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耶和華的榮光充滿了殿

所羅門禱告完了,有火從天上降下來,燒盡了燔祭和其他的祭品;耶和華的榮光充滿了那殿。 因為耶和華的榮光充滿了耶和華的殿,祭司都不能進入耶和華的殿。 那火降下,耶和華的榮光停在殿上的時候,以色列眾人都看見;於是他們在鋪石地跪下,俯伏在地,敬拜稱頌耶和華說:“耶和華是良善的,他的慈愛永遠長存。”

所羅門和人民一起獻祭守節(A)

王和全體人民都在耶和華面前獻祭。 所羅門王獻上了二萬二千頭牛、十二萬隻羊為祭。這樣,王和全體人民為 神的殿舉行了奉獻禮。 祭司都站在自己的崗位上;利未人也站著,拿著大衛王所做的耶和華的樂器,稱頌耶和華,因為他的慈愛永遠長存;大衛藉著他們讚美耶和華的時候,祭司在眾人前面吹號;以色列眾人都站著。 所羅門把耶和華殿前院子當中的地方分別為聖,在那裡獻上了燔祭和平安祭的脂肪,因為所羅門所做的銅壇容不下所有的燔祭、素祭和脂肪。

那時,所羅門和全體以色列人,就是來自哈馬口,直到埃及小河的一群極大的會眾,一起舉行了七天的節期。 第八天舉行了嚴肅會,又舉行獻壇禮七天,舉行了七天的節期。 10 七月二十三日,王遣散眾民回家;他們因看見耶和華向大衛、所羅門和他的子民以色列所施的恩惠,心裡都歡喜快樂。

耶和華的警告與應許(B)

11 這樣,所羅門完成了耶和華的殿宇和王宮。在耶和華的殿裡或所羅門的宮中,所羅門心裡要作的,都順利地作成了。 12 夜間,耶和華向所羅門顯現,對他說:“我已經聽了你的禱告,也為我自己選擇了這地方作獻祭的殿。 13 如果我使天閉塞不下雨,或吩咐蝗蟲吞吃這地的土產,或差遣瘟疫到我的子民中間來; 14 這稱為我名下的子民,若是謙卑、禱告、尋求我的面,轉離他們的惡行,我必從天上垂聽,赦免他們的罪,醫治他們的地。 15 現在我的眼睛必張開,我的耳朵必垂聽在這地所發的禱告。 16 現在我揀選了這殿,把它分別為聖,使我的名永遠在這殿中;我的眼和我的心也常常留在那裡。 17 至於你,你若是在我面前行事為人像你的父親大衛所行的那樣,遵行我吩咐你的一切話,謹守我的律例和典章, 18 我就必鞏固你的國位,好像我和你父親大衛所立的約說:‘你的子孫必不會斷人作君王統治以色列。’

19 “可是,如果你們轉離我,丟棄我在你們面前頒布的律例和誡命,去事奉和敬拜別的神, 20 我就必把以色列人從我賜給他們的土地上拔出來,並且我為自己的名分別為聖的這殿,我也必從我面前捨棄,使這殿在萬民中成為笑談和譏笑的對象。 21 這殿雖然高大,但將來經過的人,都必驚訝,說:‘耶和華為甚麼這樣對待這地和這殿呢?’ 22 人必回答說:‘是因為這地的人離棄了耶和華他們列祖的 神,就是領他們從埃及地出來的 神,去親近別的神,敬拜和事奉他們;所以,耶和華使這一切災禍臨到他們。’”

Ang Pagtatalaga sa Templo(A)

Pagkatapos(B) manalangin ni Solomon, may apoy na bumabâ mula sa langit; tinupok ang mga handog, at ang Templo ay napuno ng kaluwalhatian ni Yahweh. Hindi makapasok sa Templo ang mga pari sapagkat napuno ito ng kaluwalhatian ni Yahweh. Nasaksihan(C) ng buong Israel nang bumabâ ang apoy at nang ang Templo'y mapuno ng kaluwalhatian ni Yahweh. Kaya't nagpatirapa sila, sumamba at nagpasalamat kay Yahweh, at nagsasabing, “Purihin si Yahweh sa kanyang kabutihan! Pag-ibig niya'y tunay, laging tapat kailanman.” Pagkatapos, ang hari at ang buong bayan ay nag-alay ng mga handog kay Yahweh. Naghandog si Solomon ng 22,000 baka at 120,000 tupa. Sa ganitong paraan itinalaga ng hari at ng sambayanan ang Templo ng Diyos. Nakatayo ang mga pari sa kani-kanilang lugar, kaharap ang mga Levita na tumutugtog ng mga instrumentong ginawa ni Haring David upang pasalamatan si Yahweh. Ito ang awit nila: “Ang tapat niyang pag-ibig ay walang hanggan.” Hinipan naman ng mga pari ang mga trumpeta habang nakatayo ang buong sambayanan ng Israel.

