1Kgs 8
1
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the
princes of the fathers` [houses] of the children of Israel, to king Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the covenant of YHWH out of the city of David, which is Zion.
2
And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon at the feast, in the
month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3
And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
4
And they brought up the ark of YHWH, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels
that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up.
5
And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled to him, were
with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor
numbered for multitude.
6
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of YHWH to its place, into the
oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim.
7
For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim
covered the ark and its staffs above.
8
And the staffs were so long that the ends of the staffs were seen from the holy place
before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there they are to this day.
9
There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at
Horeb, when YHWH made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of
the land of Egypt.
10
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud
filled the house of YHWH,
11
so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory
of YHWH filled the house of YHWH.
12
Then spoke Solomon, YHWH has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
13
I have surely built you a house of habitation, a place for you to dwell in for ever.
14
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all
the assembly of Israel stood.
15
And he said, Blessed be YHWH, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David
your father, and has with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
16
Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city
out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be there; but
I chose David to be over my people Israel.
17
Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of YHWH,
the God of Israel.
18
But YHWH said to David my father, Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for
my name, you did well that it was in your heart:
19
nevertheless you shall not build the house; but your son that shall come forth out
of your loins, he shall build the house for my name.
20
And YHWH has established his word that he spoke; for I am risen up in the room of
David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as YHWH promised, and have built
the house for the name of YHWH, the God of Israel.
21
And there have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of YHWH, which he
made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
22
And Solomon stood before the altar of YHWH in the presence of all the assembly of
Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;
23
and he said, O YHWH, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above,
or on earth beneath; who keep covenant and lovingkindness with your servants, that
walk before you with all their heart;
24
who have kept with your servant David my father that which you did promise him: yea,
you spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day.
25
Now therefore, O YHWH, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that
which you have promised him, saying, There shall not fail you a man in my sight to
sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk
before me as you have walked before me.
26
Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word, I pray you, be verified, which you
spoke to your servant David my father.
27
But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
28
Yet have you respect to the prayer of your servant, and to his supplication, O YHWH
my God, to hearken to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you
this day;
29
that your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place
whereof you have said, My name shall be there; to hearken to the prayer which your
servant shall pray toward this place.
30
And hearken you to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when
they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear you in heaven your dwelling-place; and
when you hear, forgive.
31
If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear,
and he come [and] swear before your altar in this house;
32
then hear you in heaven, and do, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, to
bring his way upon his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according
to his righteousness.
33
When your people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned
against you; if they turn again to you, and confess your name, and pray and make supplication
to you in this house:
34
then hear you in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them
again to the land which you gave to their fathers.
35
When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you;
if they pray toward this place, and confess your name, and turn from their sin, when
you do afflict them:
36
then hear you in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, and of your people
Israel, when you teach them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon
your land, which you have given to your people for an inheritance.
37
If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting [or]
mildew, locust [or] caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their
cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be;
38
what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, [or] by all your people Israel,
who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward
this house:
39
then hear you in heaven your dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render to every
man according to all his ways, whose heart you know; (for you, even you only, know
the hearts of all the children of men;)
40
that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land which you gave to our
fathers.
41
Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of your people Israel, when he shall
come out of a far country for your name`s sake
42
(for they shall hear of your great name, and of your mighty hand, and of your outstretched
arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house;
43
hear you in heaven your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner
calls" to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear you,
as does your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built
is called by my name.
44
If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send
them, and they pray to YHWH toward the city which you have chosen, and toward the
house which I have built for your name;
45
then hear you in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
46
If they sin against you (for there is no man that sins not), and you be angry with
them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive to the land
of the enemy, far off or near;
47
yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land where they are carried captive, and
turn again, and make supplication to you in the land of them that carried them captive,
saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly;
48
if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of
their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which
you gave to their fathers, the city which you have chosen, and the house which I have
built for your name:
49
then hear you their prayer and their supplication in heaven your dwelling-place, and
maintain their cause;
50
and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions
wherein they have transgressed against you; and give them compassion before those
who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them
51
(for they are your people, and your inheritance, which you brought forth out of Egypt,
from the midst of the furnace of iron);
52
that your eyes may be open to the supplication of your servant, and to the supplication
of your people Israel, to hearken to them whenever they cry to you.
53
For you did separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your inheritance,
as you spoke by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord
YHWH.
54
And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication
to YHWH, he arose from before the altar of YHWH, from kneeling on his knees with his
hands spread forth toward heaven.
55
And he stood, and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
56
Blessed be YHWH, that has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he
promised: there has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised
by Moses his servant.
57
YHWH our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake
us;
58
that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments,
and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers.
59
And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before YHWH, be nigh to
YHWH our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause
of his people Israel, as every day shall require;
60
that all the peoples of the earth may know that YHWH, he is God; there is none else.
61
Let your heart therefore be perfect with YHWH our God, to walk in his statutes, and
to keep his commandments, as at this day.
62
And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before YHWH.
63
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered to YHWH,
two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king
and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of YHWH.
64
The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house
of YHWH; for there he offered the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat
of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar that was before YHWH was too little
to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings.
65
So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly,
from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before YHWH our God, seven days
and seven days, even fourteen days.
66
On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to
their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that YHWH had showed to
David his servant, and to Israel his people.