1 Kings 8
Evangelical Heritage Version
Solomon Brings the Ark Into the Temple
8 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of tribes, and the leading fathers of the people of Israel to appear before him in Jerusalem, in order to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the City of David, that is, from Zion. 2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon in the month of Ethanim,[a] during the festival.[b] It was the seventh month. 3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests lifted up the ark. 4 They brought up the Ark of the Lord, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels which were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
5 King Solomon, along with the whole congregation of Israel who had gathered with him in front of the ark, was sacrificing sheep and cattle, too many to be counted.
6 The priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim, 7 for the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place for the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles with their wings. 8 The poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day.
9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets, which Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 When the priests came out from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the House of the Lord. 11 The priests were not able to take their positions to minister in the presence of the cloud, because the Glory of the Lord had filled the House of the Lord.
King Solomon’s Prayer
12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he dwells in thick darkness. 13 I have truly built a majestic house for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”
14 Then the king turned and blessed the whole congregation of Israel, while the whole congregation of Israel was standing there. 15 Then Solomon said:
Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel. What he said with his mouth to my father David, he has fulfilled with his hand.
The Lord said, 16 “From the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house for my Name to be there, ⎣nor did I choose any man to be a leader over my people Israel; but now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there,⎦[c] and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.”
17 It was on my father David’s heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
18 However, the Lord said to my father David, “It was on your heart to build a house for my Name. That was a good thing to desire. 19 But you will not build the house. Your son, who will come from your own body, will build the house for my Name.”
20 So the Lord kept his word which he had spoken, and I arose in the place of my father David. I am seated on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord said. I have built this house for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have established a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
22 Then Solomon stood in front of the altar in the presence of the whole congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.[d] 23 He said:
O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth below. You keep the covenant of mercy and faithfulness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart. 24 You have kept the word which you spoke to your servant, my father David. What you have said with your mouth you have fulfilled with your hand, as it is today.
25 Now, Lord God of Israel, guard for your servant, my father David, the promise you made to him when you said, “You will never fail to have a man sitting on the throne of Israel in my presence, if your sons guard their ways by walking in my law just as you have walked before me.”
26 Now, O God of Israel, let the words which you spoke to your servant, my father David, be confirmed.
27 But will God really dwell on the earth? In truth, the heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this house, which I have built! 28 But turn your face toward the prayer of your servant and toward his plea for mercy. O Lord my God, listen to the cry and the prayer which your servant offers before you today.
29 Let your eyes be open toward this house night and day, toward this place where you said, “My Name will be there,” to hear the prayer which your servant offers toward this place.
30 When you hear the plea for mercy of your servant and of your people Israel, which they pray toward this place, then hear in your dwelling place in heaven—hear and forgive.
The Petitions
31 When a man sins against his neighbor, and his neighbor places him under an oath, and the oath is presented before your altar in this house, 32 then hear from heaven and take action. Provide justice for your servants by declaring the wicked person guilty and bringing his ways down on his own head, and by declaring the righteous person innocent and dealing with him according to his righteousness.
33 When your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they sinned against you, and when they return to you and praise your Name and pray and seek your favor in this house, 34 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land which you gave to their fathers.
35 When the heavens are shut up, and there is no rain because they sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place, and they praise your Name and turn from their sin because you have humbled them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Yes, teach them the good way in which they are to walk, and provide rain for the land which you gave to your people as an inheritance.
37 When there is famine in the land, when there is plague, when there is blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, when their enemies are in the land besieging their gates, in every disease, in every sickness, 38 hear every prayer and every plea for mercy which any individual presents or which your whole people Israel presents. When each one knows the affliction of his own heart, when he spreads out his hands toward this house, 39 hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive. Then act and give to each person according to all his ways, because you know his heart (yes, you alone know the heart of every human being), 40 so that they may fear you all the days they live on the soil which you gave to our fathers.
41 Also for the foreigner, who is not one of your people Israel, but who comes from a distant land because of your Name 42 (for they will hear about your great Name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm, and they will come and pray toward this house), 43 for that foreigner, hear in heaven, which is your dwelling place, and do everything for which that foreigner cries out to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your Name and fear you, just as your people Israel do, and because they know that your Name is proclaimed in this house which I have built.
44 When your people go out for battle against their enemy on whatever way you send them, and when they pray to the Lord facing toward the city which you have chosen and toward the house which I have built for your Name, 45 then from heaven hear their prayer and their plea for mercy, and provide justice for them.
