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1 Re 8
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana

Trasferimento dell'arca dell'alleanza

8 A questo punto Salomone convocò in assemblea a Gerusalemme gli anziani di Israele, tutti i capitribù, i principi dei casati degli Israeliti, per trasportare l'arca dell'alleanza del Signore dalla città di Davide, cioè da Sion. 2 Tutto Israele si radunò presso il re Salomone per la festa, nel mese di Etanim, cioè il settimo mese. 3 Presenti tutti gli anziani di Israele, l'arca del Signore fu sollevata e i sacerdoti e i leviti la trasportarono 4 con la tenda del convegno e con tutti gli arredi sacri che erano nella tenda. 5 Il re Salomone e tutta la comunità di Israele, convenuta presso di lui, immolavano davanti all'arca pecore e buoi che non si contavano né si calcolavano. 6 I sacerdoti introdussero l'arca dell'alleanza del Signore al suo posto nella cella del tempio, cioè nel Santo dei santi, sotto le ali dei cherubini. 7 Difatti i cherubini stendevano le ali sopra l'arca; essi coprivano l'arca e le sue stanghe dall'alto. 8 Le stanghe erano più lunghe, per questo le loro punte si vedevano dal Santo di fronte alla cella, ma non si vedevano di fuori; tali cose ci sono fino ad oggi. 9 Nell'arca non c'era nulla se non le due tavole di pietra, che vi aveva deposte Mosè sull'Oreb, cioè le tavole dell'alleanza conclusa dal Signore con gli Israeliti quando uscirono dal paese d'Egitto.

Dio prende possesso del suo tempio

10 Appena i sacerdoti furono usciti dal santuario, la nuvola riempì il tempio 11 e i sacerdoti non poterono rimanervi per compiere il servizio a causa della nube, perché la gloria del Signore riempiva il tempio. 12 Allora Salomone disse:

«Il Signore ha deciso di abitare sulla nube.
13 Io ti ho costruito una casa potente,
un luogo per la tua dimora perenne».

Discorso di Salomone al popolo

14 Il re si voltò e benedisse tutta l'assemblea di Israele, mentre tutti i presenti stavano in piedi. 15 Salomone disse: «Benedetto il Signore, Dio di Israele, che ha adempiuto con potenza quanto aveva promesso con la sua bocca a Davide mio padre: 16 Da quando ho fatto uscire Israele mio popolo dall'Egitto, io non mi sono scelto una città fra tutte le tribù di Israele perché mi si costruisse una casa, ove abitasse il mio nome; ora mi sono scelto Gerusalemme perché vi dimori il mio nome e mi sono scelto Davide perché sia capo del popolo di Israele. 17 Davide mio padre aveva deciso di costruire un tempio al nome del Signore, Dio di Israele, 18 ma il Signore gli disse: Tu hai pensato di edificare un tempio al mio nome; hai fatto bene a formulare tale progetto. 19 Non tu costruirai il tempio, ma il figlio che uscirà dai tuoi fianchi, lui costruirà un tempio al mio nome. 20 Il Signore ha attuato la parola che aveva pronunziata; io ho preso il posto di Davide mio padre, mi sono seduto sul trono di Israele, come aveva preannunziato il Signore, e ho costruito il tempio al nome del Signore, Dio di Israele. 21 In esso ho fissato un posto per l'arca, dove c'è l'alleanza che il Signore aveva conclusa con i nostri padri quando li fece uscire dal paese di Egitto».

Preghiera personale di Salomone

22 Poi Salomone si pose davanti all'altare del Signore, di fronte a tutta l'assemblea di Israele, e, stese le mani verso il cielo, 23 disse: «Signore, Dio di Israele, non c'è un Dio come te, né lassù nei cieli né quaggiù sulla terra! Tu mantieni l'alleanza e la misericordia con i tuoi servi che camminano davanti a te con tutto il cuore. 24 Tu hai mantenuto nei riguardi del tuo servo Davide mio padre quanto gli avevi promesso; quanto avevi detto con la bocca l'hai adempiuto con potenza, come appare oggi. 25 Ora, Signore Dio di Israele, mantieni al tuo servo Davide mio padre quanto gli hai promesso: Non ti mancherà un discendente che stia davanti a me e sieda sul trono di Israele, purché i tuoi figli veglino sulla loro condotta camminando davanti a me come vi hai camminato tu. 26 Ora, Signore Dio di Israele, si adempia la parola che tu hai rivolta a Davide mio padre.

