1 Kings 8:54-66

New American Standard Bible

Solomon’s Benediction

^54 (A)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and plea to the Lord, ^(B)he stood up from the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his ^[a]hands spread toward heaven. ⁵⁵ And he stood and ^(C)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel ^(D)in accordance with everything that He ^[b]promised; ^(E)not one word has ^[c]failed of all His good ^[d]promise, which He ^[e]promised through Moses His servant. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; ^(F)may He not leave us nor forsake us, ⁵⁸ so that ^(G)He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the ^[f]favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, ^[g]as each day requires, ⁶⁰ so ^(H)that all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(I)the Lord is God; there is no one else. ^61 (J)Your hearts therefore shall be ^[h]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

^62 (K)Then the king and all Israel with him ^(L)offered sacrifice before the Lord. ⁶³ And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. ^(M)So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. ⁶⁴ On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house of the Lord, because there he ^[i]offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; for ^(N)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

⁶⁵ So ^(O)Solomon held the ^[j]feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly ^(P)from the entrance of Hamath ^(Q)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, that is, fourteen days. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day he dismissed the people, and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had ^[k]shown to David His servant, and to Israel His people.