The Dedication Ceremonies

7 When Solomon finished praying,^(A) fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,^(B) and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. ² The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. ³ All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord:

⁴ The king and all the people were offering sacrifices in the Lord’s presence.^{(D) 5} King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep and goats. In this manner the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple. ⁶ The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of the Lord, which King David had made to give thanks to the Lord—“for his faithful love endures forever”—when he offered praise with them.^(E) Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing. ⁷ Since the bronze altar that Solomon had made^(F) could not accommodate the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, Solomon first consecrated the middle of the courtyard^(G) that was in front of the Lord’s temple and then offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings there.^(H)

⁸ So Solomon and all Israel with him—a very great assembly, from the entrance to Hamath^[a] to the Brook of Egypt—observed the festival at that time for seven days. ⁹ On the eighth day^[b] they held a solemn assembly,^(I) for the dedication of the altar lasted seven days and the festival seven days. ¹⁰ On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people home,^[c] rejoicing and with happy hearts for the goodness the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for his people Israel.

¹¹ So Solomon finished the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. Everything that had entered Solomon’s heart to do for the Lord’s temple and for his own palace succeeded.^(J)

The Lord’s Response

¹² Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:

I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice.^{(K) 13} If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people,^{(L) 14} and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.^{(M) 15} My eyes will now be open and my ears attentive to prayer from this place.^{(N) 16} And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.^(O)

¹⁷ As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances, ¹⁸ I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel.^(P)

¹⁹ However, if you turn away and abandon my statutes and my commands that I have set before you and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them,^{(Q) 20} then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for my name I will banish from my presence;^(R) I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.^{(S) 21} As for this temple, which was exalted, everyone who passes by will be appalled and will say,^(T) “Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?” ²² Then they will say, “Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They clung to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, he brought all this ruin on them.”

Solomon’s Later Building Projects

8 At the end of twenty years^(U) during which Solomon had built the Lord’s temple and his own palace— ² Solomon had rebuilt the cities Hiram^[d] gave him and settled Israelites there— ³ Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and seized it. ⁴ He built Tadmor in the wilderness along with all the storage cities that he built in Hamath. ⁵ He built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon^(V)—fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars^(W)— ⁶ Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon, all the chariot cities, the cavalry cities, and everything Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or anywhere else in the land of his dominion.

⁷ As for all the peoples who remained of the Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not from Israel^(X)— ⁸ their descendants who remained in the land after them, those the Israelites had not completely destroyed—Solomon imposed forced labor on them; it is this way today.^{(Y) 9} But Solomon did not consign the Israelites to be slaves for his work; they were soldiers, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. ¹⁰ These were King Solomon’s deputies: 250 who supervised the people.

¹¹ Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house he had built for her,^(Z) for he said, “My wife must not live in the house^[e] of King David of Israel because the places the ark of the Lord has come into are holy.”

Public Worship Established at the Temple

¹² At that time^(AA) Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar he had made in front of the portico.^{(AB) 13} He followed the daily requirement^(AC) for offerings according to the commandment of Moses^(AD) for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters.^{(AE) 14} According to the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service,^(AF) of the Levites over their responsibilities to offer praise and to minister before the priests following the daily requirement,^(AG) and of the gatekeepers by their divisions with respect to each temple gate,^(AH) for this had been the command of David, the man of God.^{(AI) 15} They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests and the Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.^{(AJ) 16} All of Solomon’s work was carried out from the day the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple until it was finished. So the Lord’s temple was completed.

Solomon’s Fleet

¹⁷ At that time^(AK) Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth^(AL) on the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ So Hiram^[f] sent ships to him by his servants along with crews of experienced seamen. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, took from there seventeen tons^[g] of gold, and delivered it to King Solomon.^(AM)

Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.^{(A) 2} Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind^(B) came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying.^{(C) 3} They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. ⁴ Then they were all filled^(D) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues,^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.^(E)

⁵ Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation^(F) under heaven. ⁶ When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ They were astounded and amazed, saying,^[b] “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?^{(G) 8} How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^{(H) 10} Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts),^{(I) 11} Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” ¹² They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”^(J)

Peter’s Sermon

¹⁴ Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.^{[c] 16} On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know.^{(P) 23} Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used^[e] lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.^{(Q) 24} God raised him up, ending the pains of death,^(R) because it was not possible for him to be held by death. ²⁵ For David says of him:

²⁹ “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.^{(U) 30} Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants^[g] on his throne.^{(V) 31} Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He^[h] was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.^[i](W)

³² “God has raised^(X) this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. ³³ Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God^(Y) and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit,^(Z) he has poured out^(AA) what you both see and hear. ³⁴ For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”^(AC)

Call to Repentance

³⁷ When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” ^(AD)

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent^(AE) and be baptized,^(AF) each of you, in the name^(AG) of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off,^(AH) as many as the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt^[k] generation!” ^{(AI) 41} So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.