וַיַּקְהֵל דָּוִיד אֶת־כָּל־שָׂרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שָׂרֵי הַשְּׁבָטִים וְשָׂרֵי הַמַּחְלְקוֹת הַמְשָׁרְתִים אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְשָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת וְשָׂרֵי כָל־רְכוּשׁ־וּמִקְנֶה לַמֶּלֶךְ וּלְבָנָיו עִם־הַסָּרִיסִים וְהַגִּבּוֹרִים וּלְכָל־גִּבּוֹר חָיִל אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

David assembled all the princes of Israel, as listed above, including the ministers of his government, the princes of the tribes, and the officials in charge of the divisions who served the king, the captains of the thousands, and the captains of the hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock of the king, and his sons, who gathered with the officers, and the mighty, and all the mighty warriors, to Jerusalem.

וַיָּקָם דָּוִיד הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־רַגְלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמָעוּנִי אַחַי וְעַמִּי אֲנִי עִם־לְבָבִי לִבְנוֹת בֵּית מְנוּחָה לַאֲרוֹן בְּרִית־ה' וְלַהֲדֹם רַגְלֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַהֲכִינוֹתִי לִבְנוֹת

King David rose on his feet, and said: Hear me, my brethren and my people. As for me, it was in my heart, it was my desire, my passion, to build a resting place for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and I prepared all that is required to build.

וְהָאֱלֹהִים אָמַר לִי לֹא־תִבְנֶה בַיִת לִשְׁמִי כִּי אִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת אַתָּה וְדָמִים שָׁפָכְתָּ

But God said to me: You shall not build a house to My name, because you are a man of war, and you have shed blood.

וַיִּבְחַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּי מִכֹּל בֵּית־אָבִי לִהְיוֹת לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם כִּי בִיהוּדָה בָּחַר לְנָגִיד וּבְבֵית יְהוּדָה בֵּית אָבִי וּבִבְנֵי אָבִי בִּי רָצָה לְהַמְלִיךְ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

The Lord, God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has long since chosen Judah to be ruler. It is possible that already during Jacob’s lifetime Judah was the leader of his brothers, even though he was not the firstborn and had not received any official appointment. And in the house of Judah, the house of my father was chosen, and among the sons of my father He preferred me to crown king over all Israel;

וּמִכָּל־בָּנַי כִּי רַבִּים בָּנִים נָתַן לִי ה' וַיִּבְחַר בִּשְׁלֹמֹה בְנִי לָשֶׁבֶת עַל־כִּסֵּא מַלְכוּת ה' עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

and from all my sons, as the Lord has given me numerous sons, He has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. The selection of Solomon was based both on David’s promise to Bathsheba and the message delivered to David by Natan the prophet at the time of Solomon’s birth.

וַיֹּאמֶר לִי שְׁלֹמֹה בִנְךָ הוּא־יִבְנֶה בֵיתִי וַחֲצֵרוֹתָי כִּי־בָחַרְתִּי בוֹ לִי לְבֵן וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה־לּוֹ לְאָב

He said to me: Solomon your son, he will build My house and My courtyards, as I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him.

וַהֲכִינוֹתִי אֶת־מַלְכוּתוֹ עַד־לְעוֹלָם אִם־יֶחֱזַק לַעֲשׂוֹת מִצְוֹתַי וּמִשְׁפָּטַי כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה

I will establish his kingdom forever, if he will be vigilant to perform My commandments and My ordinances, like this day. This stipulation, which will later be stated to Solomon as well, can be read as a broad statement directed to the people of Israel, but it might also have important practical implications for them, in that the people are obligated to monitor the king’s conduct and assess whether that conduct accords with the will of God.

וְעַתָּה לְעֵינֵי כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל קְהַל־ה' וּבְאָזְנֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ שִׁמְרוּ וְדִרְשׁוּ כָּל־מִצְוֹת ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם לְמַעַן תִּירְשׁוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה וְהִנְחַלְתֶּם לִבְנֵיכֶם אַחֲרֵיכֶם עַד־עוֹלָם

Now, I command before the eyes of all Israel, before you, the assembly of the Lord, and in the ears of our God, observe and seek all the commandments of the Lord your God, so that you may possess this good land in the years to come as well, and bequeath it to your children after you forever.

