The Ark Brought into the Temple
1 NowSolomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem,that they might bringup the ark of the covenant of theLordfrom the City of David, whichisZion.
2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at thefeast in the month of Ethanim, whichisthe seventh month.
3 So all the elders of Israel came,and the priests took up the ark.
4 Then they brought up the ark of theLord,the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings thatwerein the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him,werewith him before the ark,sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.
6 Then the priestsbrought in the ark of the covenant of theLordtoits place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most HolyPlace,under the wings of the cherubim.
7 For the cherubim spreadtheirtwo wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
8 The polesextended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holyplace,in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.
9 Nothingwasin the arkexcept the two tablets of stone which Mosesput there at Horeb,when theLordmadeacovenantwith the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holyplace,that the cloudfilled the house of theLord,
11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for theglory of theLordfilled the house of theLord.
12 Then Solomon spoke:
# “TheLordsaid He would dwellin the dark cloud.
13 I have surely built You an exalted house,
# And a place for You to dwell in forever.”
Solomon’s Speech at Completion of the Work
14 Then the king turned around andblessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.
15 And he said:“BlessedbetheLordGod of Israel, whospoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilledit,saying,
16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israelinwhichto build a house, thatMy name might be there; but I choseDavid to be over My people Israel.’
17 Nowit was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of theLordGod of Israel.
18 But theLordsaid to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
19 Neverthelessyou shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’
20 So theLordhas fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel,as theLordpromised; and I have built a temple for the name of theLordGod of Israel.
21 And there I have made a place for the ark, in whichisthe covenant of theLordwhich He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
22 Then Solomon stood beforethe altar of theLordin the presence of all the assembly of Israel, andspread out his hands toward heaven;
23 and he said: “LordGod of Israel,thereisno God in heaven above or on earth below like You,who keepYourcovenant and mercy with Your servants whowalk before You with all their hearts.
24 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilleditwith Your hand, asitisthis day.
25 Therefore,LordGod of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying,‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’
26 And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father.
27 “Butwill God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and theheaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
28 Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, OLordmy God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today:
29 that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said,‘My name shall bethere,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makestoward this place.
30 And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
31 “When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to takean oath, and comesandtakes an oath before Your altar in this temple,
32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants,condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
33 “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, andwhen they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple,
34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to theirfathers.
35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them,
36 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You mayteach themthe good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
37 “When there is famine in the land, pestilenceorblightormildew, locustsorgrasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sicknessthereis;
38 whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone,orby all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple:
39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You aloneknow the hearts of all the sons 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 a foreigner, whoisnot of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake
42 (for they will hear of Your great name and Yourstrong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple,
43 hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You,that all peoples of the earth may know Your name andfear You, asdoYour people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
44 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to theLordtoward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name,
45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
46 “When they sin against You(forthereisno one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captiveto the land of the enemy, far or near;
47 yetwhen they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive,saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness’;
48 andwhentheyreturn to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, andpray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name:
49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause,
50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; andgrant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them
51 (fortheyareYour people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt,out of the iron furnace),
52 that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You.
53 For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earthtobeYour inheritance,as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O LordGod.”
Solomon Blesses the Assembly
54 And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to theLord, that he arose from before the altar of theLord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
55 Then he stoodand blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
56 “BlessedbetheLord, who has givenrest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised.There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
57 May theLordour God be with us, as He was with our fathers.May He not leave us nor forsake us,
58 that He mayincline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before theLord, be near theLordour God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require,
60 that all the peoples of the earth may know thattheLordisGod;thereisno other.
61 Let yourheart therefore be loyal to theLordour God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”
Solomon Dedicates the Temple
62 Thenthe king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before theLord.
63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to theLord, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of theLord.
64 Onthe same day the king consecrated the middle of the court thatwasin front of the house of theLord; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because thebronze altar thatwasbefore theLordwastoo small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
65 At that time Solomon helda feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly fromthe entrance of Hamath tothe Brook of Egypt, before theLordour God,seven days and sevenmoredays—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 good that theLordhad done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.