nd commanders. Now every part had
twenty-four thousand, which were ordered to wait on Solomon, by thirty
days at a time, from the first day till the last, with the captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds. He also set rulers over every part,
such as he knew to be good and righteous men. He set others also to take
charge of the treasures, and of the villages, and of the fields, and
of the beasts, whose names I do not think it necessary to mention. When
David had ordered all these officers after the manner before mentioned,
he called the rulers of the Hebrews, and their heads of tribes, and the
officers over the several divisions, and those that were appointed over
every work, and every possession; and standing upon a high pulpit, he
said to the multitude as follows: "My brethren and my people, I would
have you know that I intended to build a house for God, and prepared a
large quantity of gold, and a hundred thousand talents of silver; but
God prohibited me by the prophet Nathan, because of the wars I had on
your account, and because my right hand was polluted with the slaughter
of our enemies; but he commanded that my son, who was to succeed me in
the kingdom, should build a temple for him. Now therefore, since you
know that of the twelve sons whom Jacob our forefather had Judah was
appointed to be king, and that I was preferred before my six brethren,
and received the government from God, and that none of them were uneasy
at it, so do I also desire that my sons be not seditious one against
another, now Solomon has received the kingdom, but to bear him
cheerfully for their lord, as knowing that God hath chosen him; for it
is not a grievous thing to obey even a foreigner as a ruler, if it be
God's will, but it is fit to rejoice when a brother hath obtained that
dignity, since the rest partake of it with him. And I pray that the
promises of God may be fulfilled; and that this happiness which he hath
promised to bestow upon king Solomon, over all the country, may continue
therein for all time to come. And these promises O son, will be firm,
and come to a happy end, if thou showest thyself to be a religious and
a righteous man, and an observer of the laws of thy country; but if not,
expect adversity upon thy disobedience to them."

9. Now when the king had said this, he left off; but gave the
description and pattern of the building of the temple in the sight of
them all to Solomon: of the foundations and of the chamber