וְאַתָּה שְׁלֹמֹה־בְנִי דַּע אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי אָבִיךָ וְעָבְדֵהוּ בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם וּבְנֶפֶשׁ חֲפֵצָה כִּי כָל־לְבָבוֹת דּוֹרֵשׁ ה' וְכָל־יֵצֶר מַחֲשָׁבוֹת מֵבִין אִם־תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ יִמָּצֵא לָךְ וְאִם־תַּעַזְבֶנּוּ יַזְנִיחֲךָ לָעַד

The following two verses contain lofty ideas formulated in a poetic style. Some sections were stated by David publicly before the assembly, while others were stated in private. As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind; for God’s knowledge does not extend merely to man’s deeds, as the Lord also seeks out all hearts, and all inclinations of the thoughts He understands. If you seek and follow Him, He will be found for you, but if you forsake Him, He will abandon you forever.

רְאֵה עַתָּה כִּי־ה' בָּחַר בְּךָ לִבְנוֹת־בַּיִת לַמִּקְדָּשׁ חֲזַק וַעֲשֵׂה

See now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the Temple; be strong, and act.

וַיִּתֵּן דָּוִיד לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ אֶת־תַּבְנִית הָאוּלָם וְאֶת־בָּתָּיו וְגַנְזַכָּיו וַעֲלִיֹּתָיו וַחֲדָרָיו הַפְּנִימִים וּבֵית הַכַּפֹּרֶת

After informing Israel of his grand plans and explaining that it would be Solomon, and not he, who would realize them, David entrusts Solomon with this task in private as well. David gave Solomon his son the configuration of the Hall of the Temple, its houses, and its repositories [ganzakav], a word of Persian origin; its upper chambers and its inner chambers, and the place of the ark cover, the Holy of Holies;

וְתַבְנִית כֹּל אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בָרוּחַ עִמּוֹ לְחַצְרוֹת בֵּית־ה' וּלְכָל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת סָבִיב לְאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים וּלְאֹצְרוֹת הַקֳּדָשִׁים

and the configuration of everything that was with him through prophetic inspiration for the courtyards of the House of the Lord, and for all the surrounding chambers, for the treasuries of the House of God, and for the treasuries of the consecrated items; David had consolidated these plans with the assistance of the prophet Samuel.

וּלְמַחְלְקוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם וּלְכָל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבוֹדַת בֵּית־ה' וּלְכָל־כְּלֵי עֲבוֹדַת בֵּית־ה'

And for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, and for all the labor of the service of the House of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service of the House of the Lord. David also gave Solomon the designs of the vessels:

לַזָּהָב בַּמִּשְׁקָל לזָּהָב לְכָל־כְּלֵי עֲבוֹדָה וַעֲבוֹדָה לְכֹל כְּלֵי הַכֶּסֶף בְּמִשְׁקָל לְכָל־כְּלֵי עֲבוֹדָה וַעֲבוֹדָה

Of gold by the required weight for fashioning the gold for all vessels of each and every service; and similarly, for all the silver vessels by weight, for all vessels of each and every service. Solomon received detailed lists of the available materials and their use in each and every vessel.

וּמִשְׁקָל לִמְנֹרוֹת הַזָּהָב וְנֵרֹתֵיהֶם זָהָב בְּמִשְׁקַל מְנוֹרָה וּמְנוֹרָה וְנֵרֹתֶיהָ וְלִמְנֹרוֹת הַכֶּסֶף בְּמִשְׁקָל לִמְנוֹרָה וְנֵרֹתֶיהָ כַּעֲבוֹדַת מְנוֹרָה וּמְנוֹרָה

And the weight for the gold candelabra and their gold lamps, receptacles for oil, by a specific weight for each and every candelabrum and its lamps. Although there was only one candelabrum in the Tabernacle, and the commandment to kindle the lamps was fulfilled with that vessel alone, there were several gold candelabra in the Temple. And for the silver candelabra, by weight for the candelabrum and its lamps, according to the service of each and every candelabrum. In actual practice, nowhere is it stated that there were silver candelabra in the Temple, nor were there any decorative silver vessels in the Tabernacle.

