Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple.

<p class="poetry">For all the gods of the nations are worthless,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but the <sc>Lordsc> made the heavens.<n id="2" />p>

But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors<n id="1" /> and worshiped instead<n id="2" /> the gods of the native peoples<n id="3" /> whom God had destroyed before them.

The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.

<p class="bodytext">He summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a temple for the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.

For David said, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel has given his people rest and has permanently settled in Jerusalem.<n id="1" />

He told them: &#8220;You are the leaders of the Levites&#8217; families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves and bring the ark of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel up to the place I have prepared for it.

He appointed some of the Levites to serve before the ark of the <sc>Lordsc>, to offer prayers, songs of thanks, and hymns to the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.

<p class="poetry">Say this prayer:<n id="1" /> &#8220;Deliver us, O God who delivers us!p> <p class="poetry">Gather us! Rescue us from the nations!p> <p class="poetry">Then we will give thanks<n id="2" /> to your holy name,p> <p class="poetry">and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">May the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel be praised,p> <p class="poetry">in the future and forevermore.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Then all the people said, &#8220;We agree!<n id="2" /> Praise the <sc>Lordsc>!&#8221;p>

so<n id="1" /> it may become a reality<n id="2" /> and you may gain lasting fame,<n id="3" /> as people say,<n id="4" /> &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies is the God of Israel.&#8217;<n id="5" /> David&#8217;s dynasty<n id="6" /> will be established before you,

for you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a dynasty<n id="1" /> for him. That is why your servant has had the courage to pray to you.<n id="2" />

David said to Solomon: &#8220;My son, I really wanted<n id="1" /> to build a temple to honor<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc> my God.

<p class="bodytext">This was the order in which they carried out their assigned responsibilities when they entered the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple, according to the regulations given them by their ancestor<n id="1" /> Aaron, just as the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel had instructed him.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">David praised the <sc>Lordsc> before the entire assembly:<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;O <sc>Lordsc> God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore!

O <sc>Lordsc> God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, maintain the motives of your people and keep them devoted to you.<n id="1" />

So the God of Israel stirred up<n id="1" /> King Pul of Assyria (that is, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria),<n id="2" /> and he carried away the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh and took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this very day.p>

David went out to meet them and said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;If you come to me in peace and want to help me, then I will make an alliance with you.<n id="2" /> But if you come to betray me to my enemies when I have not harmed you,<n id="3" /> may the God of our ancestors<n id="4" /> take notice and judge!&#8221;

David said to God, &#8220;Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am the one who sinned and committed this awful deed!<n id="1" /> As for these sheep &#8211; what have they done? O <sc>Lordsc> my God, attack me and my family,<n id="2" /> but remove the plague from your people!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel chose me out of my father&#8217;s entire family to become king over Israel and have a permanent dynasty.<n id="1" /> Indeed,<n id="2" /> he chose Judah as leader, and my father&#8217;s family within Judah, and then he picked me out from among my father&#8217;s sons and made me king over all Israel.<n id="3" />