I Chronicles 29

¹And kyng Dauid spak to al the chirche, God hath chose Salomon, my sone, yit a child and tendre; forsothe the werk is greet, and a dwellyng is not maad redi to man but to God.

²Sotheli Y in alle my myytis haue maad redi the costis of the hows of my God; gold to goldun vessels, siluer in to siluerne vessels, bras in to brasun vessels, irun in to irun vessels, tre in to trenun vessels, onychyn stonys, and stonys as of the colour of wymmens oynement, and ech precious stoon of dyuerse colouris, and marbil of dyuerse colouris, most plenteuously.

³And ouer these thingis Y yyue gold and siluer in to the temple of my God, whiche Y offride of my propir catel in to the hows of my God, outakun these thingis whiche Y made redi in to the hooli hows,

⁴thre thousynde talentis of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seuene thousynde of talentis of siluer most preuyd, to ouergilde the wallis of the temple;

⁵and werkis be maad bi the hondis of crafti men, where euere gold is nedeful, of gold, and where euere siluer is nedeful, of siluer; and if ony man offrith bi his fre wille, fille he his hond to dai, and offre he that that he wole to the Lord.

⁶Therfor the princes of meynees, and the duykis of the lynagis of Israel, and the tribunes, and the centuriouns, and the princes of the possessiouns of the kyng, bihiyten;

⁷and thei yauen in to the werkis of the hows of the Lord, fyue thousynde talentis of gold, and ten thousynde schyllyngis; ten thousynde talentis of siluer, and eiytene thousynde talentis of bras, and an hundrid thousynde of talentis of irun.

⁸And at whom euere stoonys were foundun, thei yauen in to the tresour of the hows of the Lord, bi the hond of Jehiel Gersonyte.

⁹And the puple was glad, whanne thei bihiyten avowis bi her fre wille, for with al the herte thei offriden tho to the Lord. But also kyng Dauid was glad with greet ioye, and blesside the Lord bifor al the multitude,

¹⁰and seide, Lord God of Israel, oure fadir, thou art blessid fro with outen bigynnyng in to with outen ende;

¹¹Lord, worthi doyng is thin, and power, and glorie, and victorie, and heriyng is to thee; for alle thingis that ben in heuene and in erthe ben thine; Lord, the rewme is thin, and thou art ouer alle princes; ritchessis ben thin, and glorie is thin;

¹²thou art Lord of alle; in thin hond is vertu, and power, and in thin hond is greetnesse, and lordschipe of alle.

¹³Now therfor, oure God, we knoulechen to thee, and we herien thi noble name.

¹⁴Who am Y, and who is my puple, that we moun bihete alle these thingis to thee? Alle thingis ben thine, and we han youe to thee tho thingis, whiche we token of thin hond.

¹⁵For we ben pilgrimes and comelyngis bifor thee, as alle oure fadris; oure daies ben as schadewe on the erthe, and `no dwellyng is.

¹⁶Oure Lord God, al this plentee which we han maad redi, that an hows schulde be byldid to thin hooli name, is of thin hond; and alle thingis ben thin.

¹⁷My God, Y woot, that thou preuest hertis, and louest symplenesse of herte; wherfor and Y, in the symplenesse of myn herte, haue offrid gladli alle these thingis; and Y siy with greet ioye thi puple, which is foundun here, offre yiftis to thee.

¹⁸Lord God of Abraham, and of Ysaac, and of Israel, oure fadris, kepe thou with outen ende this wille of her hertis; and this mynde dwelle euere in to the worschipyng of thee.

¹⁹Also yyue thou to Salomon, my sone, a perfit herte, that he kepe thin heestis, and witnessyngis, and thi ceremonyes; and do alle thingis, and that he bilde the hows, whose costis Y haue maad redi.

²⁰Forsothe Dauid comaundide to al the chirche, Blesse ye `oure Lord God. And al the chirche blesside the Lord God of her fadris, and thei bowiden hem silf, and worschipiden God, aftirward the kyng.

²¹And thei offriden slayn sacrifices to the Lord, and thei offriden brent sacrifices in the dai suynge; a thousynde boolis, and a thousynde rammes, and a thousynde lambren, with her fletynge sacrifices, and al the custom, most plenteuously, in to al Israel.

²²And thei eten and drunken bifor the Lord in that dai, with greet gladnesse. And thei anoyntiden the secounde tyme Salomon, the sone of Dauid; and thei anoyntiden hym in to prince to the Lord, and Sadoch in to bischop.

²³And Salomon sat on the trone of the Lord in to kyng, for Dauid, his fadir; and it pleside alle men, and al Israel obeiede to hym.

²⁴But also alle princes, and myyti men, and alle the sones of kyng Dauid, yauen hond, and weren suget to `Salomon the kyng.

²⁵Therfor the Lord magnefiede Salomon on al Israel, and yaue to hym glorie of the rewme, what maner glorie no kyng of Israel hadde bifor hym.

²⁶Therfor Dauid, the sone of Ysai, regnede on al Israel;

²⁷and the daies in whiche he regnede on Israel weren fourti yeer; in Ebron he regnede seuene yeer, and in Jerusalem thre and thretti yeer.

²⁸And he diede in good eelde, and was ful of daies, and richessis, and glorie; and Salomon, his sone, regnede for hym.

²⁹Forsothe the formere and the laste dedis of Dauid ben writun in the book of Samuel, the prophete, and in the book of Nathan, prophete, and in the book of Gad, the prophete;

³⁰and of al his rewme, and strengthe, and tymes, that passiden vndur hym, ethir in Israel, ethir in alle rewmes of londis.

I Chronicles 29

¹Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

²Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

³Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

⁴Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:

⁵The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?

⁶Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,

⁷And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

⁸And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.

⁹Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

¹⁰Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

¹¹Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

¹²Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

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

¹⁴But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

¹⁵For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

¹⁶O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

¹⁷I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

¹⁸O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

¹⁹And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.

²⁰And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king.

²¹And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:

²²And did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the Lord to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.

²³Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

²⁴And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.

²⁵And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

²⁶Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

²⁷And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

²⁸And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

²⁹Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,

³⁰With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.