46 When they sin against you (for there is no one who does not sin) and you become angry with them, and you give them up to their enemies, and their captors exile them to an enemy land, whether distant or near, 47 when they are in the land where they were exiled and they turn their hearts back, and they repent and pray to you in the land of their exile and say, “We have sinned and become guilty and done evil,” 48 when they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies where they were exiled, and they pray in the direction of their land, which you gave to their fathers, toward the city which you chose and toward the house which I have built for your Name, 49 then hear their prayers and their plea for mercy from heaven, your dwelling place, and provide justice for them. 50 Pardon your people who have sinned against you and all their rebellious deeds that they have committed against you. Have compassion by causing their enemies to show them compassion. 51 For they are your people and your possession, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron-smelting furnace.
52 Let your eyes be open to the plea for mercy from your servant and to the plea for mercy from your people Israel. Hear them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For you singled them out for yourself as your possession from all the peoples of the earth, just as you said through Moses your servant when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.
The Dedication of the Temple
54 When Solomon finished offering all these prayers and pleas for mercy to the Lord, he got up from the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 Then he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice:
56 Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he said he would. Not one word has failed[e] from all his good words which he spoke through Moses his servant. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our fathers. May he never leave us or abandon us. 58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to listen to his commands, regulations, and ordinances, which he commanded to our fathers. 59 May these words which I have prayed before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night so that he provides justice for his servant and for his people Israel forever, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God. There is no other. 61 May your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, in order to walk in his regulations and to keep his commands, just as is the case today.
62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. 63 Solomon sacrificed fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the House of the Lord.
64 On that day the king consecrated the center of the courtyard which was in front of the House of the Lord, so that he could offer whole burnt offerings and grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings there, because the bronze altar which was before the Lord was too small to hold the whole burnt offerings and grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.
65 At that time Solomon kept the festival, and all Israel kept the festival with him. They were a great congregation that had come from throughout the land, from Lebo Hamath to the Stream of Egypt before the Lord our God. ⎣⎦[f] The festival lasted seven days, and then seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the eighth day he sent them home, and they blessed the king. Then they went home, and their hearts were glad because of all the good which the Lord had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 8:2 September/October
- 1 Kings 8:2 That is, the Festival of Shelters (traditionally Tabernacles)
- 1 Kings 8:16 The words in half-brackets do not appear in the Hebrew text, but they are present in the Greek Old Testament and in 2 Chronicles 6:5-6. The additional words fall between two occurrences of for my Name to be there.
- 1 Kings 8:22 At this point the parallel account in 2 Chronicles 6:12-13 has the additional words marked by half-brackets: and spread out his hands. ⎣13 Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. It was seven and a half feet by seven and a half feet square, and four and a half feet tall. He stood on it. Then he knelt in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands⎦ toward heaven. These words fall between two occurrences of spread out his hands.
- 1 Kings 8:56 Literally fallen
- 1 Kings 8:65 The Greek Old Testament has the additional words between the half-brackets: before the Lord our God ⎣in the house which he built, eating and drinking and rejoicing before the Lord our God.⎦ These words fall between occurrences of before the Lord our God.
1 Kings 8
Easy-to-Read Version
The Box of the Agreement in the Temple
8 Then King Solomon told all the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of Israel to come together in Jerusalem. Solomon wanted them to join in moving the Box of the Lord’s Agreement from the City of David up to the Temple. 2 So during the special festival[a] in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month of the year, all the men of Israel came to the meeting with King Solomon.
3-4 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests and Levites carried the Holy Box of the Lord up to the Temple. They also carried the Meeting Tent and all the holy things that were in it up to the Temple. 5 King Solomon and all Israel met together before the Box of the Agreement and sacrificed so many sheep and cattle that no one was able to count them all. 6 The priests carried the Box of the Lord’s Agreement to its proper place inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple, under the wings of the Cherub angels. 7 The wings of the Cherub angels spread out over the Holy Box, and they covered the Holy Box and its carrying poles. 8 The poles are still there today. They are too long for the Most Holy Place, so anyone standing in the Holy Place can see the ends of the poles, although no one outside can see them. 9 The only things inside the Holy Box are the two tablets that Moses put there at Mt. Horeb. This is where the Lord made his agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10 When the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud[b] filled the Lord’s Temple. 11 The priests could not continue their work because the Temple was filled with the Glory of the Lord. 12 Then Solomon said,
“The Lord caused the sun to shine in the sky,
but he chose to live in a dark cloud.[c]
13 Now, Lord, I have built a beautiful Temple for you,
where you may live forever.”
