The Ark Brought into the House of Yahweh

1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion. 2And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. 4And they brought up the ark of Yahweh and the 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 congregated to him being with him before the ark, were sacrificing [†]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Holy of Holies, under 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 the 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; and they are there to this day. 9There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses laid there at Horeb, where Yahweh cut a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10Now it happened that when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the house of Yahweh, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh.

Solomon Blesses the People

12Then Solomon said,

“Yahweh has said that He would dwell in the cloud of dense gloom.

13I have surely built You a lofty house,

A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14Then the king turned his face around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it by His hand, saying, 16‘Since 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 My name might be there, but I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ 17And it was [†]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 18But Yahweh said to my father David, ‘Because it was [†]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was [†]in your heart. 19Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will come forth from your loins, he shall build the house for My name.’ 20And Yahweh has established His word which He spoke; and I have been established in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh [†]promised, and have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 21And there I have set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of Yahweh, which He cut with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Israel

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 23And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven above or upon earth beneath, keeping covenant and lovingkindness to Your slaves who walk before You with all their heart, 24who have kept with Your [†]servant, my father David, that which You have [†]promised him; indeed, You have [†]promised with Your mouth and have fulfilled it by Your hand as it is this day. 25So now, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with Your [†]servant David my father that which You have [†]promised him, saying, ‘You shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons keep their way to walk as you have walked before Me.’ 26So now, O God of Israel, let Your word truly [†]endure which You have spoken to Your [†]servant, my father David.

27“But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the [†]highest heaven cannot [†]contain You; how much less this house which I have built! 28Yet have regard to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplication, O Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your slave prays before You today; 29that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your slave shall pray toward this place. 30And listen to the supplication of Your slave and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; listen in heaven Your dwelling place; listen and forgive.

31“If 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 listen in heaven and act and judge Your slaves, condemning the wicked by [†]bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by [†]bringing him reward according to his righteousness.

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

35“When 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 listen in heaven and forgive the sin of Your slaves and of Your people Israel; indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And give rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

37“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is scorching wind or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their [†]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each of whom knows the [†]affliction of his own heart, and spreads his [†]hands toward this house; 39then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40that they may [†]fear You all the days that they live upon the face of the land which You have given to our fathers.

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

44“When Your people go out to battle against [†]their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to Yahweh [†]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45then listen in heaven to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice.

46“When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that [†]they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47and if they cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and [†]return and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48and if 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 pray 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 listen in heaven Your dwelling place to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and give them over as objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace), 52that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your slave 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, as You spoke by the hand of Moses Your [†]servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord Yahweh.”

Solomon Blesses Yahweh

54Now it happened that when Solomon had [†]finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his [†]hands spread toward heaven. 55And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

56“Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He [†]promised; not one promise has [†]failed of all His good [†]promises, which He [†]promised by the hand of Moses His [†]servant. 57May Yahweh our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not forsake us or abandon us, 58that He may 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. 59And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that He may do justice for His slave and justice for His people Israel, [†]as each day requires, 60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God; there is no one else. 61Let your heart therefore be [†]wholly devoted to Yahweh our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

The Offering for the House of Yahweh

62Now the king and all Israel with him were offering sacrifices before Yahweh. 63And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Yahweh, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of Yahweh. 64On the same day the king set apart as holy the middle of the court that was before the house of Yahweh, because there he [†]offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings; for the bronze altar that was before Yahweh was too small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.

65So Solomon celebrated the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from [†]Lebo-hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Yahweh 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 with gladness and goodness of heart because of all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David His [†]servant and to Israel His people.