Solomon’s Initial Offerings^(A)

⁶² Then the king and all of Israel with him offered sacrifices to the Lord. ⁶³ Solomon offered peace offerings to the Lord consisting of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelis dedicated the Lord’s Temple. ⁶⁴ That same day, the king consecrated the middle court that stood in front of the Lord’s Temple, because that was where he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fat from the peace offerings and because the bronze altar that was in the Lord’s presence was too small to hold the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fat from the peace offerings. ⁶⁵ So Solomon observed the Festival of Tents^[a] at that time, as did all of Israel with him. A large assembly came up from as far away as Lebo-hamath and the Wadi^[b] of Egypt to appear in the presence of the Lord our God, not just for seven days, but for seven days after that, a total of fourteen days. ⁶⁶ The following^[c] day, Solomon^[d] sent the people away as they blessed the king. Then they went back to their tents, rejoicing and glad for all the good things that the Lord had done for his servant David and to his people Israel.