2 Chronicles 7

Now ^awhen Solomon had made an end of praying, the ^bfire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and ^cthe glory of the Lord filled the house. ^2dAnd the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. ³And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, ^esaying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

^4fThen the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁵And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶And the priests waited on their ^goffices: ^hthe Levites also with instruments of musick of the Lord, which David the king had made ⁱto praise the Lord, ^ebecause his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and ^jthe priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. ⁷Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat. ⁸Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto ^kthe river of Egypt. ⁹And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for ^lthey kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. ¹⁰And ^mon the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.

¹¹Thus ⁿSolomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. ¹²And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and ^ohave chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. ^13pIf I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the ^qlocusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; ¹⁴if my people, which are called by my name, shall ^rhumble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; ^sthen will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ^15tNow mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶For now have ^uI chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. ¹⁷And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; ¹⁸then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. ^19wBut if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; ²⁰then will I ^xpluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. ²¹And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house? ²²And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

VIII.