24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, (A)“Give God the glory! (B)We know that this Man is a sinner.”

25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God (C)spoke to (D)Moses; as for this fellow, (E)we do not know where He is from.”

30 The man answered and said to them, (F)“Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that (G)God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 (H)If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

34 They answered and said to him, (I)“You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they [a]cast him out.

True Vision and True Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had (J)found him, He said to him, “Do you (K)believe in (L)the Son of [b]God?”

36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”

37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and (M)it is He who is talking with you.”

38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he (N)worshiped Him.

39 And Jesus said, (O)“For judgment I have come into this world, (P)that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, (Q)and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”

41 Jesus said to them, (R)“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

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Footnotes

  1. John 9:34 Excommunicated him
  2. John 9:35 NU Man

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,”(A) they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”(B)

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already(C) and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!(D) 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”(E)

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.(F) 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God,(G) he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth;(H) how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.(I)

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe(J) in the Son of Man?”(K)

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”(L)

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”(M)

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.(N)

39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment(O) I have come into this world,(P) so that the blind will see(Q) and those who see will become blind.”(R)

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”(S)

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.(T)

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Footnotes

  1. John 9:39 Some early manuscripts do not have Then the man said … 39 Jesus said.

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 Dedication of the Temple(A)

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) The priests could not enter(E) the temple of the Lord because the glory(F) of the Lord filled it. 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,

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(G)

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 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. 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.

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.

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) 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:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(T) this place for myself(U) as a temple for sacrifices.

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(V) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(W) will humble(X) themselves and pray and seek my face(Y) and turn(Z) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(AA) from heaven, and I will forgive(AB) their sin and will heal(AC) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(AD) 16 I have chosen(AE) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(AF) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(AG) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(AH) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(AI) to rule over Israel.’(AJ)

19 “But if you[a] turn away(AK) and forsake(AL) the decrees and commands I have given you[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(AM) Israel from my land,(AN) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(AO) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[c] who pass by will be appalled(AP) and say,(AQ) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(AR)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all

The Great Day of God

“For behold, (A)the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all (B)the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be (C)stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will (D)leave them neither root nor branch.
But to you who (E)fear My name
The (F)Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
(G)You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,
Says the Lord of hosts.

“Remember the (H)Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With (I)the statutes and judgments.
Behold, I will send you (J)Elijah the prophet
(K)Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And (L)he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and (M)strike the earth with (N)a curse.”

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

[a]“Surely the day is coming;(A) it will burn like a furnace.(B) All the arrogant(C) and every evildoer will be stubble,(D) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,(E)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch(F) will be left to them. But for you who revere my name,(G) the sun of righteousness(H) will rise with healing(I) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic(J) like well-fed calves. Then you will trample(K) on the wicked; they will be ashes(L) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law(M) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(N) for all Israel.(O)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah(P) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.(Q) He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,(R) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike(S) the land with total destruction.”(T)

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:19-24.