Make an offering to the LORD. Everyone who wishes to do so is to bring an offering of gold, silver, or bronze;

All who wanted to, both men and women, brought decorative pins, earrings, rings, necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry and dedicated them to the LORD.

They also made thread of goats' hair.

All the people of Israel who wanted to brought their offering to the LORD for the work which he had commanded Moses to do.

"Tell the Israelites to make an offering to me. Receive whatever offerings anyone wishes to give.

Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled men to whom the LORD had given ability and who were willing to help, and Moses told them to start working.

Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you rulers! I will sing and play music to Israel's God, the LORD.

My heart is with the commanders of Israel, with the people who gladly volunteered. Praise the LORD!

Lead on, Deborah, lead on! Lead on! Sing a song! Lead on! Forward, Barak son of Abinoam, lead your captives away!

LORD Almighty, God of Israel! I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings.

David stood before them and addressed them: "My friends, listen to me. I wanted to build a permanent home for the Covenant Box, the footstool of the LORD our God. I have made preparations for building a temple to honor him,

And to Solomon he said, "My son, I charge you to acknowledge your father's God and to serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind. He knows all our thoughts and desires. If you go to him, he will accept you; but if you turn away from him, he will abandon you forever.

Over and above all this that I have provided, I have given silver and gold from my personal property because of my love for God's Temple.

and for all the objects which the skilled workers are to make. Now who else is willing to give a generous offering to the LORD?"

Then the heads of the clans, the officials of the tribes, the commanders of the army, and the administrators of the royal property volunteered to give

The people had given willingly to the LORD, and they were happy that so much had been given. King David also was extremely happy.

"Yet my people and I cannot really give you anything, because everything is a gift from you, and we have only given back what is yours already.

I know that you test everyone's heart and are pleased with people of integrity. In honesty and sincerity I have willingly given all this to you, and I have seen how your people who are gathered here have been happy to bring offerings to you.

LORD God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, keep such devotion forever strong in your people's hearts and keep them always faithful to you.

Then the heads of the clans of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone else whose heart God had moved got ready to go and rebuild the LORD's Temple in Jerusalem.

All their neighbors helped them by giving them many things: silver utensils, gold, supplies, pack animals, other valuables, and offerings for the Temple.

Ezra said, "Praise the LORD, the God of our ancestors! He has made the emperor willing to honor in this way the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.

On the day you fight your enemies, your people will volunteer. Like the dew of early morning your young men will come to you on the sacred hills.

Their ruler will come from their own nation, their prince from their own people. He will approach me when I invite him, for who would dare come uninvited? They will be my people, and I will be their God. I, the LORD, have spoken."

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

You snakes---how can you say good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

If you are eager to give, God will accept your gift on the basis of what you have to give, not on what you don't have.

You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly.