1 Paralipomenon 29 — Church Fathers

4 Kings

Chapter 28

2 Paralipomenon

Chapter 29

1 Paralipomenon 29:1-30

FROM DAVID TO SOLOMON

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1 And David the king spake to all the assembly: Salomon my son alone hath God chosen, as yet a child and a little tender one: for the work is great, neither is the habitation prepared for man, but for God.

2 And I with all my ability have prepared the expenses of the house of my God. Gold for vessels of gold, and silver for them of silver, brass for them of brass, iron for them of iron, wood for them of wood: and onyx stones, and as it were stibians, and of diverse colours, and every precious stone, and marble of Paros most abundantly: 1 note

3 and above these things, which I have offered into the house of my God, I give of mine own peculiar goods, gold & silver unto the temple of my God, beside those things, which I have prepared for the holy house:

4 Three thousand talents of gold of the gold of Ophir: and seven thousand talents of most approved silver, to guilt the walls of the temple.

5 And wheresoever there needeth gold, of gold: and wheresoever there needeth silver, of silver: let the works be made by the hands of the artificers: and if any man offer voluntarily, let him fill his hand today, and offer what he will to our Lord.

6 The Princes therefore of the families promised, and the nobles of the tribes of Israel, the tribunes also and the centurions, and the Princes of the king's possessions.

7 And they gave unto the works of the house of our Lord, of gold, five thousand talents, and ten thousand solidos: of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents: of iron also an hundred thousand talents.

8 And with whomsoever were found stones, they gave them into the treasures of the house of our Lord, by the hand of Jahiel the Gersonite.

9 And the people rejoiced, when they promised vows of their own accord: because they did offer them to our Lord with all their heart: yea and David the king rejoiced with great joy.

10 And he blessed our Lord before all the multitude, and he said: Blessed art thou, o Lord the God of Israel, our father, from eternity unto eternity.

11 Thine o Lord is the magnificence, and might, and glory, and victory: and to thee is the praise: for all things that be in heaven, and in the earth, are thine: thine o Lord is the Kingdom, & thou art over all Princes.

12 Thine are riches and thine is glory: thou hast dominion over all, in thy hand is power and might: in thy hand greatness, and the empire of all things.

13 Now therefore our God we confess to thee, and we praise thy glorious name.

14 Who am I, and what is my people, that we can promise thee all these things? All are thine: and things that we received of thy hand, we have given thee.

15 For we are pilgrims before thee, and strangers, as all our fathers. Our days are as a shadow upon the earth, and there is no abiding.

16 Lord our God, all this plenty, which we have prepared that a house might be built to thy holy name, is of thy hand, and all things are thine.

17 I know my God that thou provest the hearts, and lovest simplicity, wherefore I also in the simplicity of my heart, gladly have offered all these things: and thy people, which is here found, I have seen with great joy offer thee donaries.

18 Lord God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel our fathers, keep for ever this will of their heart, and let this mind remain always to the honour of thee.

19 To Salomon also my son give a perfect heart, that he keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy ceremonies, and do all things: and build the house, the expenses whereof I have prepared.

20 And David commanded the whole assembly: Bless ye our Lord God. And all the assembly blessed our Lord the God of their fathers: and they bowed themselves, & adored God, and then the king.

21 And they immolated victim to our Lord: and they offered holocausts the day following, oxen a thousand, rams a thousand, lambs a thousand with their libaments, and with all rite most aboundantly for all Israel.

22 And they did eat, and drink before our Lord in that day with great joy. And they anointed the second time Salomon the son of David. And they anointed him to our Lord for the Prince, and Sadoc for the high Priest.

23 And Salomon sat upon the throne of our Lord as king for David his father, and he pleased all: and all Israel obeyed him.

24 Yea and all the princes, and men of might, and all the sons of king David gave their hand, and were subject to Salomon the king.

25 Our Lord therefore magnified Salomon over all Israel: & gave him the glory of a Kingdom, such as no king of Israel had before him.

26 David therefore the son of Isai reigned over all Israel.

27 And the days that he reigned over Israel, were forty years: in Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem three & thirty years.

28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, and riches, & glory. And Salomon his son reigned for him.

29 But the acts of king David the first and the last are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer, and in the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the Volume of Gad the Seer:

30 and of all his Kingdom, and strength, and of the times, that passed under him, either in Israel, or in all the Kingdoms of the earth.

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1 Paralipomenon 29:1-30 1 entry

FROM DAVID TO SOLOMON

THE STONES FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE.

St. Bede the Venerable (c. 672–735) verse 2

What color the stones were with which the temple was made is openly stated in the book of Paralipomenon when David said to Solomon on showing him the materials of the temple that he had procured, I have prepared all manner of precious stones and marble of Paros in great abundance. White marble is called Parian marble because it was produced on the island of that name. Hence the poet writes of it: [past the] Isle of Olives, and then past snow-white Paros and the Cyclades sprinkled about the sea we sped o’er the waters tossed by many a wind.^[1]

On the Temple 1.4.5