27 Ma è proprio vero che Dio abita sulla terra? Ecco i cieli e i cieli dei cieli non possono contenerti, tanto meno questa casa che io ho costruita! 28 Volgiti alla preghiera del tuo servo e alla sua supplica, Signore mio Dio; ascolta il grido e la preghiera che il tuo servo oggi innalza davanti a te! 29 Siano aperti i tuoi occhi notte e giorno verso questa casa, verso il luogo di cui hai detto: Lì sarà il mio nome! Ascolta la preghiera che il tuo servo innalza in questo luogo.

Preghiera per il popolo

30 Ascolta la supplica del tuo servo e di Israele tuo popolo, quando pregheranno in questo luogo. Ascoltali dal luogo della tua dimora, dal cielo; ascolta e perdona.

31 Se uno pecca contro il suo fratello e, perché gli è imposto un giuramento di imprecazione, viene a giurare davanti al tuo altare in questo tempio, 32 tu ascoltalo dal cielo, intervieni e fà giustizia con i tuoi servi; condanna l'empio, facendogli ricadere sul capo la sua condotta, e dichiara giusto l'innocente rendendogli quanto merita la sua innocenza.

33 Quando il tuo popolo Israele sarà sconfitto di fronte al nemico perché ha peccato contro di te, se si rivolge a te, se loda il tuo nome, se ti prega e ti supplica in questo tempio, 34 tu ascolta dal cielo, perdona il peccato di Israele tuo popolo e fallo tornare nel paese che hai dato ai suoi padri.

35 Quando si chiuderà il cielo e non ci sarà pioggia perché hanno peccato contro di te, se ti pregano in questo luogo, se lodano il tuo nome e si convertono dal loro peccato perché tu li hai umiliati, 36 tu ascolta dal cielo e perdona il peccato dei tuoi servi e di Israele tuo popolo, ai quali indicherai la strada buona su cui camminare, e concedi la pioggia alla terra che hai dato in eredità al tuo popolo.

37 Quando nella regione ci sarà carestia o peste, carbonchio o ruggine, invasione di locuste o di bruchi; quando il nemico assedierà il tuo popolo in qualcuna delle sue porte o quando scoppierà un'epidemia o un flagello qualsiasi; 38 se uno qualunque oppure tutto Israele tuo popolo, dopo avere provato il rimorso nel cuore, ti prega o supplica con le mani tese verso questo tempio, 39 tu ascoltalo dal cielo, luogo della tua dimora, perdona, intervieni e rendi a ognuno secondo la sua condotta, tu che conosci il suo cuore - tu solo conosci il cuore di tutti i figli degli uomini - 40 perché ti temano durante tutti i giorni della loro vita nel paese che hai dato ai nostri padri.

Supplementi

41 Anche lo straniero, che non appartiene a Israele tuo popolo, se viene da un paese lontano a causa del tuo nome 42 perché si sarà sentito parlare del tuo grande nome, della tua mano potente e del tuo braccio teso, se egli viene a pregare in questo tempio, 43 tu ascoltalo dal cielo, luogo della tua dimora, e soddisfa tutte le richieste dello straniero, perché tutti i popoli della terra conoscano il tuo nome, ti temano come Israele tuo popolo e sappiano che al tuo nome è stato dedicato questo tempio che io ho costruito.

44 Quando il tuo popolo uscirà in guerra contro il suo nemico, seguendo le vie in cui l'avrai indirizzato, se ti pregheranno rivolti verso la città che ti sei scelta e verso il tempio che io ho costruito al tuo nome, 45 ascolta dal cielo la loro preghiera e la loro supplica e rendi loro giustizia.

