1 Kings 8

¹ Then does Solomon assemble the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, princes of the fathers of the sons of Israel, unto king Solomon, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David - it [is] Zion; ² and all the men of Israel are assembled unto king Solomon, in the month of Ethanim, in the festival - the seventh month. ³ And all the elders of Israel come in, and the priests lift up the ark, ⁴ and bring up the ark of Yahweh, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that [are] in the tent, yea, the priests and the Levites bring them up. ⁵ And king Solomon and all the company of Israel who are met unto him [are] with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that are not counted nor numbered for multitude. ⁶ And the priests bring in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh unto its place, unto the oracle of the house, unto the holy of holies, unto the place of the wings of the cherubs; ⁷ for the cherubs are spreading forth two wings unto the place of the ark, and the cherubs cover over the ark, and over its staves from above; ⁸ and they lengthen the staves, and the heads of the staves are seen from the holy [place] on the front of the oracle, and are not seen without, and they are there unto this day. ⁹ There is nothing in the ark, only the two tables of stone which Moses put there in Horeb, when Yahweh covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ And it comes to pass, in the going out of the priests from the holy [place], that the cloud has filled the house of Yahweh, ¹¹ and the priests have not been able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the honor of Yahweh has filled the house of Yahweh. ¹² Then said Solomon, "Yahweh has said to dwell in thick darkness; ¹³ I have surely built a house of habitation for You; a fixed place for Your abiding to the eons." ¹⁴ And the king turns round his face, and blesses the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel is standing. ¹⁵ And he said, "Blessed [is] Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, who spoke by His mouth with David my father, and by His hand has fulfilled [it], saying, ¹⁶ From the day that I brought out My people, even Israel, from Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of all the tribes of Israel, to build a house for My name being there; and I fix on David to be over My people Israel. ¹⁷ And it is with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, ¹⁸ and Yahweh said unto David my father, Because that it has been with your heart to build a house for My name, you have done well that it has been with your heart; ¹⁹ only, you do not build the house, but your son who is coming out from your loins, he does build the house for My name. ²⁰ And Yahweh does establish His word which He spoke, and I am risen up instead of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh spoke, and build the house for the name of Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, ²¹ and set there a place for the ark, where [is] the covenant of Yahweh which He made with our fathers in His bringing them out from the land of Egypt." ²² And Solomon stands before the altar of Yahweh, over-against all the assembly of Israel, and spreads his hands towards the heavens, ²³ and said, "Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, there is not an Elohim like You, in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath, keeping the covenant and the kindness for Your servants, those walking before You with all their heart, ²⁴ who have kept for Your servant David my father that which You spoke to him; yea, You speak with Your mouth, and with Your hand have fulfilled [it], as [at] this day. ²⁵ And now, Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, keep for Your servant David my father that which You spoke to him, saying, There is not cut off to you a man from before Me, sitting on the throne of Israel - only, if your sons watch their way, to walk before Me as you have walked before Me. ²⁶ And now, O Elohim of Israel, let it be established, I pray You, Your word which You have spoken to Your servant, David my father. ²⁷ But, is it true? - Elohim dwells on the earth! lo, the heavens, and the heavens of the heavens do not contain You, how much less this house which I have builded! ²⁸ Then you have turned unto the prayer of Your servant, and unto his supplication, O Yahweh my Elohim, to hearken unto the cry and unto the prayer which Your servant is praying before You to-day, ²⁹ for Your eyes being open towards this house night and day, towards the place of which You have said, My Name is there; to hearken unto the prayer which Your servant prays towards this place. ³⁰ Then You have hearkened unto the supplication of Your servant, and of Your people Israel, which they pray towards this place; yea, You do hearken in the place of Your dwelling, in the heavens - and You have hearkened, and have forgiven, ³¹ that which a man sins against his neighbor, and he has lifted up upon him an oath to cause him to swear, and the oath has come in before Your altar in this house, ³² then You do hear in the heavens, and have done, and have judged Your servants, to declare wicked the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to declare righteous the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. ³³ In Your people Israel being smitten before an enemy, because they sin against You, and they have turned back unto You, and have confessed Your name, and prayed, and made supplication unto You in this house, ³⁴ then you do hear in the heavens, and have forgiven the sin of Your people Israel, and brought them back unto the ground that You gave to their fathers. ³⁵ In the heavens being restrained, and there is no rain, because they sin against You, and they have prayed towards this place, and confessed Your name, and from their sin turn