^41–42“People who are not Israelites, foreigners from other lands, will hear about your greatness and power. They will come from far away to pray at this Temple. ⁴³Then hear from your home in heaven, and do whatever they ask you. Then people everywhere will know you and respect you, just as your people in Israel do. Then everyone will know I built this Temple as a place to worship you.

⁴⁴“When your people go out to fight their enemies along some road on which you send them, your people will pray to you, facing the city which you have chosen and the Temple I have built for you. ⁴⁵Then hear in heaven their prayers, and do what is right.

⁴⁶“Everyone sins, so your people will also sin against you. You will become angry with them and hand them over to their enemies. Their enemies will capture them and take them away to their countries far or near. ⁴⁷Your people will be sorry for their sins when they are held as prisoners in another country. They will be sorry and pray to you in the land where they are held as prisoners, saying, ‘We have sinned. We have done wrong and acted wickedly.’ ⁴⁸They will truly turn back to you in the land of their enemies. They will pray to you, facing this land you gave their ancestors, this city you have chosen, and the Temple I have built for you. ⁴⁹Then hear their prayers from your home in heaven, and do what is right. ⁵⁰Forgive your people of all their sins and for turning against you. Make those who have captured them show them mercy. ⁵¹Remember, they are your special people. You brought them out of Egypt, as if you were pulling them out of a blazing furnace.

⁵²“Give your attention to my prayers and the prayers of your people Israel. Listen to them anytime they ask you for help. ⁵³You chose them from all the nations on earth to be your very own people. This is what you promised through Moses your servant when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Lord God.”

⁵⁴Solomon prayed this prayer to the Lord, kneeling in front of the altar with his arms raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he got up. ⁵⁵Then, in a loud voice, he stood and blessed all the people of Israel, saying: ⁵⁶“Praise the Lord! He promised he would give rest to his people Israel, and he has given us rest. The Lord has kept all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. ⁵⁷May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us, ⁵⁸and may he turn us to himself so we will follow him. Let us obey all the laws and commands he gave our ancestors. ⁵⁹May the Lord our God remember this prayer day and night and do what is right for his servant and his people Israel day by day. ⁶⁰Then all the people of the world will know the Lord is the only true God. ⁶¹You must fully obey the Lord our God and follow all his laws and commands. Continue to obey in the future as you do now.”

Sacrifices Are Offered

⁶²Then King Solomon and all Israel with him offered sacrifices to the Lord. ⁶³Solomon killed twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep as fellowship offerings. So the king and all the people gave the Temple to the Lord.

⁶⁴On that day King Solomon made holy the middle part of the courtyard which is in front of the Temple of the Lord. There he offered whole burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings. He offered them in the courtyard, because the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to hold all the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.

⁶⁵Solomon and all the Israelites celebrated the other festival that came at that time. People came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the brook of Egypt. A great many people celebrated before the Lord for seven days, then seven more days, for a total of fourteen days. ⁶⁶On the following day Solomon sent the people home. They blessed the king as they went, happy because of all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

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