14 Then King Solomon turned toward all the Israelites who were standing there and asked God to bless them. 15 He prayed this long prayer to the Lord:
“The Lord, the God of Israel, is great. He has done what he promised my father David. He told my father, 16 ‘I brought my people, Israel, out of Egypt, but I had not yet chosen a city from among the tribes of Israel for a temple to honor me. And I had not chosen a man to be leader over my people, Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem to be the city where I will be honored.[d] And I have chosen David to rule over my people, Israel.’
17 “My father David wanted very much to build a temple to honor the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father, ‘I know that you want very much to build a temple to honor me, and it is good that you want to build it. 19 But you are not the one to build my temple. Your son will build my temple.’
20 “So the Lord has kept his promises. I am the king now in place of my father David. I rule the people of Israel as the Lord promised. And I have built the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have made a place in the Temple for the Holy Box. Inside that Holy Box is the agreement that the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”
22 Then Solomon stood in front of whole assembly of Israel and faced the Lord’s altar. Solomon spread his hands and looked toward heaven 23 and said,
“Lord, God of Israel, there is no other god like you in heaven or on the earth. You keep the agreement that you made with your people. You are kind and loyal to those who follow you with all their heart. 24 You made a promise to your servant, my father David, and you kept that promise. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you made it come true today. 25 Now, Lord, God of Israel, keep the other promises you made to your servant David, my father. You said, ‘David, if your sons carefully obey me as you did, you will always have someone from your family ruling the people of Israel.’ 26 Again, God of Israel, I ask you to keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David.
27 “But, God, will you really live here with us on the earth? The whole sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you. Certainly this Temple that I built cannot contain you either. 28 But please listen to my prayer and my request. I am your servant, and you are the Lord my God. Hear this prayer that I am praying to you today. 29 In the past you said, ‘I will be honored there.’ So please watch over this Temple, night and day. And please listen to my prayer as I turn toward this Temple and pray to you. 30 And please listen to our prayers in the future when I and your people Israel turn to this place and pray to you. We know that you live in heaven. We ask you to hear our prayer there and forgive us.
31 “Those who wrong others will be brought to this altar. If they are not guilty, they will make an oath and promise that they are innocent. 32 Please listen from heaven and judge them. If they are guilty, please show us that they are guilty. And if they are innocent, please show us that they are not guilty.
33 “Sometimes your people Israel will sin against you, and their enemies will defeat them. Then the people will come back to you and praise you. They will pray to you in this Temple. 34 Please listen in heaven, please listen to the prayers of your people Israel. Forgive them for their sins and let them have their land again. You gave this land to their ancestors.
35 “Sometimes they will sin against you, and you will stop the rain from falling on their land. Then they will pray toward this place and praise your name. You make them suffer, and they will be sorry for their sins. 36 So please listen in heaven to their prayer. Then forgive us for our sins. Teach the people to live right. Then, Lord, please send rain to the land you gave them.
37 “The land might become very dry and no food will grow on it. Or maybe a great sickness will spread among the people. Maybe all the food that is growing will be destroyed by insects. Or your people might be attacked in some of their cities by their enemies. Or many of your people might get sick. 38 When any of these things happen, and people feel compelled in their hearts to spread their hands in prayer toward this Temple, 39 please listen to their prayer. Listen while you are in your home in heaven and forgive them and help them. Only you know what people are really thinking, so only you can judge them fairly. 40 Do this so that your people will fear and respect you all the time that they live in this land that you gave to our ancestors.
41-42 “People from other places will hear about your greatness and your power. They will come from far away to pray at this Temple. 43 From your home in heaven, please listen to their prayers. Please do everything the people from other places ask you. Then they will fear and respect you the same as your people in Israel. Then all people everywhere will know that I built this Temple to honor you.
44 “Sometimes you will command your people to go and fight against their enemies. Then your people will turn toward the city that you have chosen and the Temple that I built in your honor, and they will pray to you, Lord. 45 Please listen to their prayers from your home in heaven, and help them.
