The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning

9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned,1 9:2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon.2 9:3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered3 your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home;4 I will be constantly present there.5 9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.6 9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently,7 just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’8

9:6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep,9 and decide to serve and worship other gods,10 9:7 then I will remove Israel from the land11 I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence,12 and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed13 among all the nations. 9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins;14 everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn,15 saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 9:9 Others will then answer,16 ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors17 out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served.18 That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’ ”