The House of God Is Set Apart for God

7 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burned up the burnt gift and gifts of worship. And the shining-greatness of the Lord filled the house. ² The religious leaders could not go into the house of the Lord because it was filled with the Lord’s shining-greatness. ³ All the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the shining-greatness of the Lord upon the house. So they bowed their faces to the ground and worshiped. They gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good. For His loving-kindness lasts forever.”

⁴ Then the king and all the people gave gifts to the Lord. ⁵ King Solomon gave a gift of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people set apart the house of God. ⁶ The religious leaders stood in their places while the Levites were praising the Lord using objects King David had made. They were playing, “For His loving-kindness lasts forever.” As the religious leaders blew horns on the other side, all Israel stood.

⁷ Then Solomon set apart the center of the open space in front of the Lord’s house. There he gave the burnt gifts and the fat of the peace gifts. The brass altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt gift, the grain gift and the fat.

⁸ At that time Solomon gave the special supper for seven days, and all Israel with him. Many people were there. They had come from the gate of Hamath to the river of Egypt. ⁹ On the eighth day they gathered together for a special time. For seven days they had to set apart the altar, and for seven days they had the special supper. ¹⁰ On the twenty-third day of the seventh month Solomon sent the people to their tents. They were full of joy and happy in their heart for the good that the Lord had shown to David and Solomon and His people Israel.

God Comes to Solomon Again

¹¹ Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the Lord’s house and in his own house was well done. ¹² Then the Lord came to Solomon during the night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer. And I have chosen this place for Myself as a house of gifts given in worship. ¹³ If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, and if I tell the locust to destroy the land, or send disease upon My people, ¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name put away their pride and pray, and look for My face, and turn from their sinful ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open. And My ears will hear the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶ For I have chosen this house and have made it holy, that My name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will always be there. ¹⁷ As for you, if you walk in My ways as your father David walked and do all that I have told you to do and keep My Laws, ¹⁸ then I will make your throne to last as I promised your father David. I said, ‘You will never be without a man to rule Israel.’

¹⁹ “But if you turn away and leave My Laws and My Word which I have given you, if you go and serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will take you from the land I have given you. And I will turn My eyes away from this house which I have set apart for My name. I will make it so all people speak of it in shame. ²¹ Everyone will look with wonder at this house that was once honored. They will say, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house?’ ²² Then they will say, ‘It is because they turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They have taken other gods, and worshiped them and served them. So the Lord has brought all this trouble on them.’”