46 “Your people will sin against you. I know this because everyone sins. And you will be angry with your people. You will let their enemies defeat them. Their enemies will make them prisoners and carry them to some faraway land. 47 In that faraway land, your people will think about what happened. They will be sorry for their sins, and they will pray to you. They will say, ‘We have sinned and done wrong.’ 48 They will be in that faraway land of their enemies, but they will turn back to you. They will feel sorry for their sins with their whole heart and soul. They will turn toward the land you gave their ancestors. They will look toward the city you chose and toward the Temple I built, and they will pray to you. 49 Please listen to their prayers from your home in heaven, and do what is right. 50 Forgive your sinful people for all the things they have done against you. Make their enemies be kind to them. 51 Remember that they are your people and that you brought them out of Egypt. It was as if you saved them by pulling them out of a hot oven!
52 “Please listen to my prayers and to the prayers of your people Israel. Listen to their prayers any time that they ask you for help. 53 You have chosen them from all the peoples of the earth to be your own special people. Lord God, you promised to do that for us. You used your servant Moses to make that promise when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
54 When Solomon prayed this prayer to the Lord, he was on his knees in front of the Lord’s altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up. 55 Then, in a loud voice, he asked God to bless all the people of Israel. Solomon said,
56 “Praise the Lord! He promised to give rest to his people, Israel. And he has given us rest! He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them! 57 I pray that the Lord our God will be with us, as he was with our ancestors. I pray that he will never leave us. 58 I pray that we will turn to him and follow him. Then we will obey all the laws, decisions, and commands that he gave our ancestors. 59 I pray that the Lord our God will always remember this prayer and what I have asked. I pray that he will do these things for his servant, the king, and for his people, Israel. I pray that he will do this every day. 60 If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the Lord is the only true God. 61 You people must be loyal and true to the Lord our God. You must always follow and obey all of his laws and commands. You must continue to obey in the future as you do now.”
62 Then King Solomon and all the Israelites with him offered sacrifices to the Lord. 63 Solomon killed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to the Lord. In this way the king and the people showed that they had dedicated the Temple to the Lord.
64 King Solomon also dedicated the yard right in front of the Lord’s Temple. He offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were used as fellowship offerings. King Solomon made these offerings there in the yard. He did this because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small to hold them all.
65 So there at the Temple, King Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the festival.[e] People came from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the border of Egypt in the south. This huge crowd of people ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves together with the Lord for seven days. Then they stayed for another seven days. They celebrated for a total of 14 days.[f] 66 The next day Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said goodbye, and went home. They were happy because of all the good things that the Lord had done for David his servant and for his people Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 8:2 the special festival That is, the Festival of Shelters. See “Festival of Shelters” in the Word List.
- 1 Kings 8:10 cloud The special sign that showed God was with his people.
- 1 Kings 8:12 The Lord … dark cloud This is from the ancient Greek version, which places verses 12-13 after verse 53. In verse 12 the standard Hebrew text has only “The Lord said he would live in darkness.”
- 1 Kings 8:16 And I … honored This is from the ancient Greek version. It is found in the standard Hebrew text of 2 Chron. 6:5-6, but not here.
- 1 Kings 8:65 festival The Festival of Shelters. See verse 2.
- 1 Kings 8:65 Then … 14 days This is not in the ancient Greek version.
1 Kings 8
Living Bible
8 Then Solomon called a convocation at Jerusalem of all the leaders of Israel—the heads of the tribes and clans—to observe the transferring of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the Tabernacle in Zion, the City of David, to the Temple. 2 This celebration occurred at the time of the Tabernacle Festival in the month of October. 3-4 During the festivities the priests carried the Ark to the Temple, along with all the sacred vessels that had previously been in the Tabernacle. 5 King Solomon and all the people gathered before the Ark, sacrificing uncounted sheep and oxen.
6 Then the priests took the Ark into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it under the wings of the statues of the Guardian Angels. 7 The Angels had been constructed in such a manner that their wings spread out over the spot where the Ark would be placed; so now their wings overshadowed the Ark and its carrying poles. 8 The poles were so long that they stuck out past the Angels and could be seen from the next room, but not from the outer court; and they remain there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the Ark at that time except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Horeb at the time the Lord made his covenant with the people of Israel after they left Egypt.
10 Look! As the priests are returning from the inner sanctuary, a bright cloud fills the Temple! 11 The priests have to go outside because the glory of the Lord is filling the entire building!
