圣殿奉献礼

所罗门祷告完毕,就有火从天上降下,烧尽了燔祭和其他祭物。殿里充满了耶和华的荣光, 以致祭司不能进殿。 全体以色列人看见有火降下,又看见耶和华的荣光停在殿上,便俯伏敬拜,称谢耶和华说:

“耶和华是美善的,
祂的慈爱永远长存。”

所罗门王和全体民众一同向耶和华献祭。 所罗门王献上两万二千头牛和十二万只羊,王和全体民众为上帝的殿举行奉献典礼。 祭司在自己的岗位上侍立,利未人奏着大卫王为颂赞耶和华而为他们制造的乐器,歌颂说:“祂的慈爱永远长存。”他们对面的祭司也吹响号角,全体以色列人都肃立。

所罗门因所造的铜坛太小,容不下燔祭、素祭和脂肪,就把耶和华殿前院子中间的地方分别出来,作圣洁之地,在那里献上燔祭和平安祭祭牲的脂肪。

所罗门和从哈马口直至埃及小河而来的全体以色列人聚成一大群会众,一起守节期七天。 第八天举行庄严的聚会,又举行七天献坛礼。之后,他们又欢庆七天。 10 七月二十三日,所罗门王让民众各回本乡。他们看见耶和华向大卫、所罗门和祂的以色列子民所施的恩惠,就满心欢喜地回家去了。

耶和华向所罗门显现

11 所罗门建完了耶和华的殿和他自己的王宫,他按计划完成了耶和华殿里和他自己宫里的一切工作。 12 耶和华在夜间向所罗门显现,对他说:“我已听见你的祷告,也已选择这殿作为给我献祭的地方。 13 若我使天不下雨,使蝗虫吞吃地上的出产,或叫瘟疫在我民中流行, 14 而这些被称为我名下的子民若谦卑下来,祈祷、寻求我的面,离开恶道,我必从天上垂听,赦免他们的罪,医治他们的土地。 15 现在,我会睁眼看、留心听在这殿里献上的祷告。 16 我已选择这殿,使之圣洁,永远归在我的名下,我的眼和我的心必常在那里。 17 如果你像你父亲大卫一样事奉我,遵行我一切的吩咐,谨守我的律例和典章, 18 我必使你的王位稳固,正如我曾与你父亲大卫立约,说,‘你的子孙必永远统治以色列。’

19 “然而,如果你们背弃我指示你们的律例和诫命,去供奉、祭拜别的神明, 20 我必把你们从我赐给你们的土地上铲除,并离弃我为自己的名而使之圣洁的这殿,使这殿在万民中成为笑柄、被人嘲讽。 21 这殿虽然宏伟,但将来经过的人必惊讶地问,‘耶和华为什么这样对待这地方和这殿呢?’ 22 人们会回答,‘因为他们背弃曾领他们祖先离开埃及的耶和华——他们的上帝,去追随、祭拜、供奉别的神明,所以耶和华把这一切灾祸降在他们身上。’”

The Dedication of the Temple

When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying,

“He is good!
    His faithful love endures forever!”

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, “His faithful love endures forever!” They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the Lord. Across from the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.

Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord’s Temple. He offered burnt offerings and the fat of peace offerings there, because the bronze altar he had built could not hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.

For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters.[a] A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. 10 Then at the end of the celebration,[b] Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the Lord had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel.

The Lord’s Response to Solomon

11 So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the Temple and the palace. 12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

17 “As for you, if you faithfully follow me as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, 18 then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with your father, David, when I said, ‘One of your descendants will always rule over Israel.’

19 “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, 20 then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. 21 And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’

22 “And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why he has brought all these disasters on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 7:8 Hebrew the festival (also in 7:9); see note on 5:3.
  2. 7:10 Hebrew Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month. This day of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in October or early November.

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.