1 Kings 8:54–66

54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessedz the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given resta to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promisesb he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsakec us. 58 May he turn our heartsd to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoplese of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.f 61 And may your heartsg be fully committedh to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

The Dedication of the Temple

8:62–66pp—2Ch 7:1–10

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrificesi before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicatedj the temple of the Lord.

64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fatk of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altarl that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.m

65 So Solomon observed the festivaln at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamatho to the Wadi of Egypt.p They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the goodq things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.