46 Quando peccheranno contro di te, poiché non c'è nessuno che non pecchi, e tu, adirato contro di loro, li consegnerai a un nemico e i loro conquistatori li deporteranno in un paese ostile, lontano o vicino, 47 se nel paese in cui saranno deportati rientreranno in se stessi e faranno ritorno a te supplicandoti nel paese della loro prigionia, dicendo: Abbiamo peccato, abbiamo agito da malvagi e da empi, 48 se torneranno a te con tutto il cuore e con tutta l'anima nel paese dei nemici che li avranno deportati, e ti supplicheranno rivolti verso il paese che tu hai dato ai loro padri, verso la città che ti sei scelta e verso il tempio che io ho costruito al tuo nome, 49 tu ascolta dal cielo, luogo della tua dimora, la loro preghiera e la loro supplica e rendi loro giustizia. 50 Perdona al tuo popolo, che ha peccato contro di te, tutte le ribellioni di cui si è reso colpevole verso di te, fà che i suoi deportatori gli usino misericordia, 51 perché si tratta del tuo popolo e della tua eredità, di coloro che hai fatto uscire dall'Egitto, da una fornace per fondere il ferro.

Conclusione della preghiera e benedizione del popolo

52 Siano attenti i tuoi occhi alla preghiera del tuo servo e del tuo popolo Israele e ascoltali in quanto ti chiedono, 53 perché tu li hai separati da tutti i popoli del paese come tua proprietà secondo quanto avevi dichiarato per mezzo di Mosè tuo servo, mentre facevi uscire, o Signore, i nostri padri dall'Egitto».

54 Quando Salomone ebbe finito di rivolgere al Signore questa preghiera e questa supplica, si alzò davanti all'altare del Signore, dove era inginocchiato con le palme tese verso il cielo, 55 si mise in piedi e benedisse tutta l'assemblea di Israele, a voce alta: 56 «Benedetto il Signore, che ha concesso tranquillità a Israele suo popolo, secondo la sua parola. Non è venuta meno neppure una delle parole buone che aveva pronunziate per mezzo di Mosè suo servo. 57 Il Signore nostro Dio sia con noi come è stato con i nostri padri; non ci abbandoni e non ci respinga, 58 ma volga piuttosto i nostri cuori verso di lui, perché seguiamo tutte le sue vie e osserviamo i comandi, gli statuti e i decreti che ha imposti ai nostri padri. 59 Queste parole, usate da me per supplicare il Signore, siano presenti davanti al Signore nostro Dio, giorno e notte, perché renda giustizia al suo servo e a Israele suo popolo secondo le necessità di ogni giorno. 60 Allora tutti i popoli della terra sapranno che il Signore è Dio e che non ce n'è altri. 61 Il vostro cuore sarà tutto dedito al Signore nostro Dio, perché cammini secondo i suoi decreti e osservi i suoi comandi, come avviene oggi».

I sacrifici della festa di dedicazione

62 Il re e tutto Israele offrirono un sacrificio davanti al Signore. 63 Salomone immolò al Signore, in sacrificio di comunione, ventiduemila buoi e centoventimila pecore; così il re e tutti gli Israeliti dedicarono il tempio al Signore. 64 In quel giorno il re consacrò il centro del cortile di fronte al tempio del Signore; infatti ivi offrì l'olocausto, l'oblazione e il grasso dei sacrifici di comunione, perché l'altare di bronzo, che era davanti al Signore, era troppo piccolo per contenere l'olocausto, l'oblazione e il grasso dei sacrifici di comunione.

65 In quell'occasione Salomone celebrò la festa davanti al Signore nostro Dio per sette giorni: tutto Israele, dall'ingresso di Amat al torrente d'Egitto, un'assemblea molto grande, era con lui. 66 Nel giorno ottavo congedò il popolo. I convenuti, salutato il re, tornarono alle loro case, contenti e con la gioia nel cuore per tutto il bene concesso dal Signore a Davide suo servo e a Israele suo popolo.

