Solomon’s Benediction

^54 (A)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and plea to the Lord, ^(B)he stood up from the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his ^[a]hands spread toward heaven. ⁵⁵ And he stood and ^(C)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel ^(D)in accordance with everything that He ^[b]promised; ^(E)not one word has ^[c]failed of all His good ^[d]promise, which He ^[e]promised through Moses His servant. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; ^(F)may He not leave us nor forsake us, ⁵⁸ so that ^(G)He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the ^[f]favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, ^[g]as each day requires, ⁶⁰ so ^(H)that all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(I)the Lord is God; there is no one else. ^61 (J)Your hearts therefore shall be ^[h]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”