He summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel.

David said to Solomon: “My son, I really wanted to build a temple to honor the Lord my God.

When David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under a tent.”

David consulted with his military officers, including those who led groups of a thousand and those who led groups of a hundred.

David took the crown from the head of their king and wore it (its weight was a talent of gold and it was set with precious stones). He took a large amount of plunder from the city.

Look, you will have a son, who will be a peaceful man. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. Indeed, Solomon will be his name; I will give Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

There was another battle with the Philistines in which Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom.

They transported the ark on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart,

Sheshan gave his daughter to his servant Jarha as a wife; she bore him Attai.

Elihu, a brother of David, led Judah, Omri son of Michael led Issachar,

For I have not lived in a house from the time I brought Israel up from Egypt to the present day. I have lived in a tent that has been in various places.

And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation in the earth? Their God went to claim a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great and awesome deeds when you drove out nations before your people whom you had delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods.

For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.

But the Lord said to me: ‘You have spilled a great deal of blood and fought many battles. You must not build a temple to honor me, for you have spilled a great deal of blood on the ground before me.

David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem.

This is the list of David’s warriors: Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of the officers. He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle.

He was a descendant of Perez; he was in charge of all the army officers for the first month.

The ninth, assigned the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite. His division consisted of 24,000 men.

They held a feast before the Lord that day and celebrated. Then they designated Solomon, David’s son, as king a second time; before the Lord they anointed him as ruler and Zadok as priest.

“Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must not build me a house in which to live.