Joab replied, &#8220;May the <sc>Lordsc> make his army<n id="1" /> a hundred times larger! My master, O king, do not all of them serve my master? Why does my master want to do this? Why bring judgment on Israel?&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

David said to Gad, &#8220;I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the <sc>Lordsc>, for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!&#8221;<n id="1" />

David looked up and saw the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.<n id="1" />

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>

David said to Ornan, &#8220;Sell me the threshing floor<n id="1" /> so I can build<n id="2" /> on it an altar for the <sc>Lordsc> &#8211; I&#8217;ll pay top price<n id="3" /> &#8211; so that the plague may be removed<n id="4" /> from the people.&#8221;

King David replied to Ornan, &#8220;No, I insist on buying it for top price.<n id="1" /> I will not offer to the <sc>Lordsc> what belongs to you or offer a burnt sacrifice<n id="2" /> that cost me nothing.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">David said, &#8220;My son Solomon is just an inexperienced young man,<n id="1" /> and the temple to be built for the <sc>Lordsc> must be especially magnificent so it will become famous and be considered splendid by all the nations.<n id="2" /> Therefore I will make preparations for its construction.&#8221; So David made extensive preparations before he died.p>

But the <sc>Lordsc> said to me:<n id="1" /> &#8216;You have spilled a great deal of blood and fought many battles. You must not build a temple to honor me,<n id="2" /> for you have spilled a great deal of blood on the ground before me.

Then you will succeed, if you carefully obey the rules and regulations which the <sc>Lordsc> ordered Moses to give to Israel.<n id="1" /> Be strong and brave! Don&#8217;t be afraid and don&#8217;t panic!<n id="2" />

Now, look, I have made every effort to supply what is needed to build the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="1" /> I have stored up 100,000 talents<n id="2" /> of gold, 1,000,000<n id="3" /> talents of silver, and so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, as well as wood and stones. Feel free to add more!

<p class="bodytext">The sons of Amram:p> <p class="bodytext">Aaron and Moses.p> <p class="bodytext">Aaron and his descendants were chosen on a permanent basis to consecrate the most holy items, to offer sacrifices before the <sc>Lordsc>, to serve him, and to praise his name.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and were twenty years old and up.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Their job was to help Aaron&#8217;s descendants in the service of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God&#8217;s temple.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">From the sons of Jeduthun:<n id="1" /> Gedaliah, Zeri,<n id="2" /> Jeshaiah,<n id="3" /> Hashabiah, and Mattithiah &#8211; six in all,<n id="4" /> under supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied as he played a harp, giving thanks and praise to the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="bodytext">All of these were under the supervision of their fathers; they were musicians in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple, playing cymbals and stringed instruments as they served in God&#8217;s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the supervision of the king.

<p class="bodytext">As for the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 respected men, were assigned responsibilities in Israel west of the Jordan; they did the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s work and the king&#8217;s service.p>

<p class="bodytext">King David rose to his feet and said: &#8220;Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I wanted to build a temple where the ark of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s covenant could be placed as a footstool for our God.<n id="1" /> I have made the preparations for building it.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;And you, Solomon my son, obey<n id="1" /> the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit,<n id="2" /> for the <sc>Lordsc> examines all minds and understands every motive of one&#8217;s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him,<n id="3" /> but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently.

<t /><p class="bodytext">King David said to the entire assembly: &#8220;My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an inexperienced young man,<n id="1" /> and the task is great, for this palace is not for man, but for the <sc>Lordsc> God.

The <sc>Lordsc> greatly magnified Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him greater majesty than any king of Israel before him.<n id="1" />p>