12-13 Now King Solomon prayed this invocation:
“The Lord has said that he would live in the thick darkness;
But, O Lord, I have built you a lovely home on earth, a place for you to live forever.”
14 Then the king turned around and faced the people as they stood before him, and blessed them.
15 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,” he said, “who has done today what he promised my father David: 16 for he said to him, ‘When I brought my people from Egypt, I didn’t appoint a place for my Temple, but I appointed a man to be my people’s leader.’ 17 This man was my father David. He wanted to build a Temple for the Lord God of Israel, 18 but the Lord told him not to. ‘I am glad you want to do it,’ he said, 19 ‘but your son is the one who shall build my Temple.’ 20 And now the Lord has done what he promised; for I have followed my father as king of Israel, and now this Temple has been built for the Lord God of Israel. 21 And I have prepared a place in the Temple for the Ark that contains the covenant made by the Lord with our fathers, at the time that he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
22-23 Then, as all the people watched, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord with his hands spread out toward heaven and said, “O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or earth, for you are loving and kind and you keep your promises to your people if they do their best to do your will. 24 Today you have fulfilled your promise to my father David, who was your servant; 25 and now, O Lord God of Israel, fulfill your further promise to him: that if his descendants follow your ways and try to do your will as he did, one of them shall always sit upon the throne of Israel. 26 Yes, O God of Israel, fulfill this promise too.
27 “But is it possible that God would really live on earth? Why, even the skies and the highest heavens cannot contain you, much less this Temple I have built! 28 And yet, O Lord my God, you have heard and answered my request: 29 Please watch over this Temple night and day—this place you have promised to live in—and as I face toward the Temple and pray, whether by night or by day, please listen to me and answer my requests. 30 Listen to every plea of the people of Israel whenever they face this place to pray; yes, hear in heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.
31 “If a man is accused of doing something wrong and then, standing here before your altar, swears that he didn’t do it, 32 hear him in heaven and do what is right; judge whether or not he did it.
33-34 “And when your people sin and their enemies defeat them, hear them from heaven and forgive them if they turn to you again and confess that you are their God. Bring them back again to this land which you have given to their fathers.
35-36 “And when the skies are shut up and there is no rain because of their sin, hear them from heaven and forgive them when they pray toward this place and confess your name. And after you have punished them, help them to follow the good ways in which they should walk, and send rain upon the land that you have given your people.
37 “If there is a famine in the land caused by plant disease or locusts or caterpillars, or if Israel’s enemies besiege one of her cities, or if the people are struck by an epidemic or plague—or whatever the problem is— 38 then when the people realize their sin and pray toward this Temple, 39 hear them from heaven and forgive and answer all who have made an honest confession; for you know each heart. 40 In this way they will always learn to reverence you as they continue to live in this land that you have given their fathers.
41-42 “And when foreigners hear of your great name and come from distant lands to worship you (for they shall hear of your great name and mighty miracles) and pray toward this Temple, 43 hear them from heaven and answer their prayers. And all the nations of the earth will know and fear your name just as your own people Israel do; and all the earth will know that this is your Temple.
44 “When you send your people out to battle against their enemies and they pray to you, looking toward your chosen city of Jerusalem and toward this Temple that I have built in your name, 45 hear their prayer and help them.
46 “If they sin against you (and who doesn’t?) and you become angry with them and let their enemies lead them away as captives to some foreign land, whether far or near, 47 and they come to their senses and turn to you and cry to you saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong’; 48 if they honestly return to you and pray toward this land that you have given their fathers, and toward this city of Jerusalem that you have chosen, and toward this Temple that I have built for your name, 49 hear their prayers and pleadings from heaven where you live, and come to their assistance.
50 “Forgive your people for all of their evil deeds, and make their captors merciful to them; 51 for they are your people—your inheritance that you brought out from the Egyptian furnace. 52 May your eyes be open and your ears listening to their pleas. O Lord, hear and answer them whenever they cry out to you, 53 for when you brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt, you told your servant Moses that you had chosen Israel from among all the nations of the earth to be your own special people.”
54-55 Solomon had been kneeling with his hands outstretched toward heaven. As he finished this prayer, he rose from before the altar of Jehovah and cried out this blessing upon all the people of Israel:
56 “Blessed be the Lord who has fulfilled his promise and given rest to his people Israel; not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises proclaimed by his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never forsake us. 58 May he give us the desire to do his will in everything, and to obey all the commandments and instructions he has given our ancestors. 59 And may these words of my prayer be constantly before him day and night, so that he helps me and all of Israel in accordance with our daily needs. 60 May people all over the earth know that the Lord is God and that there is no other god at all. 61 O my people, may you live good and perfect lives before the Lord our God; may you always obey his laws and commandments, just as you are doing today.”
