Add parallel Print Page Options

La dedicazione

Appena Salomone ebbe finito di pregare, cadde dal cielo il fuoco, che consumò l'olocausto e le altre vittime, mentre la gloria del Signore riempiva il tempio. I sacerdoti non potevano entrare nel tempio, perché la gloria del Signore lo riempiva. Tutti gli Israeliti, quando videro scendere il fuoco e la gloria del Signore sul tempio, si prostrarono con la faccia a terra sul pavimento, adorarono e celebrarono il Signore perché è buono, perché la sua grazia dura sempre. Il re e tutto il popolo sacrificarono vittime al Signore. Il re Salomone offrì in sacrificio ventiduemila buoi e centoventimila pecore; così il re e tutto il popolo dedicarono il tempio. I sacerdoti attendevano al servizio; i leviti con tutti gli strumenti musicali, fatti dal re Davide, celebravano il Signore, perché la sua grazia dura sempre, eseguendo le laudi composte da Davide. I sacerdoti suonavano le trombe di fronte ai leviti, mentre tutti gli Israeliti stavano in piedi.

Salomone consacrò il centro del cortile di fronte al tempio; infatti ivi offrì gli olocausti e il grasso dei sacrifici di comunione, poiché l'altare di bronzo, eretto da Salomone, non poteva contenere gli olocausti, le offerte e i grassi. In quel tempo Salomone celebrò la festa per sette giorni; tutto Israele, dall'ingresso di Amat al torrente di Egitto, un'assemblea grandissima, era con lui. Nel giorno ottavo ci fu una riunione solenne, essendo durata la dedicazione dell'altare sette giorni e sette giorni anche la festa. 10 Il ventitrè del settimo mese Salomone congedò il popolo perché tornasse alle sue case contento e con la gioia nel cuore per il bene concesso dal Signore a Davide, a Salomone e a Israele suo popolo.

Avvertimento divino

11 Salomone terminò il tempio e la reggia; attuò quanto aveva deciso di fare nella casa del Signore e nella propria. 12 Il Signore apparve di notte a Salomone e gli disse: «Ho ascoltato la tua preghiera; mi sono scelto questo luogo come casa di sacrificio. 13 Se chiuderò il cielo e non ci sarà più pioggia, se comanderò alle cavallette di divorare la campagna e se invierò la peste in mezzo al mio popolo, 14 se il mio popolo, sul quale è stato invocato il mio nome, si umilierà, pregherà e ricercherà il mio volto, perdonerò il suo peccato e risanerò il suo paese. 15 Ora i miei occhi sono aperti e i miei orecchi attenti alla preghiera fatta in questo luogo. 16 Ora io mi sono scelto e ho santificato questo tempio perché la mia presenza vi resti sempre; e lì saranno sempre i miei occhi e il mio cuore. 17 Se tu camminerai davanti a me come ha camminato Davide tuo padre, facendo quanto ti ho comandato, e osserverai i miei statuti e decreti, 18 consoliderò il trono del tuo regno come ho promesso a Davide tuo padre dicendogli: Non mancherà per te un successore che regni in Israele. 19 Ma se voi devierete e abbandonerete i decreti e i comandi, che io ho posto innanzi a voi e andrete a servire dei stranieri e a prostrarvi a loro, 20 vi sterminerò dal paese che vi ho concesso, e ripudierò questo tempio, che ho consacrato al mio nome, lo renderò la favola e l'oggetto di scherno di tutti i popoli. 21 Riguardo a questo tempio, gia così eccelso, chiunque vi passerà vicino stupirà e dirà: Perché il Signore ha agito così con questo paese e con questo tempio? 22 Si risponderà: Perché hanno abbandonato il Signore Dio dei loro padri, che li aveva fatti uscire dal paese d'Egitto, e si sono legati a dei stranieri, prostrandosi davanti a loro e servendoli. Per questo egli ha mandato su di loro tutte queste sciagure».

Solomon Dedicates the Temple(A)

When (B)Solomon had finished praying, (C)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and (D)the glory of the Lord filled the [a]temple. (E)And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying:

(F)“For He is good,
(G)For His mercy endures forever.”

(H)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. (I)And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the Lord, which King David had made to praise the Lord, saying, “For His mercy endures forever,” whenever David offered praise by their [b]ministry. (J)The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.

Furthermore (K)Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

(L)At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly (M)from the entrance of Hamath to (N)the[c] Brook of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a (O)sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 10 (P)On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel. 11 Thus (Q)Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house.

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon(R)

12 Then the Lord (S)appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, (T)and have chosen this (U)place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 (V)When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are (W)called by My name will (X)humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, (Y)then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now (Z)My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now (AA)I have chosen and [d]sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and [e]My eyes and [f]My heart will be there perpetually. 17 (AB)As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, (AC)‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’

19 (AD)“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20 (AE)then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have [g]sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a (AF)byword among all peoples.

