1 And so David called together all the leaders of Israel, the rulers of the tribes, and those in charge of the companies, who were ministering to the king, and also the tribunes and centurions, and those in charge of the substance and possessions of the king, and his sons, with the eunuchs and the powerful and those most experienced in the army, at Jerusalem.
2 And when the king had risen up and was standing, he said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I thought that I would build a house, in which the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the footstool of our God, might rest. And so I prepared everything for its building.
3 But God said to me: ‘You shall not build a house to my name, because you are a man of war, and have shed blood.’
4 Now the Lord God of Israel chose me, out of the entire house of my father, so that I would be king over Israel forever. For from Judah he chose leaders; then from the house of Judah he chose the house of my father; and from the sons of my father, it pleased him to choose me as king over all of Israel.
5 Then too, among my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) he chose Solomon my son, so that he would sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord, over Israel.
6 And he said to me: ‘Solomon your son shall build my house and my courts. For I have chosen him to be to me as a son, and I will be to him as a father.
7 And I will make firm his kingdom, even unto eternity, if he will persevere in doing my precepts and judgments, as also today.’
8 Now therefore, before the entire assembly of Israel, in the hearing of our God, keep and seek all the commandments of the Lord our God, so that you may possess the good land, and may bequeath it to your sons after you, even forever.
9 And as for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts, and understands the thoughts of all minds. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will cast you aside for eternity.
10 Now therefore, since the Lord has chosen you, so that you would build the house of the Sanctuary, be strengthened and accomplish it.”
11 Then David gave to his son Solomon a description of the portico, and the temple, and the storerooms, and the upper floor, and the innermost rooms, and the house of propitiation,
12 and indeed also of all the courts that he had planned, and the outer rooms on all sides, for the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and for the treasuries of the holy things,
13 and for the divisions of the priests and the Levites: concerning all the works of the house of the Lord and all the items in the ministry of the temple of the Lord.
14 There was gold by weight for every vessel of the ministry, and also silver by weight for the diversity of vessels and equipment.
15 Then too, he distributed gold for the lampstands and their lamps, according to the measure of each of the lampstands with their lamps. Similarly also, he distributed silver by weight for the silver lampstands with their lamps, according to the diversity of their measure.
16 Also, he gave gold for the tables of the presence, according to the diversity of the tables; similarly too, he gave silver for the other tables of silver.
17 Also, he distributed from the purest gold for the small hooks and the bowls and the censors, as well as for the little lions of gold, in accord with the precise measure of the weight, for lion after lion. Similarly too, for the lions of silver, he set aside a different weight of silver.
18 Then, for the altar on which the incense was burned, he gave the purest gold. And from the same he made the likeness of the chariot of the Cherubim, with extended wings, which is veiling the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
19 All these things, he said, “came to me written by the hand of the Lord, so that I would understand all the works of the pattern.”
20 David also said to his son Solomon: “Act manfully, and be strengthened, and carry it out. You should not be afraid, and you should not be dismayed. For the Lord my God will be with you, and he will not send you away, nor will he abandon you, until you have perfected the entire work of the ministry of the house of the Lord.
21 Behold, the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for every ministry of the house of the Lord, are standing before you. And they have been prepared, and so they know, both the leaders and the people, how to carry out all your precepts.”
1 And king David spoke to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one God has chosen, is still a tender boy. And yet the work is great, for a habitation is being prepared, not for man, but for God.
2 Now with all my ability, I have prepared the expenses for the house of my God: gold for items of gold, and silver for those of silver, brass for those of brass, iron for those of iron, and wood for those of wood, and stones of onyx, and stones like alabaster, and stones of diverse colors, and every kind of precious stone, and marble from Paros in great abundance.
3 And in addition to these things that I have offered into the house of my God, I give, from my own belongings, gold and silver for the temple of my God, aside from those things that I have prepared for the holy shrine:
4 three thousand talents of gold, from the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of highly-refined silver, for the gilding of the walls of the temple;
5 and gold for wherever there is need of gold, and silver for wherever there is need of silver, for the works to be done by the hands of the artisans. And if anyone freely offers, let him fill his hand this day, and let him offer whatever he wishes to the Lord.”
6 And so the leaders of the families, and the nobles of the tribes of Israel, as well as the tribunes and the centurions and the overseers of the king’s possessions, promised
7 and gave, for the works of the house of the Lord, five thousand talents and ten thousand pieces of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of brass, and also one hundred thousand talents of iron.
