1 Kings 8:12–21

Solomon Blesses the People

^12aThen Solomon said,

“Yahweh has said that ^bHe would dwell in the cloud of dense gloom.

¹³“^aI have surely built You a lofty house,

^bA place for Your dwelling forever.”

¹⁴Then the king turned his face around and ^ablessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

¹⁵And he said, “^aBlessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^bwho spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it by His hand, saying,

¹⁶‘^aSince the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that ^bMy name might be there, but ^cI have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

¹⁷“^aAnd it was ¹in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

¹⁸“But Yahweh said to my father David, ‘Because it was ¹in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was ²in your heart.

¹⁹‘^aNevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will ^bcome forth from your loins, he shall build the house for My name.’

²⁰“And Yahweh has established His word which He spoke; and ^aI have been established in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh ¹promised, and have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

²¹“And there I have set a place for the ark, ^ain which is the covenant of Yahweh, which He cut with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”