Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners^(A) residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters^(B) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. ³ He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.^{(C) 4} He also provided more cedar logs^(D) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

⁵ David said, “My son Solomon is young^(E) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor^(F) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

¹⁴ “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents^[a] of gold, a million talents^[b] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.^{(A) 15} You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,^(B) as well as those skilled in every kind of work ¹⁶ in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen^(C) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”