1 Kings 8:12–50

^12rThen Solomon spoke:

“The Lord said He would dwell ^sin the dark cloud.

^13tI have surely built You an exalted house,

^uAnd a place for You to dwell in forever.”

Solomon’s Speech at Completion of the Work

¹⁴Then the king turned around and ^vblessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ¹⁵And he said: ^w“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who ^xspoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, ¹⁶‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that ^yMy name might be there; but I chose ^zDavid to be over My people Israel.’ ¹⁷Now ^ait was in the heart of my father David to build a ⁴temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ^18bBut the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. ¹⁹Nevertheless ^cyou shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’ ²⁰So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have ⁵filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, ^das the Lord promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ²¹And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is ^ethe covenant of the Lord which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

²²Then Solomon stood before ^fthe altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and ^gspread out his hands toward heaven; ²³and he said: “Lord God of Israel, ^hthere is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, ⁱwho keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who ^jwalk before You with all their hearts. ²⁴You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. ²⁵Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ^k‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ ^26lAnd now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father.

²⁷“But ^mwill God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the ⁿheaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! ²⁸Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: ²⁹that Your eyes may be open toward this ⁶temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ^o‘My name shall be ^pthere,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes ^qtoward this place. ^30rAnd may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

³¹“When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take ^san oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, ³²then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, ^tcondemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

^33u“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and ^vwhen they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, ³⁴then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their ^wfathers.

^35x“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, ³⁶then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may ^yteach them ^zthe good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

^37a“When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their ⁷cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; ³⁸whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: ³⁹then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone ^bknow the hearts of all the sons of men), ^40cthat they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

⁴¹“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake ⁴²(for they will hear of Your great name and Your ^dstrong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, ⁴³hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, ^ethat all peoples of the earth may know Your name and ^ffear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

⁴⁴“When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, ⁴⁵then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their ⁸cause.

⁴⁶“When they sin against You ^g(for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive ^hto the land of the enemy, far or near; ⁴⁷ⁱyet when they ⁹come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, ^jsaying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness’; ⁴⁸and when they ^kreturn to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and ^lpray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: ⁴⁹then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their ¹cause, ⁵⁰and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and ^mgrant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them