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.’”
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- 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
New American Standard Bible
God’s Promise and Warning
9 (A)Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and (B)the king’s house, and (C)all [a]that Solomon desired to do, 2 that (D)the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him, “(E)I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have offered before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built, (F)by putting My name there forever, and (G)My eyes and My heart will be there [b]always. 4 As for you, (H)if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and honesty, acting in accordance with everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My ordinances, 5 then (I)I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I [c]promised to your father David, saying, ‘[d]You shall not be deprived of a man on the throne of Israel.’
6 “(J)But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have placed before you, but you go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 (K)then I will cut Israel off from the land which I have given them, and (L)the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will [e]expel from My sight. So (M)Israel will become a saying and an object of derision among all peoples. 8 And this house will become (N)a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [f]hiss and say, ‘(O)Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and this house?’ 9 And they will say, ‘(P)Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they [g]adopted other gods and worshiped and served them, for that reason the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 9:1 Lit Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do
- 1 Kings 9:3 Lit all the days
- 1 Kings 9:5 Lit spoke
- 1 Kings 9:5 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
- 1 Kings 9:7 Lit send
- 1 Kings 9:8 Or whistle
- 1 Kings 9:9 Lit laid hold of
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