1. David commanded all the leaders of Israel to come to Jerusalem. There were the leaders of the tribes, commanders of the divisions serving the king, commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, leaders who took care of the property and animals that belonged to the king and his sons, men over the palace, the powerful men, and all the brave warriors.
2. King David stood up and said, “Listen to me, my relatives and my people. I wanted to build a place to keep the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. I wanted it to be God’s footstool. So I made plans to build a temple.
3. But God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple for worshiping me, because you are a soldier and have killed many people.’
4. “But the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king of Israel forever. He chose the tribe of Judah to lead, and from the people of Judah, he chose my father’s family. From that family God was pleased to make me king of Israel.
5. The Lord has given me many sons, and from those sons he has chosen Solomon to be the new king of Israel. Israel is the Lord’s kingdom.