1 Kings 8

The Ark Brought into the Temple

11Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all 2the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, 3to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from 4the city of David, which is Zion. 2All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at 5the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and 6the priests took up the ark. 4They brought up the ark of the Lord and 7the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, 8were with him before the ark, sacrificing 9so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 6Then 10the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord 11to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, 12under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. 8But 13the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 914There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where 15the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, 16the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Addresses the People

1217Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that 18He would dwell in the thick cloud.1319I have surely built You a lofty house, 20A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14Then the king 21faced about and 22blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15He said, “23Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, 24who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying, 16‘25Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that 26My name might be there, but 27I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 1728Now it was 29in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was 30in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was 31in your heart. 1932Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who 33will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’ 20Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for 34I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord 35promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21There I have set a place for the ark, 36in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”

The Prayer of Dedication

22Then 37Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and 38spread out his hands toward heaven. 23He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, 39there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, 40keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have 41promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day. 25Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have 42promised him, saying, ‘4344You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed 45which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

27“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, 46heaven and the 47highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28Yet have regard to the 48prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 2949that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward 50the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 3051Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, 52when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and 53forgive.

31“54If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, 55condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

33“56When Your people Israel are 57defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, 58if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

35“59When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, 60indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And 61send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.

37“62If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their 63cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, 64each knowing the 65affliction of his own heart, and spreading his 66hands toward this house; 39then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, 67whose heart You know, for 68You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40that they may 69fear You all the days that they live 70in the land which You have given to our fathers.

41“Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake 42(for they will hear of Your great name 71and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, 43hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order 72that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to 73fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that 74this house which I have built is called by Your name.

44“When Your people go out to battle against 75their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and 76they pray to the Lord 77toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their 78cause.

46“When they sin against You (for 79there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that 80they take them away captive 81to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 4782if they 83take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘84We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 4885if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and 86pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their 87cause, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and 88make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(89for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, 90from the midst of the iron furnace), 5291that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, 92as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord 93God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

5494When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, 95he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his 96hands spread toward heaven. 55And he stood and 97blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

56“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, 98according to all that He 99promised; 100not one word has 101failed of all His good 102promise, which He 103promised through Moses His servant. 57May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; 104may He not leave us or forsake us, 58that 105He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the 106cause of His servant and the 107cause of His people Israel, 108as each day requires, 60so 109that all the peoples of the earth may know that 110the Lord is God; there is no one else. 61111Let your heart therefore be 112wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

62113Now the king and all Israel with him 114offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. 115So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. 64On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, because there he 116offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings; for 117the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.

65So 118Solomon observed the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly 119from the entrance of Hamath 120to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had 121shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.