s, inferior
and superior; how many they were to be, and how large in height and
in breadth; as also he determined the weight of the golden and silver
vessels: moreover, he earnestly excited them with his words to use
the utmost alacrity about the work; he exhorted the rulers also, and
particularly the tribe of Levi, to assist him, both because of his
youth, and because God had chosen him to take care of the building of
the temple, and of the government of the kingdom. He also declared
to them that the work would be easy, and not very laborious to them,
because he had prepared for it many talents of gold, and more of silver,
with timber, and a great many carpenters and stone-cutters, and a large
quantity of emeralds, and all sorts of precious stones; and he said,
that even now he would give of the proper goods of his own dominion two
hundred talents, and three hundred other talents of pure gold, for the
most holy place, and for the chariot of God, the cherubim, which are to
stand over and cover the ark. Now when David had done speaking, there
appeared great alacrity among the rulers, and the priests, and the
Levites, who now contributed and made great and splendid promises for a
future Contribution; for they undertook to bring of gold five thousand
talents, and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and
many ten thousand talents of iron; and if any one had a precious stone
he brought it, and bequeathed it to be put among the treasures; of which
Jachiel, one of the posterity of Moses, had the care.

10. Upon this occasion all the people rejoiced, as in particular did
David, when he saw the zeal and forward ambition of the rulers, and
the priests, and of all the rest; and he began to bless God with a loud
voice, calling him the Father and Parent of the universe, and the Author
of human and divine things, with which he had adorned Solomon, the
patron and guardian of the Hebrew nation, and of its happiness, and of
that kingdom which he hath given his son. Besides this, he prayed for
happiness to all the people; and to Solomon his son, a sound and a
righteous mind, and confirmed in all sorts of virtue; and then he
commanded the multitude to bless God; upon which they all fell down
upon the ground and worshipped him. They also gave thanks to David, on
account of all the blessings which they had received ever since he had
taken the kingdom. On the next day he presented sacrifices to God,
a thousand bullocks, an