62-63 Then the king and all the people dedicated the Temple by sacrificing peace offerings to the Lord—a total of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep and goats! 64 As a temporary measure the king sanctified the court in front of the Temple for the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: for the bronze altar was too small to handle so much. 65 The celebration lasted for fourteen days, and a great crowd came from one end of the land to the other. 66 Afterwards Solomon sent the people home, happy for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to his servant David and to his people Israel. And they blessed the king.
列王纪上 8
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
运约柜入殿
8 那时，所罗门将以色列的长老和各支派的首领并以色列的族长，招聚到耶路撒冷，要把耶和华的约柜从大卫城就是锡安运上来。 2 以他念月，就是七月，在节前，以色列人都聚集到所罗门王那里。 3 以色列长老来到，祭司便抬起约柜， 4 祭司和利未人将耶和华的约柜运上来，又将会幕和会幕的一切圣器具都带上来。 5 所罗门王和聚集到他那里的以色列全会众，一同在约柜前献牛羊为祭，多得不可胜数。 6 祭司将耶和华的约柜抬进内殿，就是至圣所，放在两个基路伯的翅膀底下。 7 基路伯张着翅膀在约柜之上，遮掩约柜和抬柜的杠。 8 这杠甚长，杠头在内殿前的圣所可以看见，在殿外却不能看见，直到如今还在那里。 9 约柜里唯有两块石版，就是以色列人出埃及地后，耶和华与他们立约的时候，摩西在何烈山所放的，除此以外，并无别物。 10 祭司从圣所出来的时候，有云充满耶和华的殿， 11 甚至祭司不能站立供职，因为耶和华的荣光充满了殿。
所罗门宣述建殿之来由
12 那时所罗门说：“耶和华曾说他必住在幽暗之处。 13 我已经建造殿宇做你的居所，为你永远的住处。” 14 王转脸为以色列会众祝福，以色列会众就都站立。 15 所罗门说：“耶和华以色列的神是应当称颂的！因他亲口向我父大卫所应许的，也亲手成就了。 16 他说：‘自从我领我民以色列出埃及以来，我未曾在以色列各支派中选择一城建造殿宇为我名的居所，但拣选大卫治理我民以色列。’” 17 所罗门说：“我父大卫曾立意要为耶和华以色列神的名建殿， 18 耶和华却对我父大卫说：‘你立意为我的名建殿，这意思甚好， 19 只是你不可建殿，唯你所生的儿子，必为我名建殿。’ 20 现在耶和华成就了他所应许的话，使我接续我父大卫坐以色列的国位，又为耶和华以色列神的名建造了殿。 21 我也在其中为约柜预备一处，约柜内有耶和华的约，就是他领我们列祖出埃及地的时候，与他们所立的约。”
大申祈祷
22 所罗门当着以色列会众，站在耶和华的坛前，向天举手说： 23 “耶和华以色列的神啊，天上地下，没有神可比你的。你向那尽心行在你面前的仆人守约施慈爱， 24 向你仆人我父大卫所应许的话现在应验了。你亲口应许，亲手成就，正如今日一样。 25 耶和华以色列的神啊，你所应许你仆人我父大卫的话说‘你的子孙若谨慎自己的行为，在我面前行事像你所行的一样，就不断人坐以色列的国位’，现在求你应验这话。 26 以色列的神啊，求你成就向你仆人我父大卫所应许的话！
