⁴¹“Suppose there are strangers who don’t belong to your people Israel. And they have come from a land far away. They’ve come because they’ve heard about your name. ⁴²When they get here, they will find out even more about your great name. They’ll hear about how you reached out your mighty hand and powerful arm. So they’ll come and pray toward this temple.

⁴³“Then listen to them from heaven. It’s the place where you live. Do what those strangers ask you to do. Then all of the nations on earth will know you. They will have respect for you. They’ll respect you just as your own people Israel do. They’ll know that your Name is in this house I’ve built.

⁴⁴“Suppose your people go to war against their enemies. It doesn’t matter where you send them. And suppose they pray to you toward the city you have chosen. They pray toward the temple I’ve built for your Name. ⁴⁵Then listen to them from heaven. Listen to their prayer. Listen to them when they ask you to show them your favor. Stand up for them.

⁴⁶“Suppose your people sin against you. After all, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t sin. And suppose you get angry with them. You hand them over to their enemies. They take them as prisoners to their own land. It doesn’t matter whether it’s near or far away.

⁴⁷“But suppose your people change their ways in the land where they are held as prisoners. They turn away from their sins. They beg you to help them in the land of those who won the battle over them. They say, ‘We have sinned. We’ve done what is wrong. We’ve done what is evil.’ ⁴⁸And they turn back to you with all their heart and soul. Suppose it happens in the land of their enemies who took them away as prisoners. There they pray to you toward the land you gave their people long ago. They pray toward the city you have chosen. And they pray toward the temple I’ve built for your Name.

⁴⁹“Then listen to them from heaven. It’s the place where you live. Listen to their prayer. Listen to them when they ask you to show them your favor. Stand up for them.

⁵⁰“Your people have sinned against you. Please forgive them. Forgive them for all of the wrong things they’ve done against you. And make those who won the battle over them show mercy to them. ⁵¹After all, they are your people. They belong to you. You brought them out of Egypt. You brought them out of that furnace that melts iron down and makes it pure.

⁵²“Let your eyes be open to me when I ask you to show us your favor. Let them be open to your people Israel when they ask you to show them your favor. Pay attention to them every time they cry out to you.

⁵³“After all, you chose them out of all of the nations in the world. You made them your very own people. You did it just as you had announced through your servant Moses. That’s when you brought our people out of Egypt. You are our Lord and King.”

⁵⁴Solomon finished all of those prayers. He finished asking the Lord to show his favor to his people. Then he got up from in front of the Lord’s altar. He had been down on his knees with his hands spread out toward heaven. ⁵⁵He stood in front of the whole community of Israel. He blessed them with a loud voice. He said,

⁵⁶“I praise the Lord. He has given peace and rest to his people Israel. That’s exactly what he promised to do. He gave his people good promises through his servant Moses. Every single word of those promises has come true.

⁵⁷“May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our people who lived long ago. May he never leave us. May he never desert us. ⁵⁸May he turn our hearts to him. Then we will live the way he wants us to. We’ll obey the commands, rules and directions he gave our people.

⁵⁹“I’ve prayed these words to the Lord our God. May he keep them close to him day and night. May he stand up for me. May he also stand up for his people Israel. May he give us what we need every day. ⁶⁰Then all of the nations on earth will know that the Lord is God. They’ll know that there isn’t any other god.

⁶¹“But you must commit your lives completely to the Lord our God. You must live by his rules. You must obey his commands. You must always do as you are doing now.”

Solomon Sets the Temple Apart to the Lord

⁶²Then the king and the whole community of Israel offered sacrifices to the Lord. ⁶³Solomon sacrificed friendship offerings to the Lord. He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle. He also sacrificed 120,000 sheep and goats. So the king and the whole community set the temple of the Lord apart to him.

⁶⁴On that same day the king set the middle area of the courtyard apart to the Lord. It was in front of the Lord’s temple. There Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and grain offerings. He also sacrificed the fat of the friendship offerings there. He did it there because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small. It wasn’t big enough to hold all of the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the friendship offerings.

⁶⁵At that time Solomon celebrated the Feast of Booths. The whole community of Israel was with him. It was a huge crowd. People came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the Wadi of Egypt. For seven days they celebrated in front of the Lord our God. The feast continued for seven more days. That made a total of 14 days.

⁶⁶On the following day Solomon sent the people away. They asked the Lord to bless the king. Then they went home. The people were glad. Their hearts were full of joy. That’s because the Lord had done so many good things for his servant David and his people Israel.

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