1 Kings 9:1-9
New English Translation
The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning
9 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned,[a] 2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon.[b] 3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered[c] your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home;[d] I will be constantly present there.[e] 4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.[f] 5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently,[g] just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’[h]
6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep,[i] and decide to serve and worship other gods,[j] 7 then I will remove Israel from the land[k] I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence,[l] and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed[m] among all the nations. 8 This temple will become a heap of ruins;[n] everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn,[o] saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 9 Others will then answer,[p] ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors[q] out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served.[r] That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 9:1 tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he wanted to do.”
- 1 Kings 9:2 sn In the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. See 1 Kgs 3:5.
- 1 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “I have heard.”
- 1 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).
- 1 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
- 1 Kings 9:4 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.” Verse 4 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 5.
- 1 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”
- 1 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
- 1 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
- 1 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
- 1 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “I will cut off Israel from upon the surface of the land.”
- 1 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “and the temple which I consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face.”sn Instead of “I will send away,” the parallel text in 2 Chr 7:20 has “I will throw away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.
- 1 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “will become a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
- 1 Kings 9:8 tn Heb “and this house will be high [or elevated].” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
- 1 Kings 9:8 tn Heb “hiss,” or perhaps “whistle.” This refers to a derisive sound one would make when taunting an object of ridicule.
- 1 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “and they will say.”
- 1 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “fathers.”
- 1 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
1 Kings 9:1-9
Christian Standard Bible
The Lord’s Response
9 When Solomon finished building the temple of the Lord,(A) the royal palace, and all that Solomon desired to do,(B) 2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.(C) 3 The Lord said to him:
I have heard your prayer and petition you have made before me. I have consecrated this temple you have built, to put[a] my name there forever;(D) my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.(E)
4 As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances,(F) 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.(G)
6 If you or your sons turn away from following me and do not keep my commands—my statutes that I have set before you—and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them,(H) 7 I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them,(I) and I will reject[b] the temple I have sanctified for my name.(J) Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.(K) 8 Though this temple is now exalted,[c] everyone who passes by will be appalled and will scoff.[d] They will say, “Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?”(L) 9 Then they will say, “Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt. They held on to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, the Lord brought all this ruin on them.”(M)
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