Solomon’s Benediction

54 (A)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and plea to the Lord, (B)he stood up from the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his [a]hands spread toward heaven. 55 And he stood and (C)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel (D)in accordance with everything that He [b]promised; (E)not one word has [c]failed of all His good [d]promise, which He [e]promised through Moses His servant. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; (F)may He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 so that (G)He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the [f]favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, [g]as each day requires, 60 so (H)that all the peoples of the earth may know that (I)the Lord is God; there is no one else. 61 (J)Your hearts therefore shall be [h]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

62 (K)Then the king and all Israel with him (L)offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63 And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. (M)So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. 64 On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house of the Lord, because there he [i]offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; for (N)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So (O)Solomon held the [j]feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly (P)from the entrance of Hamath (Q)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, that is, fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people, and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had [k]shown to David His servant, and to Israel His people.

God’s Promise and Warning

(R)Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and (S)the king’s house, and (T)all [l]that Solomon desired to do, that (U)the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the Lord said to him, “(V)I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have offered before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built, (W)by putting My name there forever, and (X)My eyes and My heart will be there [m]always. As for you, (Y)if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and honesty, acting in accordance with everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My ordinances, then (Z)I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I [n]promised to your father David, saying, ‘[o]You shall not be deprived of a man on the throne of Israel.’

(AA)But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have placed before you, but you go and serve other gods and worship them, (AB)then I will cut Israel off from the land which I have given them, and (AC)the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will [p]expel from My sight. So (AD)Israel will become a saying and an object of derision among all peoples. And this house will become (AE)a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [q]hiss and say, ‘(AF)Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and this house?’ And they will say, ‘(AG)Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they [r]adopted other gods and worshiped and served them, for that reason the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:54 Lit palms
  2. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
  3. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit fallen
  4. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit word
  5. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
  6. 1 Kings 8:59 Or compassion
  7. 1 Kings 8:59 Lit the matter of a day in its day
  8. 1 Kings 8:61 Lit complete with
  9. 1 Kings 8:64 Lit made
  10. 1 Kings 8:65 I.e., of Booths
  11. 1 Kings 8:66 Lit done
  12. 1 Kings 9:1 Lit Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do
  13. 1 Kings 9:3 Lit all the days
  14. 1 Kings 9:5 Lit spoke
  15. 1 Kings 9:5 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
  16. 1 Kings 9:7 Lit send
  17. 1 Kings 9:8 Or whistle
  18. 1 Kings 9:9 Lit laid hold of

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