27 “神果真住在地上吗？看哪，天和天上的天尚且不足你居住的，何况我所建的这殿呢！ 28 唯求耶和华我的神垂顾仆人的祷告、祈求，俯听仆人今日在你面前的祈祷、呼吁。 29 愿你昼夜看顾这殿，就是你应许立为你名的居所；求你垂听仆人向此处祷告的话。 30 你仆人和你民以色列向此处祈祷的时候，求你在天上你的居所垂听，垂听而赦免。
31 “人若得罪邻舍，有人叫他起誓，他来到这殿，在你的坛前起誓， 32 求你在天上垂听，判断你的仆人：定恶人有罪，照他所行的报应在他头上；定义人有理，照他的义赏赐他。
33 “你的民以色列若得罪你，败在仇敌面前，又归向你，承认你的名，在这殿里祈求、祷告， 34 求你在天上垂听，赦免你民以色列的罪，使他们归回你赐给他们列祖之地。
35 “你的民因得罪你，你惩罚他们，使天闭塞不下雨，他们若向此处祷告，承认你的名，离开他们的罪， 36 求你在天上垂听，赦免你仆人以色列民的罪，将当行的善道指教他们，且降雨在你的地，就是你赐给你民为业之地。
37 “国中若有饥荒、瘟疫、旱风、霉烂、蝗虫、蚂蚱，或有仇敌犯境围困城邑，无论遭遇什么灾祸疾病， 38 你的民以色列，或是众人，或是一人，自觉有罪[a]，向这殿举手，无论祈求什么，祷告什么， 39 求你在天上你的居所垂听赦免。你是知道人心的，要照各人所行的待他们——唯有你知道世人的心—— 40 使他们在你赐给我们列祖之地上一生一世敬畏你。
41 “论到不属你民以色列的外邦人，为你名从远方而来—— 42 他们听人论说你的大名和大能的手并伸出来的膀臂——向这殿祷告， 43 求你在天上你的居所垂听，照着外邦人所祈求的而行，使天下万民都认识你的名，敬畏你，像你的民以色列一样，又使他们知道我建造的这殿是称为你名下的。
44 “你的民若奉你的差遣，无论往何处去与仇敌争战，向耶和华所选择的城与我为你名所建造的殿祷告， 45 求你在天上垂听他们的祷告、祈求，使他们得胜。
46 “你的民若得罪你——世上没有不犯罪的人——你向他们发怒，将他们交给仇敌掳到仇敌之地，或远或近， 47 他们若在掳到之地想起罪来，回心转意，恳求你说‘我们有罪了，我们悖逆了，我们作恶了’， 48 他们若在掳到之地尽心、尽性归服你，又向自己的地，就是你赐给他们列祖之地，和你所选择的城，并我为你名所建造的殿祷告， 49 求你在天上你的居所垂听他们的祷告、祈求，为他们申冤， 50 饶恕得罪你的民，赦免他们的一切过犯，使他们在掳他们的人面前蒙怜恤， 51 因为他们是你的子民，你的产业，是你从埃及领出来脱离铁炉的。 52 愿你的眼目看顾仆人，听你民以色列的祈求，无论何时向你祈求，愿你垂听。 53 主耶和华啊，你将他们从地上的万民中分别出来做你的产业，是照你领我们列祖出埃及的时候，借你仆人摩西所应许的话。”
为民祝福
54 所罗门在耶和华的坛前屈膝跪着，向天举手，在耶和华面前祷告祈求已毕，就起来， 55 站着，大声为以色列全会众祝福，说： 56 “耶和华是应当称颂的！因为他照着一切所应许的赐平安给他的民以色列人，凡借他仆人摩西应许赐福的话，一句都没有落空。 57 愿耶和华我们的神与我们同在，像与我们列祖同在一样，不撇下我们，不丢弃我们， 58 使我们的心归向他，遵行他的道，谨守他吩咐我们列祖的诫命、律例、典章。 59 我在耶和华面前祈求的这些话，愿耶和华我们的神昼夜垂念，每日为他仆人与他民以色列申冤， 60 使地上的万民都知道唯独耶和华是神，并无别神。 61 所以你们当向耶和华我们的神存诚实的心，遵行他的律例，谨守他的诫命，至终如今日一样。”
献祭
62 王和以色列众民一同在耶和华面前献祭。 63 所罗门向耶和华献平安祭，用牛二万二千，羊十二万。这样，王和以色列众民为耶和华的殿行奉献之礼。 64 当日，王因耶和华殿前的铜坛太小，容不下燔祭、素祭和平安祭牲的脂油，便将耶和华殿前院子当中分别为圣，在那里献燔祭、素祭和平安祭牲的脂油。 65 那时所罗门和以色列众人，就是从哈马口直到埃及小河所有的以色列人，都聚集成为大会，在耶和华我们的神面前守节七日又七日，共十四日。 66 第八日，王遣散众民，他们都为王祝福。因见耶和华向他仆人大卫和他民以色列所施的一切恩惠，就都心中喜乐，各归各家去了。
Footnotes
- 列王纪上 8:38 原文作：灾。
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