The Dedication of the Temple^(A)

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire^(B) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled^(C) the temple.^{(D) 2} The priests could not enter^(E) the temple of the Lord because the glory^(F) of the Lord filled it. ³ When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

⁴ Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁵ And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. ⁶ The priests took their positions, as did the Levites^(H) with the Lord’s musical instruments,^(I) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

⁷ Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat^(J) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

⁸ So Solomon observed the festival^(K) at that time for seven days, and all Israel^(L) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath^(M) to the Wadi of Egypt.^{(N) 9} On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated^(O) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival^(P) for seven days more. ¹⁰ On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon^(Q)

¹¹ When Solomon had finished^(R) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, ¹² the Lord appeared^(S) to him at night and said:

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,^(A) so that the people will hear me speaking^(B) with you and will always put their trust^(C) in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate^(D) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes^{(E) 11} and be ready by the third day,^(F) because on that day the Lord will come down^(G) on Mount Sinai^(H) in the sight of all the people. ¹² Put limits^(I) for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. ¹³ They are to be stoned^(J) or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn^(K) sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”^(L)

¹⁴ After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.^{(M) 15} Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain^(N) from sexual relations.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there was thunder^(O) and lightning, with a thick cloud^(P) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.^(Q) Everyone in the camp trembled.^{(R) 17} Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.^{(S) 18} Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,^(T) because the Lord descended on it in fire.^(U) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,^(V) and the whole mountain^[a] trembled^(W) violently. ¹⁹ As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice^(X) of God answered^(Y) him.^[b]

3 See what great love^(A) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!^(B) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.^{(C) 2} Dear friends,^(D) now we are children of God,^(E) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,^[a](F) we shall be like him,^(G) for we shall see him as he is.^{(H) 3} All who have this hope in him purify themselves,^(I) just as he is pure.^(J)