1 Kings 8
1WHEN Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and his own house, at the end of twenty years Solomon the king
2assembled all the elders of Israel at Sion,
3in order to carry up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David, that is Sion, in the month Athanin.
4And the priests carried the ark and the tabernacle of the testimony and the holy utensils, which were in the tabernacle of the testimony.
5And the king and all Israel were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen without number,
6while the priests were carrying the ark into its place—into the dabir of the house—into the Holy of Holies—under the wings of the cherubim;
7for the cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark, and from above covered the ark and the hallowed things thereof, and were above these hallowed things.
8Now the heads of these hallowed things were seen from the Holies in front of the dabir, but were not seen from without.
9There was nothing in the ark but the two tables of stone—the tables of the covenant which Moses made at Choreb—which the Lord established with the children of Israel on their coming out of the land of Egypt.
10And it came to pass that when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the house,
11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud.
14Because the glory of the Lord filled the house, therefore the king turned away his face. And when the king had blessed all Israel, and all the congregation of Israel stood up, then he said,
15Blessed be the Lord God of Israel this day, who with His mouth spake concerning my father David, and hath with His hands fulfilled, as He said,
16From the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I made no choice of a city in any tribe of Israel to build a house for My name to be there. Now I have made choice of Jerusalem for My name to be there, and have chosen David to be over My people Israel.
17But when it was in the heart of my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel,
18the Lord said to David my father, Because it came into thy heart to build a house for My name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart;
19but as for thee, thou art not to build a house for Me, but thy son only who hath sprung from thy loins—he shall build the house for My name.
20Now the Lord hath brought to pass that word of His which He spake, and I am risen up instead of my father David, and have sat on the throne of Israel, as the Lord spake,
21and have built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel, and established there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which the Lord established with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
22Then Solomon went up over against the altar of the Lord, in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven and said,
23O Lord the God of Israel, there is no god like Thee in the heaven above and on the earth below, keeping covenant and mercy with Thy servant who walketh before Thee with his whole heart.
24These Thou hast kept with Thy servant David, my father: for what Thou didst speak with Thy mouth, Thou hast with Thy hands fulfilled as at this very day.
25Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David, my father, what Thou hast spoken to him, saying, There shall not be taken from thee out of Israel, keep with Thy servant David, my father, what Thou hast My presence a chief man sitting upon the throne of Israel, provided thy children take heed to their ways, to walk before Me as thou hast walked before Me.
26Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let me beseech Thee, this word of Thine to my father David be confirmed, that it may be so.
27Will God indeed dwell with men on the earth! If the heaven and the heaven of heaven will not suffice Thee, far less indeed this house which I have built for Thy name.
28Yet thou, O Lord, the God of Israel, wilt look down on this supplication of mine to hearken to the prayer which Thy servant this day in Thy presence prayeth to Thee,
29that Thine eyes may be open day and night on this house—on this place of which Thou hast said, My name shall be there, that Thou mayst hearken to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth toward this place day and night.
30Thou indeed wilt hearken to the supplication of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel. Whatever they may address towards this place Thou indeed wilt hearken to it in the place of Thy habitation in heaven, and wilt do and be merciful.
31Whatever trespass any one may commit against his neighbour, when he shall take upon him a curse to curse him, and come and plead before this altar of Thine in this house;
32Thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven and act and judge Thy people Israel, by condemning the transgressor, and retributing his way upon his head, and by justifying the righteous and giving him according to his righteousness.
33When Thy people Israel fall before enemies, because they have sinned against Thee, and shall return and confess Thy name, and pray and make supplication in this house;
34Thou indeed wilt hear from heaven and pardon the sins of Thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land which Thou gavest to their fathers.
35When the heaven is shut up and there is no rain because of their sinning against Thee; when they shall pray towards this place, and confess Thy name and turn from their sins when Thou hast humbled them;
36Thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven, and pardon the sins of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel; for Thou wilt shew them the good way, and give rain for the land which Thou gavest to Thy people for an inheritance.
