Solomon’s Blessing

54 When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord, he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord, with his hands spread out toward heaven,(A) 55 and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel(B) with a loud voice: 56 “Blessed be the Lord! He has given rest(C) to his people Israel according to all he has said. Not one of all the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed.(D) 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us(E) 58 so that he causes us to be devoted[a] to him,(F) to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors. 59 May my words with which I have made my petition before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night. May he uphold his servant’s cause and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires.(G) 60 May all the peoples of the earth know that the Lord is God. There is no other!(H) 61 Be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord our God(I) to walk in his statutes and to keep his commands, as it is today.”

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Footnotes

  1. 8:58 Lit causes our hearts to be inclined

Solomon Charges the People Israel

54 It happened that when Solomon finished praying to Yahweh all of the prayer and this plea, he got up from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling down on his knees with his palms outstretched to heaven. 55 He stood and blessed all of the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be Yahweh who gave a resting place to his people Israel. According to all that he promised, not one word has fallen from all of his promises concerning the good which he spoke through the hand of Moses his servant. 57 May Yahweh our God be with us as he was with our ancestors,[a] and may he not leave us or abandon us, 58 to incline our hearts toward him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his judgments which he commanded our ancestors.[b] 59 Let these my words which I pleaded before Yahweh be near to Yahweh our God, by day and by night, to maintain the justice of his servant and the justice of his people Israel as each day requires[c] 60 so that all of the people of the earth may know that Yahweh, he is God; there is none other. 61 Let your heart be completely with Yahweh our God by walking in his statutes, by keeping his commands as this day.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:57 Or “fathers”
  2. 1 Kings 8:58 Or “fathers”
  3. 1 Kings 8:59 Literally “the word of the day on its day”