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Yahweh’s Challenge to Solomon

It happened that as Solomon finished the building of the house of Yahweh, the king’s house, and all the things Solomon desired to do, Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with integrity of heart[a] and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep my ordinances and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.’

“If ever you or any of your descendants[b] turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land that I have given to them, even the house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast away from my face; and Israel shall become a proverb and an object of taunting among all the peoples. This house shall become a heap of ruins; all those passing by will be appalled by it and hiss, and they will say, ‘On what account did Yahweh do this to this land and to this house?’ And they will say, ‘Because they have forsaken Yahweh their God who brought their ancestors[c] out from the land of Egypt and they embraced other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, Yahweh brought on them all of this disaster.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 9:4 Literally “in blamelessness of heart”
  2. 1 Kings 9:6 Or “children”
  3. 1 Kings 9:9 Or “fathers”

The Lord’s Response

When Solomon finished building the temple of the Lord,(A) the royal palace, and all that Solomon desired to do,(B) the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.(C) The Lord said to him:

I have heard your prayer and petition you have made before me. I have consecrated this temple you have built, to put[a] my name there forever;(D) my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.(E)

As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances,(F) I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.(G)

If you or your sons turn away from following me and do not keep my commands—my statutes that I have set before you—and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them,(H) I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them,(I) and I will reject[b] the temple I have sanctified for my name.(J) Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.(K) Though this temple is now exalted,[c] everyone who passes by will be appalled and will scoff.[d] They will say, “Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?”(L) Then they will say, “Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt. They held on to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, the Lord brought all this ruin on them.”(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 9:3 Or by putting
  2. 9:7 Lit send from my presence
  3. 9:8 Some ancient versions read temple will become a ruin
  4. 9:8 Lit hiss