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1 Kings 8
New English Translation

Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple

8 [a] Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the City of David (that is, Zion).[b] 2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival[c] in the month of Ethanim[d] (the seventh month). 3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting,[e] and all the holy items in the tent.[f] 5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.[g]

6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned[h] place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 The cherubim’s wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.[i] 8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point.[j] They have remained there to this very day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb.[k] It was there that[l] the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 10 Once the priests left the Holy Place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 11 The priests could not carry out their duties[m] because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple.[n]

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 13 O Lord,[o] truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 14 Then the king turned around[p] and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there.[q] 15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled[r] what he promised[s] my father David. 16 He told David,[t] ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live.[u] But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 17 Now my father David had a strong desire[v] to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel.[w] 18 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me.[x] 19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’[y] 20 The Lord has kept the promise he made.[z] I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor[aa] of the Lord God of Israel 21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors[ab] when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

Solomon Prays for Israel

22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky.[ac] 23 He prayed:[ad] “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty[ae] to your servants who obey you with sincerity.[af] 24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David;[ag] this very day you have fulfilled what you promised.[ah] 25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel,[ai] provided that your descendants watch their step[aj] and serve me as you have done.’[ak] 26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made[al] to your servant, my father David, be realized.[am]

27 “God does not really live on the earth![an] Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 28 But respond favorably to[ao] your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer[ap] the desperate prayer[aq] your servant is presenting to you[ar] today. 29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live.[as] May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place.[at] 30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place.[au] Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place[av] and respond favorably.[aw]

31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false.[ax] 32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve.[ay]

33 “The time will come when[az] your people Israel are defeated by an enemy[ba] because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you,[bb] and pray for your help[bc] in this temple, 34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

35 “The time will come when[bd] the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people[be] sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you,[bf] and turn away from their sin because you punish[bg] them, 36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly[bh] you will then teach them the right way to live[bi] and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess.[bj]

37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust[bk] invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land,[bl] or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help,[bm] as they acknowledge their pain[bn] and spread out their hands toward this temple, 39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin,[bo] and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives.[bp] (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.)[bq] 40 Then they will obey[br] you throughout their lifetimes as[bs] they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.

41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation.[bt] 42 When they hear about your great reputation[bu] and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds,[bv] they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners.[bw] Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation,[bx] obey[by] you as your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you.[bz]

44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies,[ca] and they direct their prayers to the Lord[cb] toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor,[cc] 45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help[cd] and vindicate them.[ce]

46 “The time will come when your people[cf] will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land,[cg] whether far away or close by. 47 When your people[ch] come to their senses[ci] in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray;[cj] we have done evil.’ 48 When they return to you with all their heart and being[ck] in the land[cl] where they are held prisoner, and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor,[cm] 49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help[cn] and vindicate them.[co] 50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them.[cp] 51 After all,[cq] they are your people and your special possession[cr] whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace.[cs]

52 “May you be attentive[ct] to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you.[cu] 53 After all,[cv] you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession,[cw] just as you, O Sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky.[cx] 55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure[cy] just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled![cz] 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 58 May he make us submissive,[da] so we can follow all his instructions[db] and obey[dc] the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him,[dd] so that he might vindicate[de] his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 60 Then[df] all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God.[dg] 61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God[dh] by following[di] his rules and obeying[dj] his commandments, as you are now doing.”[dk]

