1 Kings 8:12–53

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

SOLOMON’S PRAYER

²²Then Solomon stood^d before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.^{e 23}He said:

Lord God of Israel,

there is no God like you

in heaven above or on earth below,^f

who keeps the gracious covenant

with your servants who walk before you

with all their heart.^g

²⁴You have kept what you promised

to your servant, my father David.

You spoke directly to him

and you fulfilled your promise by your power

as it is today.^h

²⁵Therefore, Lord God of Israel,

keep what you promised

to your servant, my father David:

You will never fail to have a man

to sit before me on the throne of Israel,ⁱ

if only your sons take care to walk before me

as you have walked before me.^j

²⁶Now Lord God of Israel,

please confirm what you promised

to your servant, my father David.^k

²⁷But will God indeed live on earth?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,

much less this temple I have built.^l

²⁸Listen^B to your servant’s prayer and his petition,^m

Lord my God,

so that you may hear the cry and the prayer

that your servant prays before you today,

²⁹so that your eyes may watch over this temple night and day,ⁿ

toward the place where you said,

“My name will be there,”^o

and so that you may hear the prayer

that your servant prays toward this place.

³⁰Hear the petition of your servant^p

and your people Israel,

which they pray toward this place.^q

May you hear in your dwelling place in heaven.

May you hear and forgive.

³¹When a man sins against his neighbor

and is forced to take an oath,^Ar

and he comes to take an oath

before your altar in this temple,

³²may you hear in heaven and act.

May you judge your servants,

condemning the wicked man by bringing

what he has done on his own head

and providing justice for the righteous

by rewarding him according to his righteousness.^sh

³³When your people Israel are defeated before an enemy,

because they have sinned against you,^t

and they return to you and praise your name,

and they pray and plead with you

for mercy in this temple,

³⁴may you hear in heaven

and forgive the sin of your people Israel.

May you restore them to the land

you gave their ancestors.^u

³⁵When the skies are shut and there is no rain,

because they have sinned against you,^v

and they pray toward this place

and praise your name,

and they turn from their sins

because you are afflicting them,^w

³⁶may you hear in heaven

and forgive the sin of your servants

and your people Israel,

so that you may teach them to

walk on the good way.^a

May you send rain on your land

that you gave your people for an inheritance.^b

³⁷When there is famine in the land,

when there is pestilence,

when there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper,^c

when their enemy besieges them

in the land and its cities,^B

when there is any plague or illness,

³⁸every prayer or petition

that any person or that all your people Israel may have—

they each know their own affliction—^Cd

as they spread out their hands toward this temple,^e

³⁹may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place,

and may you forgive, act, and give to everyone

according to all their ways, since you know each heart,

for you alone know every human heart,^f

⁴⁰so that they may fear^g you

all the days they live on the land^h

you gave our ancestors.

⁴¹Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel

but has come from a distant landⁱ

because of your name—

⁴²for they will hear of your great name,

strong hand,^j and outstretched arm,

and will come^k and pray toward this temple—

⁴³may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place,

and do according to all the foreigner asks.

Then all peoples of earth will know^l your name,

to fear you as your people Israel do

and to know that this temple I have built

bears your name.

⁴⁴When your people go out to fight against their enemies,

wherever you send them,

and they pray to the Lord

in the direction of the city you have chosen^m

and the temple I have built for your name,

⁴⁵may you hear their prayer and petition in heaven

and uphold their cause.ⁿ

⁴⁶When they sin against you—

for there is no one who does not sin^o—

and you are angry with them

and hand them over to the enemy,

and their captors deport them to the enemy’s country^p—

whether distant or nearby—

⁴⁷and when they come to their senses^B

in the land where they were deported

and repent and petition you in their captors’ land:

“We have sinned and done wrong;

we have been wicked,”^q

⁴⁸and when they return to you with all their heart and all their soul

in the land of their enemies who took them captive,^r

and when they pray to you in the direction of their land

that you gave their ancestors,

the city you have chosen,^s

and the temple I have built for your name,

⁴⁹may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place,

their prayer and petition and uphold their cause.

⁵⁰May you forgive your people

who sinned against you

and all their rebellions^C against you,

and may you grant them compassion

before their captors,

so that they may treat them compassionately.^t

⁵¹For they are your people and your inheritance;^u

you brought them out of Egypt,

out of the middle of an iron furnace.^v

⁵²May your eyes be open to your servant’s petition

and to the petition of your people Israel,

listening to them whenever they call to you.

⁵³For you, Lord God, have set them apart as your inheritance

from all peoples of the earth,

as you spoke through your servant Moses

when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.^a