I Kings 8

1. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, so that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

2. And all the men of Israel were gathered to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

3. And all the elders of Israel came in, and the priests took up the ark.

4. And they brought up the ark of the LORD and the tabernacle of the congregation and all the holy vessels which were in the tabernacle—even those the priests and the Levites brought up.

5. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled to him were before the ark sacrificing sheep and oxen which could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.

6. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD into its place, into the holy place of the house, into the Holy of Holies under the wings of the cherubim,

7. For the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark. And the cherubim covered the ark and the staves of it above.

8. And they drew out the staves, so that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place in front of the Holy of Holies, but they were not seen outside. And there they are to this day.

9. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10. Then it came to pass when the priests had come out of the Holy of Holies, the cloud filled the house of the LORD.

11. And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

12. And Solomon said, “The LORD said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.

13. I have surely built an exalted house for You, a settled place for You to abide in forever.”

14. And the king turned his face around and blessed all the congregation of Israel. And all the congregation of Israel stood.

15. And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who spoke with His mouth to David my father and has fulfilled it by His hand, saying,

16. ‘From the day that I brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose any city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, so that My name might be in it. But I chose David to be over My people Israel.’

17. And it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

18. But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house to My name, you did well that it was in your heart.

19. Only, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall come out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name.’

20. And the LORD has performed His word which He spoke, and I have risen up instead of my father David. And I sit on the throne of Israel as the LORD promised. And I have built a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

21. And I have set there a place for the ark in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and spread forth his hands toward the heavens.

23. And he said, “LORD God of Israel, there is no god like You, in heaven above or on earth beneath, Who keeps covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,

24. Who has kept with Your servant David my father what You promised him. You also spoke with Your mouth and have fulfilled with Your hand, as it is today.

25. Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with Your servant David, my father, what You promised him, saying, ‘There shall not be cut off from you a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel—if your sons take heed to their way so that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’

26. And now, O God of Israel, I pray You, let Your word be proved to be true, the word which You spoke to Your servant David my father.

27. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house which I have built?

28. Yet, O LORD my God, You have regard unto the prayer of Your servant and to his request, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today;

29. For Your eyes to be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there;’ to hearken to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.

30. And You shall hearken to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they shall pray toward this place, then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive!

31. If any man sins against his neighbor, and if an oath is laid upon him to cause him to swear, and if the oath comes before Your altar in this house,

32. Then hear in heaven, and do, and judge Your servants, to declare the wicked to be wicked, to bring his way upon his head, and to justify the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

33. When Your people Israel are crushed before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and shall turn again to You and confess Your name, and pray, and cry to You in this house,

34. Then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them again into the land which You gave to their fathers.

35. When the heavens are restrained, 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 afflict them,

36. Then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, for You shall teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

37. If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blasting, mildew, locusts; if there are stripping locusts; if their enemy encircles them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness,

38. Any prayer, any supplication from any man of all Your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house,

39. Then hear in heaven Your dwelling place and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart You know; for You, You only, know the hearts of all the children of men.

40. Do this so that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

41. And concerning a stranger who is not of Your people Israel, but who comes out of a far country for Your name’s sake;

42. For they shall hear of Your great name and of Your strong hand and of Your stretched out arm; and if he shall come and pray toward this house,

43. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to You for, so that all the people of the earth may know Your name, to fear You as Your people Israel do, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

44. If Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You shall send them, and shall pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen, and the house that I have built for Your name,

45. Then hear in heaven their prayer and their cry, and maintain their cause.

46. If they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin), and if You are angry with them and have delivered them up before the enemy and they have been led away captive to the land of the enemy, far or near,

47. Yet if they shall think within themselves in the land where they are carried captives, and repent, and pray to You in the land of their captors saying, ‘We have sinned and have done perversely, we have done wickedly,’

48. And so return to You with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and if they pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, to the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name,

49. Then hear their prayer and their cry in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause,

50. And forgive Your people who have sinned against You, even all their sins which they have done against You, and give them compassion before their captors, so that they may have compassion on them;

51. For they are Your people, and Your inheritance, which You brought out of Egypt from the middle of the furnace of iron;

52. For Your eyes shall be open to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your people Israel, to hearken to them whenever they call to You;

53. For You have separated them from among all the people of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by the hand of Moses Your servant when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

54. Now it came to pass as Solomon finished praying all this prayer and petition to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

55. Then he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice. saying,

56. “Blessed be the LORD, Who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promises which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant.

57. May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers. Let Him not leave us nor forsake us,

58. To incline 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 let these my words, with which I have made supplications before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, so that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel at all times as the matter requires,

60. That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.

61. And let your heart be perfect with the LORD 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 the LORD.

63. And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings which he offered to the LORD: twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

64. On that day the king sanctified the middle of the court before the house of the LORD, for there he had offered the burnt offering, and the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to contain the burnt offering, and the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65. And at that time Solomon held a feast and all Israel with him, a great congregation— from the entering in of Hamath to the river of Egypt—before the LORD 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 good that the LORD had done for David His servant and for Israel His people.