2 Chronicles 7
New Living Translation
The Dedication of the Temple
7 When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. 2 The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying,
“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!”
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. 6 The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, “His faithful love endures forever!” They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the Lord. Across from the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.
7 Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord’s Temple. He offered burnt offerings and the fat of peace offerings there, because the bronze altar he had built could not hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.
8 For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters.[a] A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. 9 On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. 10 Then at the end of the celebration,[b] Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the Lord had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel.
The Lord’s Response to Solomon
11 So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the Temple and the palace. 12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.
17 “As for you, if you faithfully follow me as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, 18 then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with your father, David, when I said, ‘One of your descendants will always rule over Israel.’
19 “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, 20 then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. 21 And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’
22 “And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why he has brought all these disasters on them.’”
2 Chronicles 7
1599 Geneva Bible
7 1 The fire consumeth the sacrifice. 2 The glory of the Lord filleth the Temple. 12 He heareth his prayer, 17 and promised to exalt him and his throne.
1 And when Solomon had made an end of praying, [a]fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices: and the glory of the Lord filled the house,
2 So that the Priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.
3 And when all the children of Israel saw the fire, and the glory of the Lord come down upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the earth upon the pavement, and worshipped and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good, because his mercy lasteth forever.
4 (A)Then the King and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord.
5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of two and twenty thousand bullocks, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
6 And the Priests waited on their offices, and the Levites with the instruments of music of the Lord, which king David had made to praise the Lord, because his mercy lasteth forever: when David praised God [b]by them, the Priests also blew trumpets over against them: and all they of Israel stood by.
7 Moreover, Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he had prepared burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made, was not able to receive the burnt offering, and the meat offering, and the fat.
8 And Solomon made [c]a feast at that time of seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great Congregation, from the entering in of Hamath, unto the river of Egypt.
9 And in the eight day they [d]made a solemn assembly: for they had made the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
10 And the [e]three and twentieth day of the seventh month, he sent the people away into their tents, joyous and with glad heart, because of the goodness that the Lord had done for David and for Solomon, and for Israel his people.
11 (B)So Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord: and he prospered in his house.
12 ¶ And the Lord (C)appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place for myself to be an house of sacrifice.
13 If I shut the heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people,
14 If my people, among whom my Name is called upon, do humble themselves, and pray and seek my presence, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear in heaven and be merciful to their sin, and will [f]heal their land:
15 Then mine eyes shall be open and mine ears attent unto the prayer made in this place.
16 For I have now chosen and sanctified this house, that my Name may be there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
17 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, to do according unto all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments,
18 Then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I made the covenant with David thy father, saying, (D)Thou shalt not want a man to be ruler in Israel.
19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them,
20 Then will I pluck them up out of my land, which I have given them, and this house which I have [g]sanctified for my Name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a common talk among all people.
21 And this house which is most high, shall be an astonishment to everyone that passeth by it, so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house?
22 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold on other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them, therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 7:1 Hereby God declared that he was pleased with Solomon’s prayer.
- 2 Chronicles 7:6 Hebrew, by their hands.
- 2 Chronicles 7:8 The feast of the Tabernacles which was kept in the seventh month.
- 2 Chronicles 7:9 They assembled to hear the word of God, after that they had remained seven days in the booths or Tabernacles.
- 2 Chronicles 7:10 They had leave to depart the two and twentieth day, 1 Kings 8:66, but they went not away till the next day.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 I will cause the pestilence to cease and destroy the beasts that hurt the fruits of the earth, and send rain in due season.
- 2 Chronicles 7:20 Which thing declareth that God had more respect to their salvation, than to the advancement of his own glory: and whereas men abuse those things which God hath appointed to set forth his praise, he doth withdraw his graces thence.
2 Chronicles 7
English Standard Version
Fire from Heaven
7 (A)As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, (B)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, (C)and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, (D)for his steadfast love endures forever.”
The Dedication of the Temple
4 (E)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts; (F)the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord—(G)for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry;[a] (H)opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.
7 (I)And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.
8 At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from (J)Lebo-hamath to the (K)Brook of Egypt. 9 And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity[b] that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.
If My People Pray
11 (L)Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer (M)and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 (N)When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name (O)humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 (P)Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 (Q)For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, (R)‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’
19 (S)“But if you[c] turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 (T)then I will pluck you[d] up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it (U)a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, (V)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 7:6 Hebrew by their hand
- 2 Chronicles 7:10 Or good
- 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew for you is plural here
- 2 Chronicles 7:20 Hebrew them; twice in this verse
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
