2 Chronicles 7
Expanded Bible
The Temple Is Given to the Lord
7 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from ·the sky [heaven] and ·burned up [consumed] the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The Lord’s ·glory [splendor] filled the ·Temple [L house]. 2 The priests could not enter the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, because the Lord’s ·glory [splendor] filled it. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the Lord’s ·glory [splendor] on the ·Temple [L house], they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and ·thanked [praised] the Lord, saying,
“He is good;
his ·love [unfailing love; lovingkindness; loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever [Ps. 136].”
4 Then King Solomon and all the people ·offered [sacrificed] sacrifices to the Lord. 5 King Solomon ·offered [sacrificed] a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand ·cattle [oxen] and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people ·gave [dedicated] the ·Temple [L house] to God. 6 The priests stood ·ready to do their work [in their places/positions/posts]. The Levites also stood with the instruments of the Lord’s music that King David had made for praising the Lord. The priests and Levites were ·saying [singing], “His ·love [unfailing love; lovingkindness; loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever [Ps. 136].” The priests, who stood across from the Levites, blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
7 Solomon ·made holy [consecrated] the middle part of the courtyard, which is in front of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. There he ·offered [sacrificed] whole burnt offerings and the fat of the ·fellowship [peace] offerings. He ·offered [sacrificed] them in the courtyard, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], and fat [Lev. 3:16].
8 Solomon and all the Israelites ·celebrated [kept; observed] the festival [C of Shelters/Tabernacles/Booths] for seven days. There ·were many people [L was a great assembly/congregation], and they came from as far away as Lebo Hamath [C in the north] and the brook of Egypt [C in the south]. 9 For seven days they celebrated ·giving [the dedication of] the altar. Then they ·celebrated [kept; observed] the festival for seven days. On the eighth day they had a ·meeting [solemn assembly; closing ceremony]. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month Solomon sent the people home, full of joy. They were ·happy [content; glad; L good of heart] because the Lord had been so good to David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
The Lord Appears to Solomon(A)
11 Solomon finished the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and his royal ·palace [L house]. He had success in ·doing [completing; accomplishing] everything he planned in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and his own ·palace [L house]. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself to be a ·Temple [L house] ·for [of] sacrifices.
13 “·I may [L If I…] ·stop the sky [shut the heavens] from sending rain. ·I may [L …or if I…] command the locusts to ·destroy [devour] the land. ·I may [L …or if I…] send ·sicknesses [plague; pestilence] to my people. 14 Then if my people, who ·are called by my name [belong to me], will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek ·me [L my face] and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will ·heal [restore] their land. 15 Now ·I will see them, and I will listen [my eyes will be open and my ears attentive; 6:40] to the prayers prayed in this place. 16 I have chosen this ·Temple [L house] and ·made it holy [consecrated/purified/sanctified it]. So ·I will be worshiped [L my name will be] there forever. Yes, ·I will always watch over it and love it [L my eyes and my heart will be there forever].
17 “But you must ·serve [L walk before] me as your father David did. You must ·obey [do] all I have commanded and keep my laws and rules. 18 If you do, I will ·make your kingdom strong [secure/establish your throne/dynasty]. This is the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I made with your father David, saying, ‘·Someone from your family will always [You will not fail to have a successor to] rule in Israel [17:10–14; 2 Sam. 7:11–16].’
19 “But ·you must follow me and obey the [if any of you turn away from me and abandon/forsake my…] laws and commands I have given you, and you must not serve or worship other gods. 20 If you do, I will ·take the Israelites out of [L uproot you from] my land, the land I have given ·you [L them], and I will ·leave [reject; disown; abandon] this ·Temple [L house] that I have ·made holy [L consecrated/purified/sanctified for my name]. All the nations will ·make fun of [mock] it and ·speak evil about [ridicule] it. 21 This ·Temple [L house] is ·honored [exalted] now, but then, everyone who passes by will be ·shocked [appalled]. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this terrible thing to this land and this ·Temple [L house]?’ 22 People will answer, ‘This happened because they ·left [abandoned; forsook] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], the God who brought them out of Egypt. They ·decided to follow [embraced; adopted] other gods and worshiped and served them, so he brought all this ·disaster [calamity] on them.’”
2 Chronicles 7
Good News Translation
The Dedication of the Temple(A)
7 (B)When King Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and burned up the sacrifices that had been offered, and the dazzling light of the Lord's presence filled the Temple. 2 Because the Temple was full of the dazzling light, the priests could not enter it. 3 (C)When the people of Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the light fill the Temple, they fell face downward on the pavement, worshiping God and praising him for his goodness and his eternal love. 4 Then Solomon and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. 5 He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so he and all the people dedicated the Temple. 6 The priests stood in the places that were assigned to them, and facing them stood the Levites, praising the Lord with the musical instruments that King David had provided and singing the hymn, “His Love Is Eternal!” as they had been commissioned by David. The priests blew trumpets while all the people stood.
7 Solomon consecrated the central part of the courtyard, the area in front of the Temple, and then offered there the sacrifices burned whole, the grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings. He did this because the bronze altar which he had made was too small for all these offerings.
8 Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters for seven days. There was a huge crowd of people from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the Egyptian border in the south. 9 They had spent seven days for the dedication of the altar and then seven more days for the festival. On the last day they had a closing celebration, 10 and on the following day, the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They were happy about all the blessings that the Lord had given to his people Israel, to David, and to Solomon.
God Appears to Solomon Again(D)
11 After King Solomon had finished the Temple and the palace, successfully completing all his plans for them, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I accept this Temple as the place where sacrifices are to be offered to me. 13 Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people, 14 if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again. 15 I will watch over this Temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here, 16 because I have chosen it and consecrated it as the place where I will be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time. 17 If you serve me faithfully as your father David did, obeying my laws and doing everything I have commanded you, 18 (E)I will keep the promise I made to your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by his descendants. 19 But if you and your people ever disobey the laws and commands I have given you and worship other gods, 20 then I will remove you from the land that I gave you, and I will abandon this Temple that I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule it and treat it with contempt.
21 “The Temple is now greatly honored, but then everyone who passes by it will be amazed and will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this Temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why the Lord has brought this disaster on them.’”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