8 And whoever found precious stones among their belongings gave them to the treasuries of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.
9 And the people rejoiced, since they were promising their votive offerings willingly. For they were offering these to the Lord with all their heart. And king David also rejoiced with great gladness.
10 And he blessed the Lord before the entire multitude, and he said: “Blessed are you, O Lord God of Israel, our Father from eternity to eternity.
11 Yours, O Lord, is magnificence and power and glory, and also victory; and to you is praise. For all the things that are in heaven and on earth are yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are above all rulers.
12 Yours is wealth, and yours is glory. You have dominion over all things. In your hand is virtue and power. In your hand is greatness and authority over all things.
13 Now therefore, we confess to you, our God, and we praise your famous name.
14 Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to promise all these things to you? All is yours. And so the things that we received from your hand, we have given to you.
15 For we are sojourners and new arrivals before you, as all our fathers were. Our days upon the earth are like a shadow, and there is no delay.
16 O Lord our God, all this abundance, which we have prepared so that a house may be built to your holy name, is from your hand, and all things are yours.
17 I know, my God, that you test hearts, and that you love simplicity. Therefore, in the simplicity of my heart, I also have offered all these things joyfully. And I have seen, with immense gladness, your people, who have been found here, offering their donations to you.
18 O Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Israel, preserve unto eternity this desire of their heart, and let this purpose remain forever, for the worship of you.
19 Also, I give to my son Solomon a perfect heart, so that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your ceremonies, and so that he may accomplish all things, and may build the temple, for which I have prepared the expenses.”
20 Then David instructed the entire assembly: “Bless the Lord our God.” And the entire assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. And they bowed themselves, and they adored God, and next they reverenced the king.
21 And they immolated victims to the Lord. And they offered holocausts on the following day: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, one thousand lambs, with their libations and with every ritual, very abundantly, for all of Israel.
22 And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day, with great rejoicing. And they anointed Solomon, the son of David, a second time. And they anointed him to the Lord as the ruler, and Zadok as the high priest.
23 And Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord as king, in place of his father David, and it pleased everyone. And all of Israel obeyed him.
24 Moreover, all the leaders, and the powerful, and all the sons of king David pledged with their hand, and they became subject to king Solomon.
25 Then the Lord magnified Solomon over all of Israel. And he gave to him a glorious reign, of a kind such as no one has had before him, as king of Israel.
26 Now David, the son of Jesse, reigned over all of Israel.
27 And the days during which he reigned over Israel were forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
28 And he died at a good old age, full of days and wealth and glory. And his son Solomon reigned in his place.
29 Now the acts of king David, from the first to the last, have been written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,
30 concerning his entire reign and strength, and the times that passed under him, both in Israel and in all the kingdoms of the lands.
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1 In the third year of Cyrus, king of the Persians, a message was revealed to Daniel, called Belteshazzar, and a true word, and great strength. And he understood the message, for understanding is needed in a vision.
2 In those days, I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks of days.
3 I ate no desirable bread, and neither meat, nor wine, entered my mouth, neither was I anointed with ointment, until the three weeks of days were completed.
4 But on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was next to the great river, which is the Tigris.
5 And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw, and behold, one man clothed in linen, and his waist was wrapped with the finest gold,
6 and his body was like the golden stone, and his face had the appearance of lightning, and his eyes that of a burning lamp, and his arms and all that is downward all the way to the feet had the appearance of glowing brass, and his speaking voice was like the voice of a multitude.
7 But I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see it, but an exceedingly great terror rushed over them, and they fled into hiding.
8 And I, having been left alone, saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me, moreover, my appearance was altered, and I languished, not having any strength.
9 And I heard the voice of his words, and when I heard, I lay down in confusion on my face, and my face was close to the ground.
10 And behold, a hand touched me, and raised me onto my knees and the knuckles of my hands.
11 And he said to me, “Daniel, man of longing, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand yourself upright, for I am now sent to you.” And when he had said these words to me, I stood trembling.
12 And he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, because from the first day that you set your heart to understand, by afflicting yourself in the sight of your God, your words have been heeded, and I have arrived because of your words.
13 But the leader of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me for twenty-one days, and behold, Michael, one of the primary leaders, came to help me, and I remained there next to the king of the Persians.
14 But I have come to teach you what will happen to your people in the latter days, because the vision is for a long time from now.”