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 63 Solomon offered as peace offerings[dl] to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord’s temple. 64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings.[dm] 65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Stream of Egypt[dn] in the south.[do] 66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started,[dp] he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king[dq] and then went to their homes, happy and content[dr] because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:1 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. 8: “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”
  2. 1 Kings 8:1 tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David (it is Zion).”
  3. 1 Kings 8:2 sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
  4. 1 Kings 8:2 sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.
  5. 1 Kings 8:4 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”sn The tent of meeting. See Exod 33:7-11.
  6. 1 Kings 8:4 tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the Lord…. The priests and the Levites carried them.”
  7. 1 Kings 8:5 tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
  8. 1 Kings 8:6 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  9. 1 Kings 8:7 sn And its poles. These poles were used to carry the ark. See Exod 25:13-15.
  10. 1 Kings 8:8 tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
  11. 1 Kings 8:9 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai.
  12. 1 Kings 8:9 tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
  13. 1 Kings 8:11 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
  14. 1 Kings 8:11 tn Heb “the house of the Lord.”
  15. 1 Kings 8:13 tn The words “O Lord” do not appear in the original text, but they are supplied for clarification; Solomon addresses the Lord in prayer at this point.
  16. 1 Kings 8:14 tn Heb “turned his face.”
  17. 1 Kings 8:14 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
  18. 1 Kings 8:15 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his hand he has fulfilled.”
  19. 1 Kings 8:15 tn The Hebrew text reads, “he promised by his mouth.”
  20. 1 Kings 8:16 tn Heb “saying.” The word is carried over from the end of verse 15.
  21. 1 Kings 8:16 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”sn To build a temple in which to live (Heb “to build a house for my name to be there”). In the OT, the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  22. 1 Kings 8:17 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father.”
  23. 1 Kings 8:17 tn Heb “to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.” The word “name” in the OT sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  24. 1 Kings 8:18 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
  25. 1 Kings 8:19 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
  26. 1 Kings 8:20 tn Heb “his word that he spoke.”
  27. 1 Kings 8:20 tn Heb “name.”
  28. 1 Kings 8:21 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 34, 40, 48, 53, 57, 58).
  29. 1 Kings 8:22 tn Or “heaven.”
  30. 1 Kings 8:23 tn Heb “said.”
  31. 1 Kings 8:23 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.
  32. 1 Kings 8:23 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
  33. 1 Kings 8:24 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
  34. 1 Kings 8:24 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
  35. 1 Kings 8:25 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
  36. 1 Kings 8:25 tn Heb “watch their way.” The Hebrew and English colloquialisms are similar. The related ideas “way” and “steps” represent behavior in a broad sense in each language.
  37. 1 Kings 8:25 tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”
  38. 1 Kings 8:26 tn Heb “the words that you spoke.”
  39. 1 Kings 8:26 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
  40. 1 Kings 8:27 tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which the translation above seeks to reflect.
  41. 1 Kings 8:28 tn Heb “turn to.”
  42. 1 Kings 8:28 tn Heb “by listening to.”
  43. 1 Kings 8:28 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
  44. 1 Kings 8:28 tn Heb “praying before you.”
  45. 1 Kings 8:29 tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”
  46. 1 Kings 8:29 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
  47. 1 Kings 8:30 tn Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
  48. 1 Kings 8:30 tn Heb “and you, hear inside your dwelling place, inside heaven.” The precise nuance of the preposition אֶל (ʾel), used here with the verb “hear,” is unclear. One expects the preposition “from,” which appears in the parallel text in 2 Chr 6:21. The nuance “inside; among” is attested for אֶל (see Gen 23:19; 1 Sam 10:22; Jer 4:3), but in each case a verb of motion is employed with the preposition, unlike 1 Kgs 8:30. The translation above (“from inside”) is based on the demands of the immediate context rather than attested usage elsewhere.
  49. 1 Kings 8:30 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
  50. 1 Kings 8:31 tn Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30, but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31. The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence.sn Be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. At first it appears that Solomon is asking God to forgive the guilty party. But in v. 32 Solomon asks the Lord to discern who is guilty and innocent, so v. 31 must refer to a situation where an accusation has been made, but not yet proven. The very periphrastic translation reflects this interpretation.
  51. 1 Kings 8:32 tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by declaring the guilty to be guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
  52. 1 Kings 8:33 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
