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54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky.[a] 55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure[b] just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled![c] 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 58 May he make us submissive,[d] so we can follow all his instructions[e] and obey[f] the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him,[g] so that he might vindicate[h] his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 60 Then[i] all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God.[j] 61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God[k] by following[l] his rules and obeying[m] his commandments, as you are now doing.”[n]

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:54 tn Or “toward heaven.”
  2. 1 Kings 8:56 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
  3. 1 Kings 8:56 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
  4. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the Lord our God be with us.” The Hebrew term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the people’s volition and will.
  5. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
  6. 1 Kings 8:58 tn Heb “keep.”
  7. 1 Kings 8:59 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night.”
  8. 1 Kings 8:59 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
  9. 1 Kings 8:60 tn Heb “so that.”
  10. 1 Kings 8:60 tn Heb “the Lord, he is the God, there is no other.”
  11. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the Lord our God.”
  12. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “walking in.”
  13. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “keeping.”
  14. 1 Kings 8:61 tn Heb “as this day.”

54 It was so, that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to Yahweh, he arose from before Yahweh’s altar, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood, and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. There has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. 57 May Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. Let him not leave us or forsake us; 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these my words, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that he may maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day requires; 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh himself is God. There is no one else.

61 “Let your heart therefore be perfect with Yahweh our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as it is today.”

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