15 And while he was speaking words to me in this way, I cast my face down to the ground and was silent.
16 And behold, something in the likeness of a son of man touched my lips. Then, opening my mouth, I spoke and said to him who stood before me, “My lord, at the sight of you, my limbs became weak and no strength has remained in me.
17 And so, how can the servant of my lord speak with my lord? For no strength remains in me; and even my breathing is hindered.”
18 Therefore, he who looked like a man, touched me again and strengthened me.
19 And he said, “Fear not, O man of longing. May peace be with you. Take courage and be strong.” And when he spoke to me, I recovered, and I said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
20 And he said, “Do you not know why I have come to you? And next I will return, to fight against the leader of the Persians. When I was leaving, there appeared the leader of the Greeks arriving.
21 But, in truth, I announce to you what is expressed in the scripture of truth. And no one is my helper in all these things, except Michael your leader.”
1 For the same David, when his land was restored again to him. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne.
3 A fire shall go before him, and shall burn his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings have shone forth to the world: the earth saw and trembled.
5 The mountains melted like wax, at the presence of the Lord: at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declared his justice: and all people saw his glory.
7 Let them be all confounded that adore graven things, and that glory in their idols. Adore him, all you his angels:
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ; I am not lying. My conscience offers testimony to me in the Holy Spirit,
2 because the sadness within me is great, and there is a continuous sorrow in my heart.
3 For I was desiring that I myself might be anathemized from Christ, for the sake of my brothers, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh.
4 These are the Israelites, to whom belongs adoption as sons, and the glory and the testament, and the giving and following of the law, and the promises.
5 Theirs are the fathers, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all things, blessed God, for all eternity. Amen.
6 But it is not that the Word of God has perished. For not all those who are Israelites are of Israel.
7 And not all sons are the offspring of Abraham: “For your offspring will be invoked in Isaac.”
8 In other words, those who are the sons of God are not those who are sons of the flesh, but those who are sons of the Promise; these are considered to be the offspring.
9 For the word of promise is this: “I will return at the proper time. And there shall be a son for Sarah.”
10 And she was not alone. For Rebecca also, having conceived by Isaac our father, from one act,
11 when the children had not yet been born, and had not yet done anything good or bad (such that the purpose of God might be based on their choice),
12 and not because of deeds, but because of a calling, it was said to her: “The elder shall serve the younger.”
13 So also it was written: “I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.”
14 What should we say next? Is there unfairness with God? Let it not be so!
15 For to Moses he says: “I will pity whomever I pity. And I will offer mercy to whomever I will pity.”
16 Therefore, it is not based on those who choose, nor on those who excel, but on God who takes pity.
17 For Scripture says to the Pharaoh: “I have raised you up for this purpose, so that I may reveal my power by you, and so that my name may be announced to all the earth.”
18 Therefore, he takes pity on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 And so, you would say to me: “Then why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”
20 O man, who are you to question God? How can the thing that has been formed say to the One who formed him: “Why have you made me this way?”
21 And does not the potter have the authority over the clay to make, from the same material, indeed, one vessel unto honor, yet truly another unto disgrace?
22 What if God, wanting to reveal his wrath and to make his power known, endured, with much patience, vessels deserving wrath, fit to be destroyed,
23 so that he might reveal the wealth of his glory, within these vessels of mercy, which he has prepared unto glory?
24 And so it is with those of us whom he has also called, not only from among the Jews, but even from among the Gentiles,
25 just as he says in Hosea: “I will call those who were not my people, ‘my people,’ and she who was not beloved, ‘beloved,’ and she who had not obtained mercy, ‘one who has obtained mercy.’
26 And this shall be: in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they shall be called the sons of the living God.”
27 And Isaiah cried out on behalf of Israel: “When the number of the sons of Israel is like the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.
28 For he shall complete his word, while abbreviating it out of equity. For the Lord shall accomplish a brief word upon the earth.”
29 And it is just as Isaiah predicted: “Unless the Lord of hosts had bequeathed offspring, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made similar to Gomorrah.”
30 What should we say next? That the Gentiles who did not follow justice have attained justice, even the justice that is of faith.
31 Yet truly, Israel, though following the law of justice, has not arrived at the law of justice.
32 Why is this? Because they did not seek it from faith, but as if it were from works. For they stumbled over a stumbling block,
33 just as it was written: “Behold, I am placing a stumbling block in Zion, and a rock of scandal. But whoever believes in him shall not be confounded.”
