CHAPTER 28
1 Therefore David called together all the princes of Israel, the dukes of lineages, and the sovereigns of companies, that ministered to or served the king, also the tribunes, and centurions, and them that were sovereigns over the cattle, or chattel, and the possessions of the king, and his sons, with [the] eunuchs, and all the mighty and strong men in the host of Jerusalem.
2 And when the king had risen, and stood up, he said, My brethren and my people, hear ye me. I thought for to build an house, wherein the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, and the stool of the feet of our God, should rest; and I have made ready all things to build it.
3 But God said to me, Thou shalt not build an house to my name, for thou art a man warrior, and hast shed blood.
4 But the Lord God of Israel chose me of all the house of my father, that I should be king on Israel without end; for of Judah he hath chosen princes, soothly of the house of Judah, he hath chosen the house of my father, and of the sons of my father, it pleased him to choose me king on all Israel.
5 But also of my sons, for the Lord hath given to me many sons, he hath chosen Solomon, my son, that he should sit in the throne of the realm of the Lord on Israel.
6 And he said to me, Solomon, thy son, shall build mine house, and mine altars; for I have chosen him to me into a son, and I shall be to him into a father;
7 and I shall make steadfast his realm into without end, if he shall continue to do my behests and [my] dooms, as and today.
8 Now therefore before all the company of Israel, in the hearing of God, keep ye and seek ye all the commandments of your Lord God, that ye have in possession a good land, and that ye leave it to your sons after you into without end.
9 But thou, Solomon, my son, know [thou] the God of thy father, and serve thou him with perfect heart, and with a willful soul, or mind; for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and he understand-eth all the thoughts of souls; if thou seekest him, thou shalt find him; forsooth if thou forsakest him, he shall cast thee away without end.
10 Now therefore, for the Lord hath chosen thee, for to build the house of [the] saintuary, be thou comforted, and perform it.
11 And David gave to Solomon, his son, the describing, either the en-sample, of the porch of the temple, and of [the] cellars, and of the solar, and of [the]bed-closets in privy places, and of the house of propiti-ation, or of mercy doing, that is, of the holy of holy things, where the propitiatory was;
12 also and he gave him ensample of all things which he thought, of the large places, and of [the] chambers by compass, into the treasures [or treasuries] of the house of the Lord, and into the treasures [or treasuries] of [the] holy things,
13 and of the partings of [the] priests and deacons [or Levites], into all the works of the house of the Lord, and all [the] vessels of service of the temple of the Lord.
14 Of gold in weight by each vessel of service, and of silver, for [the] diversity of vessels, and of works;
15 but also to [the] golden candle-sticks, and to their lanterns, he gave gold, for the measure of each candle-stick, and of its lanterns; also and in [the] silveren candlesticks, and in their lanterns, he betook to them the weight of silver, for the diversity of measure of those.
16 And he gave gold into the board[s] of setting forth, for the diversity of measure, also and he gave silver into other silveren boards;
17 also to [the] fleshhooks, and vials, and to censers of purest gold; and to golden basins, for the manner of measure, he separated a weight into a basin and a basin; also and into silveren basins he separated diverse weight of silver.
18 And he gave most fine gold to the altar, wherein incense was burnt, that a likeness of the cart of cherubims, holding forth wings, and covering the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, should be made thereof.
19 And David said, All things came written by the hand of the Lord to me, that I should understand all the works of the exemplar or ensampler.
20 And David said to Solomon, his son, Do thou manly, and be thou comforted, and make; dread thou not withoutforth, neither dread thou within; for my Lord God shall be with thee, and he shall not leave thee, neither he shall forsake thee, till thou perform all the work of the service of the house of the Lord.
21 Lo! the partings of priests and of deacons [or Levites], into all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, shall stand nigh [to] thee; and they be ready to do their service, and both the princes and the people know to do all thy commandments.