From the Death of Saul to the Death of David - Flavius Josephus

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 chambers, 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
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