1 Kings 8:12–21

Solomon Addresses the People

^12aThen Solomon said,

“The Lord has said that ^bHe would dwell in the thick cloud.

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

^bA place for Your dwelling forever.”

¹⁴Then the king ¹faced about and ^ablessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

¹⁵He said, “^aBlessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, ^bwho spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with 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 chose David to be over My people Israel.’

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

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

¹⁹‘^aNevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who ¹will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’

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

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