37If there be famine, if there be pestilence (for such things will be), if there be blasting, locust, mildew; or if their enemy afflict them in any of their cities, in every occurrence, in every distress, whatever prayer,
38whatever supplication any man shall make, when they know everyone the plague of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house,
39Thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven—from Thy settled habitation and be merciful, and do and give to every man as Thou knowest his heart (for Thou alone knowest the hearts of all the children of men)
40that they may fear Thee all the days they live in the land which Thou gavest to their fathers.
41And with regard to the stranger who is not of Thy people Israel,
42when they shall come and pray toward this place;
43Thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven—from Thy settled habitation, and do according to all, for which the stranger may call upon Thee, that all nations may know Thy name and fear Thee as Thy people Israel do, and that they may know that this house which I have built, is called by Thy name.
44Because Thy people are to go out to battle against their enemies whithersoever Thou shalt send them, when they shall pray in the name of the Lord toward this city, which Thou hast chosen, and this house which I have built for Thy name;
45Thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven to their prayer and do them justice.
46Because they will sin against Thee (for there is no man who will not sin); when Thou shalt punish them, and deliver them up before their enemies; and they who have captivated them shall carry them away captive to a land far off or near;
47and they bethink themselves in the land to which they have been carried captives, and in the land of their captivity repent and pray to Thee, saying, We have sinned; we have transgressed; we have committed iniquity;
48and turn to Thee with their whole heart, and with their whole soul, in the land of their enemies, to which Thou hast transported them; and direct their prayers to Thee, toward this land which Thou gavest to their fathers, and this city which Thou hast chosen, and this house which I have built for Thy name;
49Thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven, from Thy settled habitation,
50and pardon the iniquities which they have committed against Thee, and all the acts of disobedience of which they have been guilty; and make them objects of compassion in the sight of those who have captivated them, that they may have compassion on them.
51Because we are Thy people whom Thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt—from the midst of the iron furnace,
52let Thy eyes therefore be fixed on, and Thy ears open to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the supplication of Thy people Israel, to hearken to them in all for which they invoke Thee,
53since Thou hast set them apart for Thyself for an heritage from among all the people of the earth, as Thou spakest by the ministry of Thy servant Moses, when Thou, O Lord God, didst bring our fathers out of the land of Egypt.
Then Solomon spoke of the temple as though he had just finished building it:
The Sun He made manifest in heaven—
The Lord said, He would [not] dwell in darkness:
Build thou My house.—A house fit for Thyself to dwell in anew.
Behold, [all] this is written in the Book of the Ode.
54When Solomon had finished all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord (for he had kneeled down on his knees and spread forth his hands towards heaven);
55and standing up, he blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying,
56Blessed be the Lord this day Who hath given rest to His people Israel according to all that He hath spoken. Not one word hath failed of all the good words which He spoke by the ministry of His servant Moses.
57The Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers! May He never leave us nor forsake us!
58May He incline our hearts to Him to walk in all His ways, and to keep all His commandments and His statutes which He gave in charge to our fathers!
59And may the words with which I have made supplication before the Lord our God, be nigh to the Lord our God day and night, that the determination of every day in the year may establish the rights of Thy servant and the rights of Thy people Israel;
60that all the nations of the earth may know that the Lord our God is very God, and that there is none else!
61And may our hearts be perfect with the Lord our God, that we may walk piously in His statutes, and keep His commandments, as at this day.
62Then the king and all the sons of Israel offered a sacrifice before the Lord.
63And king Solomon offered for the sacrifices of thanksgiving which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. And when the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house,
64the king on the same day consecrated the middle of the court in front of the house of the Lord, for he offered there the whole burnt offerings with the sacrifices and the suet of the thanks-offerings, because the brazen altar which was before the Lord was too small for the whole burnt offerings and the sacrifices of the thanks-offerings to be offered thereon.
65And on that day Solomon and all Israel with him—a great congregation from the bay of Emath to the river of Egypt, celebrated the festival before the Lord our God at the house which he had built; eating and drinking and rejoicing before the Lord seven days.
66And on the eighth day he dismissed the people and they blessed the king and went away every man to his house rejoicing and with a glad heart, for all the goodness which the Lord had shewn to His servant David and to His people Israel.