2 Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ⌊families⌋a for the ⌊Israelites⌋,b to Jerusalem in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion. 3 And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. 4 And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5 And they brought up the ark, the tent of assembly,c and all the holy objects that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and the whole community of Israel that was assembled before him were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted nor numbered for abundance. 7 Then the priests brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, into ⌊the most holy place⌋, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim were covering the ark and over its poles from above. 9 But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles from the ark were seen from before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside. And they are there until this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets that Moses had put inside at Horeb on which Yahweh had ⌊made⌋d a covenant with the ⌊Israelites⌋e when they went out from Egypt. 11 And when the priests came out of the sanctuary (for all the priests who were presentf sanctified themselves without keeping their divisions) 12 and all the Levitical singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, their sons, their brothers, dressed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and stringed instruments—they were standing to the east of the altar. And with them outside were one hundred and twenty priests who were trumpet blowers. 13 And it was the primary duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard with one voice, to praise and give thanks to Yahweh. And when a sound from the trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments of song was raised to Yahweh—for he is good, because his loyal love is everlasting—then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud. 14 And the priests were not able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.

Solomon Blesses the People

6 Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has decideda to dwell in the deep gloom. 2 But I have built for you an exalted house, even a place for you to dwell in forever.” 3 Then the king turned aroundb and blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel were standing. 4 And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth with David my father, and with his hands he has fulfilled it, saying, 5 ‘From the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt I did not choose a city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in order for my name to be there. Nor did I choose a man to be leader over my people Israel. 6 But I have chosen my name to be there in Jerusalem, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ 7 Now, it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 8 But Yahweh said to David my father, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart, 9 but you yourself will not build the house, but your son who will proceed from your loins; he himself will build the house for my name.’ 10 Now Yahweh has fulfilled his word that he spoke. I have risen in the place of David my father and am seated on the throne of Israel as Yahweh has spoken. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 11 And I have there the ark in which is the covenant of Yahweh that he ⌊made⌋c with the ⌊Israelites⌋.”d

Solomon’s Prayer to Dedicate the Temple

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 (For Solomon had made a platform of bronze five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high, and placed it in the midst of the outer court.) And he stood upon it, then knelt down on his knees before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands to heaven. 14 And he said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is none like you, a God in the heavens and on the earth, keeping the covenant and loyal love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 15 that you have kept for your servant David my father what you spoke to him. You spoke with your mouth, and by your hand you have fulfilled it on this day. 16 And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep for your servant David, my father, what you have spoken to him, saying, ‘⌊You shall not lack⌋e a man to sit on the throne of Israel before me, if only your sons keep their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ 17 And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word that you have spoken to your servant David be confirmed.

18 “But will God indeed dwell with humankind upon the earth? Look, the heavens and ⌊the highest heavens⌋f cannot contain you! Surely then this house that I have built will not contain you! 19 But turn to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Yahweh my God, to hearken to the pleading and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you, 20 that your eyes may be open day and night to this house, to the place that you have promised to place your name there, that you may hear the prayer that your servant has prayed to this place. 21 And listen to the pleas of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place, that you yourself might hear from the place of your dwelling, from the heavens, that you might hear and forgive.

22 “If a man sins against his neighbor and ⌊makes him swear an oath⌋g and comes with an oath before your altar in this house, 23 then may you yourself hear from the heavens and act and judge your servants, to repay the guilty by bringing his way upon his head and to vindicate the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness.

24 “And if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you and they repent and confess your name and pray and plead before you in this house, 25 then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel and again bring them back to the land that you gave to them and to their ancestors.h

26 “When the heavens are stopped up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you and they pray to this place and confess your name and turn back from their sin when you humble them, 27 then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance.

28 “If there is a famine in the land; if there is disease, blight, mildew, locust, and caterpillar; if it happens that his enemy lays siege to him in the land and his gates; any kind of plague, any kind of disease, 29 then any prayer, any plea that is made by any person and by all your people Israel, each one who knows his own affliction and his own anguish and who spreads out his hands to this house, 30 then may you yourself hear from the heavens, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to each according to all his ways, since you alone know the heart of the children of humankind, 31 that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they are alive upon the face of the land that you have given to our ancestors.i

32 “And also, with respect to the foreigner, he who is not of your people Israel, but comes from a distant land, for the sake of your great name and your powerful hand and outstretched arm, when he comes and prays to this house, 33 then may you yourself hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all peoples of earth will know of your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that your name ⌊possesses⌋j this house that I have built.

34 “When your people go out to battle against their enemy according to the way that you have sent them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 35 then may you hear their prayer and their pleas from the heavens and uphold their case. 36 When they sin against you—for there is no person who does not sin—and you become angry with them and place them before their enemy that they carry them away as captives to a land far or near, 37 but ⌊if they repent⌋k in the land where they were taken captive and ⌊repent⌋l and beg you for mercy in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and acted perversely and done wickedly, 38 and we return to you,’ with their whole heart and with all their inmost being in the land of their captivity where they took them captive, and if they pray toward their land that you have given to their ancestorsm and the city that you have chosen and to the house that I have built for your name, 39 then may you hear their prayer and their pleas from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and uphold their case and forgive your people who sinned against you. 40 Now, O my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place!

41 “And now arise, O Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! O Yahweh God, let the priests be clothed with salvation, and let your holy ones rejoice in your goodness! 42 O Yahweh God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember the loyal love of your servant, David!”