Itinalaga ni Solomon ang gitna ng bulwagan sa harap ng Templo. Doon niya inialay ang mga handog na susunugin, ang mga handog na pagkaing butil at ang mga tabang handog pangkapayapaan, sapagkat hindi magkasya ang mga ito sa altar na tanso na ipinagawa ni Solomon.

Ipinagdiwang ni Solomon ang Pista ng mga Tolda sa loob ng pitong araw. Dumalo roon ang buong bayan ng Israel mula sa pagpasok sa Hamat na nasa hilaga hanggang sa Batis ng Egipto sa timog. Nang ikawalong araw, nagdaos sila ng isang dakilang pagtitipon. Pitong araw nilang ipinagdiwang ang pagtatalaga sa altar at pitong araw rin ang Pista ng mga Tolda. 10 Nang ikadalawampu't tatlong araw ng ikapitong buwan, pinauwi na ni Solomon ang mga tao. Masayang-masaya silang lahat dahil sa kagandahang-loob ni Yahweh kay David, kay Solomon at sa kanyang bayang Israel.

Muling Kinausap ng Diyos si Solomon(D)

11 Natapos ni Solomon ang Templo ni Yahweh at ang sarili niyang palasyo. Sinunod niyang lahat ang plano niya para sa mga ito. 12 Isang gabi, nagpakita sa kanya si Yahweh at sinabi sa kanya: “Narinig ko ang iyong panalangin at tinatanggap ko ang lugar na ito upang dito ninyo ako handugan. 13 Isara ko man ang langit at hindi na umulan; utusan ko man ang mga balang upang salantain ang lupaing ito; magpadala man ako ng salot sa aking bayan, 14 ngunit kung ang bayang ito na nagtataglay ng aking karangalan ay magpakumbaba, manalangin, hanapin ako at talikuran ang kanilang kasamaan, papakinggan ko sila mula sa langit. Patatawarin ko sila sa kanilang mga kasalanan at muli kong pasasaganain ang kanilang lupain. 15 Babantayan ko sila at papakinggan ko ang mga panalanging iniaalay nila rito. 16 Pinili ko at iniuukol ang Templong ito upang dito ako sambahin magpakailanman. Lagi kong babantayan at mamahalin ang Templong ito magpakailanman. 17 Kung mananatili kang tapat sa akin gaya ng iyong amang si David, kung susundin mo ang lahat kong mga utos at tuntunin, 18 patatatagin(E) ko ang iyong paghahari. Tulad ng pangako ko sa iyong amang si David, hindi siya mawawalan ng anak na lalaki na maghahari sa Israel.

19 “Ngunit kapag tinalikuran ninyo ako at sinuway ninyo ang mga batas at mga utos na ibinigay ko sa inyo, at sumamba kayo at naglingkod sa ibang mga diyos, 20 palalayasin ko kayo sa lupaing ito na ibinigay ko sa inyo. Iiwan ko ang Templong ito na inilaan ko upang dito ako sambahin. Pagtatawanan ito at lalapastanganin ng mga bansa. 21 Ang mapapadaan sa tapat ng Templong ito na ngayo'y dinadakila ay mapapailing at magtatanong: ‘Bakit kaya ganito ang ginawa ni Yahweh sa lupaing ito at sa Templong ito?’ 22 Ito naman ang isasagot sa kanila: ‘Sapagkat tinalikuran nila si Yahweh, ang Diyos ng kanilang mga ninuno, na naglabas sa kanila sa Egipto. Bumaling sila sa ibang mga diyos at ang mga ito ang kanilang sinamba at pinaglingkuran. Kaya pinarusahan sila ng ganito ni Yahweh.’”

The Dedication of the Temple(A)

When Solomon finished praying, fire(B) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled(C) the temple.(D) The priests could not enter(E) the temple of the Lord because the glory(F) of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(G)

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. The priests took their positions, as did the Levites(H) with the Lord’s musical instruments,(I) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat(J) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

So Solomon observed the festival(K) at that time for seven days, and all Israel(L) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(M) to the Wadi of Egypt.(N) On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated(O) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival(P) for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(Q)

11 When Solomon had finished(R) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared(S) to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(T) this place for myself(U) as a temple for sacrifices.

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(V) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(W) will humble(X) themselves and pray and seek my face(Y) and turn(Z) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(AA) from heaven, and I will forgive(AB) their sin and will heal(AC) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(AD) 16 I have chosen(AE) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(AF) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(AG) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(AH) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(AI) to rule over Israel.’(AJ)

19 “But if you[a] turn away(AK) and forsake(AL) the decrees and commands I have given you[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(AM) Israel from my land,(AN) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(AO) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[c] who pass by will be appalled(AP) and say,(AQ) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(AR)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all

The Shekinah Glory

(A)Now when Solomon had finished praying, (B)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. (C)And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lords house. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “(D)Certainly He is good, certainly His faithfulness is everlasting.”

Sacrifices Offered

(E)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. The priests stood at their posts, and (F)the Levites also, with the musical instruments for the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His faithfulness is everlasting”—whenever David gave praise through their [a]ministry; (G)the priests on the other side blew trumpets and all Israel was standing.