back, for You do afflict them, ³⁶ then You do hear in the heavens, and have forgiven the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, for You direct them the good way in which they go, and have given rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for inheritance. ³⁷ Famine - when it is in the land; pestilence - when it is; blasting, mildew, locust; caterpillar - when it is; when its enemy has distressed it in the land [in] its gates, any plague, any sickness, ³⁸ any prayer, any supplication that [is] of any man of all Your people Israel, who know each the plague of his own heart, and has spread his hands towards this house, ³⁹ then You do hear in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, and have forgiven, and have done, and have given to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, (for You have known - Yourself alone - the heart of all the sons of man), ⁴⁰ so that they fear You all the days that they are living on the face of the ground that You have given to our fathers. ⁴¹ And also, unto the stranger who is not of Your people Israel, and has come from a land afar off for Your name's sake ⁴² (for they hear of Your great name, and of Your strong hand, and of Your stretched-out arm) and he has come in and prayed towards this house, ⁴³ You do hear in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, and have done according to all that the stranger calls unto You for, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You like Your people Israel, and to know that Your name has been called on this house which I have builded. ⁴⁴ When Your people does go out to battle against its enemy, in the way that You do send them, and they have prayed unto Yahweh the way of the city which you have fixed on, and of the house which I have builded for Your name; ⁴⁵ then You have heard in the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and have maintained their cause. ⁴⁶ When they sin against You (for there is not a man who sins not), and You have been angry with them, and have given them up before an enemy, and they have taken captive their captivity unto the land of the enemy far off or near; ⁴⁷ and they have turned [it] back unto their heart in the land whither they have been taken captive, and have turned back, and made supplication unto You, in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned and done perversely - we have done wickedly; ⁴⁸ yea, they have turned back unto You, with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and have prayed unto You the way of their land, which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have builded for Your name. ⁴⁹ Then You have heard in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, their prayer and their supplication, and have maintained their cause, ⁵⁰ and have forgiven Your people who have sinned against You, even all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and have given them mercies before their captors, and they have had mercy [on] them ⁵¹ (for Your people and Your inheritance [are] they, whom You did bring out of Egypt, out of the midst of the furnace of iron) ⁵² for Your eyes being open unto the supplication of Your servant, and unto the supplication of Your people Israel, to hearken unto them in all they call unto You for; ⁵³ for You have separated them to Yourself for an inheritance, out of all the peoples of the earth, as You did speak by the hand of Moses Your servant, in Your bringing out our fathers from Egypt, O Lord Yahweh." ⁵⁴ And it comes to pass, at Solomon's finishing to pray unto Yahweh all this prayer and supplication, he has risen from before the altar of Yahweh, from bending on his knees, and his hands spread out to the heavens, ⁵⁵ and he stands and blesses all the assembly of Israel [with] a loud voice, saying, ⁵⁶ "Blessed [is] Yahweh who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He has spoken; there has not fallen one word of all His good word, which He spoke by the hand of Moses his servant. ⁵⁷ Yahweh our Elohim is with us as He has been with our fathers; He does not forsake us nor leave us; ⁵⁸ to incline our heart unto Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, and His statutes, and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers; ⁵⁹ and these my words with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, are near unto Yahweh our Elohim by day and by night, to maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel, the matter of a day in its day; ⁶⁰ for all the peoples of the earth knowing that Yahweh, He [is] Elohim; there is none else; ⁶¹ and your heart has been perfect with Yahweh our Elohim, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commands, as [at] this day." ⁶² And the king and all Israel with him are sacrificing a sacrifice before Yahweh; ⁶³ and Solomon sacrifices the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he has sacrificed to Yahweh, oxen, twenty and two thousand, and sheep, a hundred and twenty thousand; and the king and all the sons of Israel dedicate the house of Yahweh. ⁶⁴ On that day has the king sanctified the middle of the court that [is] before the house of Yahweh, for he has made there the burnt-offering, and the present, and the fat of the peace-offerings; for the altar of brass that [is] before Yahweh [is] too little to contain the burnt-offering, and the present, and the fat of the peace-offerings. ⁶⁵ And Solomon makes, at that time, the festival - and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entering in of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt - before Yahweh our Elohim, seven days and seven days; fourteen days. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day he has sent the people away, and they bless the king, and go to their tents, rejoicing and glad of heart for all the good that Yahweh has done to David His servant, and to Israel His people.