וְאֶת־הַזָּהָב מִשְׁקָל לְשֻׁלְחֲנוֹת הַמַּעֲרֶכֶת לְשֻׁלְחָן וְשֻׁלְחָן וְכֶסֶף לְשֻׁלְחֲנוֹת הַכָּסֶף

And the gold by weight, which was for the tables of the arrangement, for the showbread, for each and every table; and silver for the tables of silver, which were used in various services;

וְהַמִּזְלָגוֹת וְהַמִּזְרָקוֹת וְהַקְּשָׂוֹת זָהָב טָהוֹר וְלִכְפוֹרֵי הַזָּהָב בְּמִשְׁקָל לִכְפוֹר וּכְפוֹר וְלִכְפוֹרֵי הַכֶּסֶף בְּמִשְׁקָל לִכְפוֹר וּכְפוֹר

and the forks, similar to pitchforks, for holding the meat of the offerings, and the basins, receptacles for the blood sprinkled on the altar, and the tubes, which formed a layered frame above the table on which the showbread was placed, or which were vessels for holding libations and the like, which were of pure gold, and for the golden bowls, or plates used as lids, by weight for each and every bowl, and for the silver bowls by weight for each and every bowl;

וּלְמִזְבַּח הַקְּטֹרֶת זָהָב מְזֻקָּק בַּמִּשְׁקָל וּלְתַבְנִית הַמֶּרְכָּבָה הַכְּרוּבִים זָהָב לפֹרְשִׂים וְסֹכְכִים עַל־אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־ה'

and for the altar of incense there was refined gold by weight, and gold for the configuration of the chariot, which is the cherubs, for spreading above and shielding the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

הַכֹּל בִּכְתָב מִיַּד ה' עָלַי הִשְׂכִּיל כֹּל מַלְאֲכוֹת הַתַּבְנִית

David summarizes: Everything in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me that made me wise, all the labors of the configuration. Solomon received not only instructions, but a complete and detailed plan, including both the architecture and the particulars of the contents of the structure. Although the Temple was not constructed in the same manner as the Tabernacle, in which every detail was given by direct order from God, David nevertheless emphasized that the plans he was presenting to his son were also divinely inspired. When Solomon later executed the project, he followed the plans he received from his father, even if those responsible in practice for its implementation were architects and craftsmen from Tyre.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ חֲזַק וֶאֱמַץ וַעֲשֵׂה אַל־תִּירָא וְאַל־תֵּחָת כִּי ה' אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהַי עִמָּךְ לֹא יַרְפְּךָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶךָּ עַד־לִכְלוֹת כָּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבוֹדַת בֵּית־ה'

There was concern that a young man facing a daunting project of that magnitude and complexity in the early years of his reign might grow anxious or postpone the project. Therefore, David said to Solomon his son: Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear, and do not be frightened. For the Lord God, my God, is with you; He will not fail you and will not forsake you, until the conclusion of all the labor of the service of the House of the Lord. Be assured that you will receive assistance from Heaven.

וְהִנֵּה מַחְלְקוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם לְכָל־עֲבוֹדַת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים וְעִמְּךָ בְכָל־מְלָאכָה לְכָל־נָדִיב בַּחָכְמָה לְכָל־עֲבוֹדָה וְהַשָּׂרִים וְכָל־הָעָם לְכָל־דְּבָרֶיךָ

Behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites, who are prepared for all the service of the House of God; they will be with you in any labor, all who are generous with their wisdom and volunteer their talents for all service, and the princes and all the people are there for all your directives. Everything is ready for you: the plans, the materials, and the human organization.