1 Chronicles 28

And David assembled in Jerusalem all the rulers of Israel, the rulers of the judges, and the rulers of the divisions that attended the person of the king, and the rulers of thousands and of hundreds, and the treasurers, and those over his possessions, and the men of power, and the warriors of the army.

And David stood in the midst of the assembly and said: Hear me, my brothers and my people. It came upon my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and a standing-place for the feet of our Lord; and I made ready what was suitable for the dwelling place.

But God said: You shall not build me a house to put my name upon it, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.

Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father's house to be king over Israel for ever; and in Judah he chose the kingdom, and out of the house of Judah the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he was pleased with me, to make me king over all Israel.

And from among all my sons, for the Lord gave me many sons, he chose Salomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

And God said to me: Salomon your son shall build my house and my court, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be a father to him.

And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he is strong to keep my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.

And now, before the face of all the assembly of the Lord and in the ears of our God, keep and seek out all the commandments of the Lord our God, that you may inherit the good land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons after you for ever.

And now, Salomon my son, know the God of your fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing soul; for the Lord searches all hearts and knows every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you utterly.

See now, therefore, that the Lord has chosen you to build him a house for a sanctuary. Be strong and act.

And David gave Salomon his son the pattern of the temple, and of its houses, and of its zakcho, and of its upper rooms, and of its inner storerooms, and of the house of atonement;

and the pattern which he had in his spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of those for the storerooms of the house of the Lord, and of the storerooms of the holy things;

and of the lodgings of the courses of the priests and of the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and of the storerooms for the vessels of service used in the worship of the house of the Lord;

and the weight of the bulk of them, both of the golden and of the silver;

the weight of the lampstands he gave him, and of the lamps;

he likewise gave him the weight of the tables of the presentation, for each golden table, and likewise of the silver ones;

and of the flesh-hooks and the libation vessels and the golden bowls, and the weight of the golden and the silver kephphoure, each by its weight;

and the weight of the altar of incense, of tested gold, he showed him, and the pattern of the chariot of the cherubim that spread out their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

All this was in the writing of the Lord's hand; David gave it to Salomon according to the understanding that had come to him for carrying out the pattern.

And David said to Salomon his son: Be strong and courageous and act; do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord my God is with you. He will not let you go nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work of the service of the house of the Lord.

And behold, the courses of the priests and of the Levites are for all the service of the house of God; and with you in every undertaking is every willing man skilled in every craft; and the rulers and all the people are at all your words.