1 Kings 8:37-66

New King James Version

^37 (A)“When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their ^[a]cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; ³⁸ whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by 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 alone ^(B)know the hearts of all the sons of men), ^40 (C)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, who is not 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 Your ^(D)strong 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, ^(E)that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and ^(F)fear You, as do Your 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 the Lord toward 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 ^[b]cause.

⁴⁶ “When they sin against You ^(G)(for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive ^(H)to the land of the enemy, far or near; ^47 (I)yet when they ^[c]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, ^(J)saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness’; ⁴⁸ and when they ^(K)return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and ^(L)pray 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 ^[d]cause, ⁵⁰ and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and ^(M)grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them ⁵¹ (for ^(N)they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, ^(O)out of the iron furnace), ^52 (P)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 earth to be Your inheritance, ^(Q)as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”

Solomon Blesses the Assembly^(R)

^54 (S)And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. ⁵⁵ Then he stood ^(T)and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: ⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord, who has given ^(U)rest^[e] to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. ^(V)There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. ^(W)May He not leave us nor forsake us, ⁵⁸ that He may ^(X)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 may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our 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 (Y)that all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(Z)the Lord is God; there is no other. ⁶¹ Let your ^(AA)heart therefore be ^[f]loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Solomon Dedicates the Temple^(AB)

⁶² Then ^(AC)the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁶³ And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. ⁶⁴ On ^(AD)the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the ^(AE)bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

⁶⁵ At that time Solomon held ^(AF)a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from ^(AG)the entrance of Hamath to ^(AH)the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, ^(AI)seven days and seven more days—fourteen days. ^66 (AJ)On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they ^[g]blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.