Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord Our God Is Holy

Solomon's Benediction

^54 (A)Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had ^(B)knelt with hands outstretched 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, according to all that he promised. ^(D)Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. ⁵⁷ The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. ^(E)May he not leave us or forsake us, ⁵⁸ that he may ^(F)incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, ⁶⁰ that ^(G)all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(H)the Lord is God; there is no other. ^61 (I)Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”

Solomon's Sacrifices

^62 (J)Then ^(K)the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord. ⁶³ Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. ⁶⁴ The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because ^(L)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings.

⁶⁵ So Solomon held ^(M)the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from ^(N)Lebo-hamath to ^(O)the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days.^[a]

^31 (A)He who comes from above ^(B)is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ^(C)speaks in an earthly way. ^(D)He who comes from heaven ^(E)is above all. ^32 (F)He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ^(G)yet no one receives his testimony. ³³ Whoever receives his testimony ^(H)sets his seal to this, ^(I)that God is true. ³⁴ For he whom ^(J)God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit ^(K)without measure. ^35 (L)The Father loves the Son and ^(M)has given all things into his hand. ^36 (N)Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ^(O)whoever does not obey the Son shall not ^(P)see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.