1 Kings 8:22-61
Legacy Standard Bible
Solomon’s Prayer for Israel
22 Then (A)Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and (B)spread out his hands toward heaven. 23 And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, (C)there is no god like You in heaven above or upon earth beneath, (D)keeping covenant and lovingkindness to Your slaves who walk before You with all their heart, 24 who have kept with Your [a]servant, my father David, that which You have [b]promised him; indeed, You have [c]promised with Your mouth and have fulfilled it by Your hand as it is this day. 25 So now, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with Your [d]servant David my father that which You have [e]promised him, saying, ‘(E)You shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons keep their way to walk as you have walked before Me.’ 26 So now, O God of Israel, let Your word truly [f]endure (F)which You have spoken to Your [g]servant, my father David.
27 “But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, (G)heaven and the [h]highest heaven cannot [i]contain You; how much less this house which I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the (H)prayer of Your slave and to his supplication, O Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your slave prays before You today; 29 (I)that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward (J)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your slave shall pray toward this place. 30 (K)And listen to the supplication of Your slave and of Your people Israel, (L)when they pray toward this place; listen in heaven Your dwelling place; listen and (M)forgive.
31 “(N)If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32 then listen in heaven and act and judge Your slaves, (O)condemning the wicked by [j]bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by [k]bringing him reward according to his righteousness.
33 “(P)When Your people Israel are [l]defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, (Q)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34 then listen in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.
35 “(R)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36 then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of Your slaves and of Your people Israel; (S)indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And (T)give rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.
37 “(U)If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is scorching wind or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their [m]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each of whom knows the [n]affliction of his own heart, and spreads his [o]hands toward this house; 39 then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, (V)whose heart You know, for (W)You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40 that they may [p]fear You all the days that they live upon the face of the land which You have given to our fathers.
41 “Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, if he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake 42 (for they will hear of Your great name (X)and Your strong hand, and of Your outstretched arm); so if he comes and prays toward this house, 43 listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order (Y)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name to [q]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and to know that Your name is called upon this house which I have built.
44 “When Your people go out to battle against [r]their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and (Z)they pray to Yahweh [s]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45 then listen in heaven to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice.
46 “When they sin against You (for (AA)there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that [t]they take them away captive (AB)to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47 (AC)and if they cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and [u]return and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘(AD)We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48 (AE)and if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and (AF)pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49 then listen in heaven Your dwelling place to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them, 50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and (AG)give them over as objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51 ((AH)for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, (AI)from the midst of the iron furnace), 52 (AJ)that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your slave and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, (AK)as You spoke by the hand of Moses Your [v]servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord Yahweh.”
Solomon Blesses Yahweh
54 (AL)Now it happened that when Solomon had [w]finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to Yahweh, (AM)he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his [x]hands spread toward heaven. 55 And he stood and (AN)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
56 “Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to His people Israel, (AO)according to all that He [y]promised; (AP)not one promise has [z]failed of all His good [aa]promises, which He [ab]promised by the hand of Moses His [ac]servant. 57 May Yahweh our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; (AQ)may He not forsake us or abandon us, 58 that (AR)He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that He may do justice for His slave and justice for His people Israel, [ad]as each day requires, 60 so (AS)that all the peoples of the earth may know that (AT)Yahweh is God; there is no one else. 61 (AU)Let your heart therefore be [ae]wholly devoted to Yahweh our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”
Read full chapterNotas al pie
- 1 Kings 8:24 Or slave, cf. 8:23; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
- 1 Kings 8:24 Lit spoken to
- 1 Kings 8:24 Lit spoken to
- 1 Kings 8:25 Or slave, cf. 8:23; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
- 1 Kings 8:25 Lit spoken to
- 1 Kings 8:26 Or be true
- 1 Kings 8:26 Or slave, cf. 8:23; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
- 1 Kings 8:27 Lit heaven of heavens
- 1 Kings 8:27 Or uphold; lit sustain
- 1 Kings 8:32 Lit giving
- 1 Kings 8:32 Lit giving
- 1 Kings 8:33 Lit smitten
- 1 Kings 8:37 Lit gates
- 1 Kings 8:38 Lit plague
- 1 Kings 8:38 Lit palms
- 1 Kings 8:40 Or reverence
- 1 Kings 8:43 Or reverence
- 1 Kings 8:44 Lit his
- 1 Kings 8:44 Lit in the way of
- 1 Kings 8:46 Lit their captors take them captive
- 1 Kings 8:47 Or repent
- 1 Kings 8:53 Or slave, cf. 8:52; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
- 1 Kings 8:54 Or completed, cf. 9:1; 2 Chr 7:11; 8:16
- 1 Kings 8:54 Lit palms
- 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
- 1 Kings 8:56 Lit fallen
- 1 Kings 8:56 Lit word
- 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
- 1 Kings 8:56 Or slave, cf. 8:52; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
- 1 Kings 8:59 Lit the thing of a day in its day
- 1 Kings 8:61 Lit complete with
1 Kings 8:22-61
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands to heaven.(A) 23 He said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart,(B) 24 the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. 25 Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, ‘There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’(C) 26 Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed that you promised to your servant my father David.(D)
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!(E) 28 Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.(F) 30 Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; hear and forgive.(G)
31 “If someone sins against a neighbor and is required to take an oath and comes and swears before your altar in this house,(H) 32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing their conduct on their own heads and vindicating the righteous by rewarding them according to their righteousness.(I)
33 “When your people Israel, having sinned against you, are defeated before an enemy but turn again to you, confess your name, pray and plead with you in this house,(J) 34 then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to their ancestors.
35 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you and then they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin because you punish[a] them,(K) 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.(L)
37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in any[b] of their cities; whatever suffering, whatever sickness there is;(M) 38 whatever prayer, whatever plea there is from any individual or from all your people Israel, all knowing the suffering of their own hearts so that they stretch out their hands toward this house; 39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place, forgive, act, and render to all whose hearts you know—according to all their ways, for only you know the human heart(N)— 40 so that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors.(O)
41 “Likewise when foreigners, who are not of your people Israel, come from a distant land because of your name 42 —for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when foreigners come and pray toward this house,(P) 43 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and do whatever the foreigners ask of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.(Q)
44 “If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea and maintain their cause.
46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near,(R) 47 then if they come to their senses in the land to which they have been taken captive and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’(S) 48 if they repent with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive and pray to you toward their land that you gave to their ancestors, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name,(T) 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, maintain their cause, 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they may have compassion on them(U) 51 (for they are your people and heritage that you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron smelter).(V) 52 Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, listening to them whenever they call to you. 53 For you have separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, just as you promised through Moses, your servant, when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, O Lord God.”(W)
Solomon Blesses the Assembly
54 Now when Solomon finished offering all this prayer and this plea to the Lord, he arose from facing the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven; 55 he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice:(X)
56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise that he spoke through his servant Moses.(Y) 57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he not leave us or abandon us,(Z) 58 but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances that he commanded our ancestors.(AA) 59 Let these words of mine, with which I pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.(AB) 61 Therefore devote yourselves completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”(AC)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.