(H)Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was before the house of the Lord, for he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat.

The Feast of Dedication

So (I)Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly that came from the entrance of Hamath to the (J)brook of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held (K)a solemn assembly, because they held the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the feast for seven days. 10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and happy in heart because of the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, to Solomon, and to His people Israel.

God’s Promise and Warning

11 (L)So Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and successfully completed everything that [b]he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and in his palace.

12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and (M)have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 (N)If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, 14 (O)and My people [c]who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 (P)Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the [d]prayer offered in this place. 16 For (Q)now I have chosen and consecrated this house so that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there [e]always. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, to do according to everything that I have commanded you, and keep My statutes and My ordinances, 18 then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘[f](R)You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’

19 (S)But if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 (T)then I will uproot [g]you from My land which I have given [h]you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight; and I will make it (U)a proverb and an object of scorn among all peoples. 21 As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘(V)Why has the Lord done these things to this land and to this house?’ 22 And they will say, ‘Because (W)they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods, and worshiped and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:6 Lit hand
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:11 Lit came upon the heart of Solomon to do
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Lit over whom My name is called
  4. 2 Chronicles 7:15 Lit prayer of this place
  5. 2 Chronicles 7:16 Lit all the days
  6. 2 Chronicles 7:18 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
  7. 2 Chronicles 7:20 As in ancient versions; MT them
  8. 2 Chronicles 7:20 As in some ancient versions; MT them

The glory of the Lord fills the temple

When King Solomon had finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven. It destroyed the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. The Lord's bright glory filled the temple. The priests could not go into the Lord's temple because the Lord's glory had completely filled it. All the Israelites saw the fire come down. They also saw the Lord's glory above the temple. They went down on their knees on the flat stones of the yard, with their faces towards the ground. They worshipped the Lord and they thanked him. They said, ‘He is good. His faithful love continues for ever.’

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. King Solomon offered 22,000 cows and 120,000 sheep and goats as sacrifices. In this way the king and all the people offered the temple as a gift to God. The priests and the Levites stood in their places. The Levites held the musical instruments that King David had made to thank the Lord. They sang these words to praise the Lord: ‘His faithful love continues for ever.’ The priests stood on the other side and they made music with their trumpets. All the Israelites were standing up while this was happening.

On the same day, Solomon gave to the Lord the yard that was in front of the temple. He offered burnt offerings and grain offerings to the Lord. He also offered the fat from the friendship offerings there. The bronze altar that Solomon had made was too small to contain all these offerings, so he made these sacrifices in the middle of the yard instead.

At that time, Solomon and the big crowd of Israelites who were with him had a festival for seven days. There were people from everywhere in Israel, from Hamath in the north to the Stream of Egypt in the south.[a] On the day after the festival, they all met together. For seven days, they had given offerings to make the altar holy for God. For another seven days, they had enjoyed the festival. 10 Then Solomon sent the people away to their homes. That was on the 23rd day of the seventh month. The people were very happy and full of joy because the Lord had done many good things for King David, for King Solomon and for his people, the Israelites.

The Lord speaks to Solomon

11 Solomon had finished building the Lord's temple and the king's palace. He had done everything that he wanted to do for the temple and his palace. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night. He said to Solomon, ‘I have heard your prayer. I have chosen this place as my temple where people can offer sacrifices to me.

13 Sometimes I may stop the rain falling from the sky. I may send locusts to destroy your crops. Or I may send a bad disease to hurt my people. 14 If that happens, my people who belong to me should be humble and they should pray to me. They should turn away from their sins and try to please me. Then I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sins and I will make their land successful again. 15 Now I will watch over this place. I will answer the prayers that people offer to me here. 16 I have chosen this temple to be my special home. People will worship me there for ever. I will always be there to watch over it.

17 But you must all continue to serve me well, as your father David did. Do everything that I have commanded you to do. Obey my rules and my laws. 18 If you do that, I will always cause one of your descendants to rule as king. That is what I promised to your father David when I said, “There will always be someone from your family to rule over Israel.”

19 But if any of you turn away from me, I will punish your people. I will do that if you do not obey the laws and rules that I have given to you. I will do it if you choose to serve and to worship other gods. 20 I will remove the people from the land that I have given to them. I will turn away from this temple that I have made a special place for my people to worship me. People from all the other nations will insult them and they will laugh at them. 21 This beautiful temple will became a heap of stones. Everyone who sees it will be very surprised. They will laugh about it! They will ask, “Why has the Lord destroyed this land and this temple?” 22 People will answer, “He has done it because they have turned away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He brought their ancestors out of Egypt. But now they have chosen to worship other gods and to serve them. That is why the Lord has caused this trouble to happen to them.” ’

Footnotes

  1. 7:8 People came to the temple from everywhere in Israel. Lebo-Hamath was in the far north of Israel. The Stream of Egypt was the border on the south of Israel.