21 “And as for (AG)this [h]house, which [i]is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be (AH)astonished and say, (AI)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ 22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:1 Lit. house
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:6 Lit. hand
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:8 The Shihor, 1 Chr. 13:5
  4. 2 Chronicles 7:16 set apart
  5. 2 Chronicles 7:16 My attention
  6. 2 Chronicles 7:16 My concern
  7. 2 Chronicles 7:20 set apart
  8. 2 Chronicles 7:21 Temple
  9. 2 Chronicles 7:21 Or was

The Glory of God Fills the Temple(A)

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire descended from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter into the Temple because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s Temple. When all of the Israelis saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord resting[a] on the Temple, they bowed down with their faces[b] to the ground on the pavement, worshipped, and gave thanks to the Lord,

“Because he is good;
    because his gracious love is eternal.”

Then the king and all the people kept on offering sacrifices in the presence of the Lord. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep, which is how[c] the king and all of the people dedicated God’s Temple. The priests stood in waiting at their assigned places, along with the descendants of Levi who carried musical instruments used in service to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord—because his gracious love is eternal—whenever David, accompanied by priests[d] sounding trumpets, offered praises while all of Israel stood in the assembly.[e]

Solomon also dedicated the middle of the court in front of the Lord’s Temple by offering there burnt offerings and fat from peace offerings because the bronze altar that Solomon had made could not contain the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fat portion offerings. At that time Solomon also held a week-long festival attended by all of Israel. The assembly was very large, and included people from as far away as Lebo-hamath[f] to the Wadi[g] of Egypt.[h] On the day after the festival ended,[i] they convened a solemn assembly, because they had been dedicating the altar for seven days and observing the festival for seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, King Solomon[j] sent the people back home,[k] and they returned[l] rejoicing and in good spirits because of the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, to Solomon, and to his people Israel. 11 And so Solomon completed the Lord’s Temple, bringing to completion everything that he had planned on doing for the Lord’s Temple and for his own palace.

God Appears to Solomon(B)

12 Later, the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night and told him:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for a sacrificial temple to me. 13 Whenever I close the skies so there is no rain, or whenever I command locusts to lay waste to the land, or whenever I send epidemics among my people, 14 when my people humble themselves—the ones who are called by my name—and pray, seek me,[m] and turn away from their evil practices, I myself will listen from heaven, I will pardon their sins, and I will restore their land.

15 “Now therefore my eyes will remain open and my ears will remain listening to the prayers that are offered in this place. 16 Furthermore, I have chosen and have set apart for myself[n] this Temple, intending my name to reside there forever. My eyes and my heart will reside there every day. 17 Now as for you, if you commune with me like your father did, doing everything that I have commanded you, including obeying my statutes and my legal decisions, 18 then I will make your royal throne secure, just as I agreed to do for your father David when I said, ‘You are to not lack a man to rule over Israel.’[o]

19 “But if you[p] turn away and abandon my statutes and my commands that I have given you, and if you[q] walk away to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will tear them up by the roots from the ground that I had given them! And as for this Temple that I have set apart for my name, I will throw it out of my sight and make it the butt of jokes[r] and a means of ridicule among people worldwide!

21 “Furthermore, even though this Temple seems so exalted, everyone who passes by it will be so astounded that they will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and to this Temple?’ 22 They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who brought them from the land of Egypt, adopted other gods, worshipped them, and served them, therefore the Lord[s] has brought all of this disaster on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:3 The Heb. lacks resting
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:3 Lit. nostrils
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:5 The Heb. lacks which is how
  4. 2 Chronicles 7:6 Lit. David by their hand, that is, the priests,
  5. 2 Chronicles 7:6 The Heb. lacks in the assembly
  6. 2 Chronicles 7:8 I.e. the principal city of Syria to the north of Israel in the Orontes Valley.
  7. 2 Chronicles 7:8 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
  8. 2 Chronicles 7:8 Or Brook of Egypt; the southwestern-most border of Israel
  9. 2 Chronicles 7:9 Lit. On the eighth day
  10. 2 Chronicles 7:10 Lit. he
  11. 2 Chronicles 7:10 Lit. back to their tents
  12. 2 Chronicles 7:10 The Heb. lacks and they returned
  13. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Lit. seek my face
  14. 2 Chronicles 7:16 The Heb. lacks for myself
  15. 2 Chronicles 7:18 Cf. 1King 2:4; 2Chr 6:16
  16. 2 Chronicles 7:19 MT pronoun is pl.
  17. 2 Chronicles 7:19 MT pronoun is pl.
  18. 2 Chronicles 7:20 Lit. it an object of mockery
  19. 2 Chronicles 7:22 Lit. he