14 Then while all the people stood there, the king turned around and pronounced a blessing on all Israel, 15 saying, “Blessed is Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke audibly to my father David, and then put into action the promise he’d given, 16 ‘From the day when I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn’t choose a city from among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in so that my name would be established there. Instead I chose David to lead my people Israel.’ ”[ref]

17 Shelomoh continued, “My father David wanted to build a temple to confirm Yahweh’s power and authority here.[ref] 18 However, Yahweh told him that it was good that he wanted to build a temple for him, 19 however he wouldn’t be the one to build it, because it would be his biological son who would do it.[ref]

20 Now Yahweh has put his promise into action, and I’m here now having succeeded my father David—sitting on Israel’s throne just as Yahweh said, and I’ve been the one to build the residence for Israel’s God Yahweh. 21 I’ve included a place for the box containing the two stone tablets with the agreement that Yahweh made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”