1 Kings 8:22-61

Living Bible

^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.”