  53. 1 Kings 8:33 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
  54. 1 Kings 8:33 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
  55. 1 Kings 8:33 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
  56. 1 Kings 8:35 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
  57. 1 Kings 8:35 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  58. 1 Kings 8:35 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
  59. 1 Kings 8:35 tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (ʿanah, “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (teʿannem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (ʿanah, “to afflict”).
  60. 1 Kings 8:36 tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.
  61. 1 Kings 8:36 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
  62. 1 Kings 8:36 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
  63. 1 Kings 8:37 tn Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.
  64. 1 Kings 8:37 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
  65. 1 Kings 8:38 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
  66. 1 Kings 8:38 tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
  67. 1 Kings 8:39 tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
  68. 1 Kings 8:39 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
  69. 1 Kings 8:39 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
  70. 1 Kings 8:40 tn Heb “fear.”
  71. 1 Kings 8:40 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
  72. 1 Kings 8:41 tn Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  73. 1 Kings 8:42 tn Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.
  74. 1 Kings 8:42 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
  75. 1 Kings 8:43 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
  76. 1 Kings 8:43 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
  77. 1 Kings 8:43 tn Heb “fear.”
  78. 1 Kings 8:43 tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “to call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
  79. 1 Kings 8:44 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
  80. 1 Kings 8:44 tn Or perhaps “to you, O Lord.” See 2 Chr 6:34.
  81. 1 Kings 8:44 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
  82. 1 Kings 8:45 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
  83. 1 Kings 8:45 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
  84. 1 Kings 8:46 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  85. 1 Kings 8:46 tn Heb “the land of the enemy.”
  86. 1 Kings 8:47 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  87. 1 Kings 8:47 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
  88. 1 Kings 8:47 tn Or “done wrong.”
  89. 1 Kings 8:48 tn Or “soul.”
  90. 1 Kings 8:48 tn Heb “in the land of their enemies.”
  91. 1 Kings 8:48 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
  92. 1 Kings 8:49 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
  93. 1 Kings 8:49 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
  94. 1 Kings 8:50 tn Heb “and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their rebellious acts by which they rebelled against you, and grant them mercy before their captors so they will show them mercy.”
  95. 1 Kings 8:51 tn Or “for.”
  96. 1 Kings 8:51 tn Heb “inheritance.”
  97. 1 Kings 8:51 tn The Hebrew term כּוּר (kur, “furnace,” cf. Akkadian kūru) is a metaphor for the intense heat of purification. A כּוּר was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19). Thus Egypt served not as a place of punishment for the Israelites, but as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.sn From the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. The metaphor of a furnace suggests fire and heat and is an apt image to remind the people of the suffering they endured while slaves in Egypt.
  98. 1 Kings 8:52 tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”
  99. 1 Kings 8:52 tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”
  100. 1 Kings 8:53 tn Or “For.”
  101. 1 Kings 8:53 tn Heb “your inheritance.”
  102. 1 Kings 8:54 tn Or “toward heaven.”
  103. 1 Kings 8:56 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
  104. 1 Kings 8:56 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
  105. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the Lord our God be with us.” The Hebrew term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the people’s volition and will.
  106. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
  107. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “keep.”
  108. 1 Kings 8:59 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night.”
  109. 1 Kings 8:59 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
  110. 1 Kings 8:60 tn Heb “so that.”
  111. 1 Kings 8:60 tn Heb “the Lord, he is the God, there is no other.”
  112. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the Lord our God.”
  113. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “walking in.”
  114. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “keeping.”
  115. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “as this day.”
  116. 1 Kings 8:63 tn Heb “peace offerings that he sacrificed.” “Peace offerings” could be “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
  117. 1 Kings 8:64 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”
  118. 1 Kings 8:65 tn Or “the Wadi of Egypt” (NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “the Egyptian Gorge.”
  119. 1 Kings 8:65 tn Heb “Solomon held at that time the festival, and all Israel was with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the Stream of Egypt, before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days, fourteen days.”
  120. 1 Kings 8:66 tn Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).
  121. 1 Kings 8:66 tn Heb “they blessed the king.”
  122. 1 Kings 8:66 tn Heb “good of heart.”
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