THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
1 Kings 8 ©
Solomon assembles the most important ones of the Israelites, to dedicate the temple, v. 1, etc. The ark of the covenant with the holy instruments are brought into it, 4. The LORD gives a token of His presence, 10. Solomon blesses the congregation, and gives God thanks, 14, and 54. He makes an excellent prayer unto God, 22. He offers with the congregation, 62. They keep the feast of tabernacles, 65.
THEN Solomon assembleda1the elders of Israel, and all the 2heads of the tribes, the chief 3of the fathers of the children of Israel, 4unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might 5bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD outb of 6the city of David, which is Zion.
And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at 7the feast in the month 8Ethanim, which is 9the seventh month.
And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the 10ark.
And they brought up the ark of the LORD, 11and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the 12holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did 13the priests and the Levites bring up.
And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were 14with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle 15of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the 16cherubims.
For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the 17staves thereof above.
And they 18drew out the staves, that the 19ends of the staves were seen 20out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen 21without: and there they are 22unto this day.
23There was nothing in the ark 24save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, whenc the LORD made 25a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the 26holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
Sod that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the 27glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
¶Then spake Solomon, Thee LORD 28said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
I have 29surely built thee an house 30to dwell in, a 31settled place for thee to abide in 32for ever.
And the king turned his face about, and 33blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake 34with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
Sincef the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, 35I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, 36that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
37And itg was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth 38out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is 39the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
¶Andh Solomon 40stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and 41spread forth his hands toward heaven:
And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk 42before thee with 43all their heart:
Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast 44fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, 45Therei shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to 46their way, that they 47walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
48Butj49will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and 50heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of 51thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
That thine 52eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said,k53My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make 54toward this place.
And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, 55when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.
¶If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an 56oath 57be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, 58condemning the wicked, 59to bring his way upon his head; and 60justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
¶When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess 61thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
¶When heaven is 62shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when 63thou afflictest them:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the 64good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.
¶If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them 65in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, 66whatsoever sickness there be;
What prayer and supplication soever be made 67by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man 68the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands 69toward this house:
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according 70to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of 71all the children of men;)
That 72they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Moreover concerning a 73stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country 74for thy name's sake;
(For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong 75hand, and of thy 76stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;
Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by 77thy name.
¶If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou 78shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD 79toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and 80maintain their cause.
If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,)l and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
Yet if they shall 81bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
And so return unto thee with 82all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee 83toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and 84maintain their cause,
And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and 85give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the 86furnace of iron:
That thine 87eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.
For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, asm thou spakest 88by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from 89kneeling on his knees with his hands 90spread up to heaven.
And he stood, and 91blessed all the congregation of Israel with a 92loud voice, saying,
Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath 93not failed one wordn of 94all his good promise, which he promised by 95the hand of Moses his servant.
The LORD our God 96be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep 97his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his 98servant, and the cause of his people Israel 99at all times, as the matter shall require:
That all the people of the earth may know thato the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
Let your heart therefore be 100perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, 101as at this day.
¶And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice 102before the LORD.
And Solomonp offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
The same day did the king 103hallow the middle 104of the court that was 105before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was 106before the LORD wasq too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
And at that time Solomon held 107a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of 108Hamath unto the 109river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, 110seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
On the 111eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and 112glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for 113David his servant, and for Israel his people.