1 Kings 8:12–21

¹²Then Solomon said:

The Lord said that he would dwell in total darkness.^ae

¹³I have indeed built an exalted temple^af for you,

a place for your dwelling forever.^ag

¹⁴The king turned around and blessed^ah the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing. ¹⁵He said:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!

He spoke directly to my father David,

and he has fulfilled the promise^ai by his power.

He said,

¹⁶“Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,^aj

I have not chosen a city to build a temple in

among any of the tribes of Israel,

so that my name^ak would be there.

But I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.”^al

¹⁷My father David had his heart set

on building a temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.^am

¹⁸But the Lord said to my father David,

“Since your heart was set on building a temple for my name,

you have done well to have this desire.^Dan

¹⁹Yet you are not the one to build it;

instead, your son, your own offspring,

will build it for my name.”^ao

²⁰The Lord has fulfilled what he promised.

I have taken the place of my father David,^a

and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised.^b

I have built the temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

²¹I have provided a place there for the ark,

where the Lord’s covenant is

that he made with our ancestors

when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.^c