Solomon’s Speech

¹⁴ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.^{(A) 15} He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David, saying,^{(B) 16} ‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any of the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, nor did I choose anyone to be a ruler over my people Israel. But I have chosen Jerusalem in order that my name may be there,^[a] and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’^{(C) 17} My father David had it in mind to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.^{(D) 18} But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to consider building a house for my name; ¹⁹ nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’^{(E) 20} Now the Lord has fulfilled the promise that he made, for I have risen in the place of my father David; I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.^{(F) 21} There I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”^(G)