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54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky.[a] 55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure[b] just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled![c] 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 58 May he make us submissive,[d] so we can follow all his instructions[e] and obey[f] the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him,[g] so that he might vindicate[h] his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 60 Then[i] all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God.[j] 61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God[k] by following[l] his rules and obeying[m] his commandments, as you are now doing.”[n]

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:54 tn Or “toward heaven.”
  2. 1 Kings 8:56 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
  3. 1 Kings 8:56 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
  4. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the Lord our God be with us.” The Hebrew term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the people’s volition and will.
  5. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
  6. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “keep.”
  7. 1 Kings 8:59 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night.”
  8. 1 Kings 8:59 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
  9. 1 Kings 8:60 tn Heb “so that.”
  10. 1 Kings 8:60 tn Heb “the Lord, he is the God, there is no other.”
  11. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the Lord our God.”
  12. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “walking in.”
  13. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “keeping.”
  14. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “as this day.”

Solomon’s Blessing to the Assembly(A)

54 When Solomon had completed saying this entire prayer to the Lord, he got up from kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven in the presence of the Lord’s altar, 55 stood up, and blessed all of the assembly of Israel in a loud voice. He said:

56 “Blessed is the Lord, who has given security to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one of his promises has failed to come about that he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us, 58 so that he may turn our hearts toward him, so that we may live life[a] his way, keeping his commands, statutes, and ordinances that he gave to our ancestors. 59 And may what I’ve had to say to the Lord remain with the Lord our God both day and night, so that he may defend the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as the need of the day may require it, 60 so that, in turn,[b] all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God—there is no one else. 61 Now let your heart be completely devoted to the Lord our God, to live according to his statutes and to keep his commands, as we are doing today.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:58 Lit. may walk in
  2. 1 Kings 8:60 Lit. therefore