents. 8 People with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the LORD’s house, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced, because they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD; and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
10 Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said, “You are blessed, LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all! In your hand is power and might! It is in your hand to make great, and to give strength to all! 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. 14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and we have given you of your own. 15 For we are strangers before you and foreigners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no remaining. 16 LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build you a house for your holy name comes from your hand, and is all your own. 17 I know also, my God, that you try the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. Now I have seen with joy your people, who are present here, offer willingly to you. 18 LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart for you; 19 and give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the LORD your God!”
All the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD and the king. 21 They sacrificed sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the next day after that day, even one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel, 22 and ate and drank before the LORD on that day with great gladness. They made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the LORD to be prince, and Zadok to be priest.
23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the princes, the mighty men, and also all of the sons of King David submitted themselves to Solomon the king. 25 The LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and gave to him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
26 Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer, 30 with all his reign and his might, and the events that involved him, Israel, and all the kingdoms of the lands.
† 2:3: When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name (Hebrew “יהוה”, usually pronounced Yahweh).
† 4:9: “Jabez” sounds similar to the Hebrew word for “pain”.
‡ 4:10: The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
§ 4:13: Greek and Vulgate add “and Meonothai”
† 7:23: “Beriah” is similar to the Hebrew word for “misfortune”.
† 9:1: “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
† 11:23: A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimetres. Therefore this Egyptian was about 7 feet and 6 inches or 2.28 metres tall.
† 14:11: “Baal Perazim” means “The Lord who breaks out”.
† 16:13: or, seed
† 19:6: A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds, so 1000 talents is about 30 metric tonnes
‡ 19:16: or, the Euphrates River
† 20:2: A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces
† 21:25: A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 600 shekels was about 6 kilograms or about 192 Troy ounces.
† 22:14: A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 100,000 talents is about 3 metric tonnes
‡ 22:14: about 30,000 metric tonnes
† 29:4: A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 3000 talents is about 90 metric tonnes
‡ 29:4: about 210 metric tonnes
§ 29:7: A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 5000 talents is about 150 metric tonnes
† 29:7: a daric was a gold coin issued by a Persian king, weighing about 8.4 grams or about 0.27 troy ounces each.
2 Chronicles
The Second Book of Chronicles
1
1 Solomon the son of David was firmly established in his kingdom, and the LORD† his God‡ was with him, and made him exceedingly great.
2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. 3 Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which the LORD’s servant Moses had made in the wilderness. 4 But David had brought God’s ark up from Kiriath Jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. 5 Moreover the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the LORD’s tabernacle; and Solomon and the assembly were seeking counsel there. 6 Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the Tent of Meeting, and offered one thousand burnt offerings on it.
7 That night, God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for what you want me to give you.”
8 Solomon said to God, “You have shown great loving kindness to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, LORD God, let your promise to David my father be established; for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, honour, or the life of those who hate you, nor yet have you asked for long life; but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. I will give you riches, wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had who have been before you, and none after you will have.”
13 So Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting, to Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.
14 Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he placed in the
