1 Kings 8:1-66

1 The feast of the dedication of the Temple.

12 and

54 Solomons blessing.

22 Solomons prayer.

62 His sacrifice of peace offrings.

1 Then [Note: 2 Chronicles 5:2.] Solomon assembled the Elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the [Note: Hebrew: Princes.] chiefe of the fathers of the children of Israel,

[The Temple dedicated.]

vnto king Solomon in Ierusalem, that they might bring vp the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord, out of the citie of Dauid, which is Zion.

2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselues vnto king Solomon, at the feast, in the moneth Ethanim, which is the seuenth moneth.

3 And all the Elders of Israel came, and the Priests tooke vp the Arke.

4 And they brought vp the Arke of the Lord, and the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tabernacle, euen those did the Priests & the Leuites bring vp.

5 And king Solomon, and all the Congregation of Israel, that were assembled vnto him, were with him before the Arke, sacrificing sheepe, and oxen, that could not bee told nor numbred for multitude.

6 And the Priests brought in the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord vnto his place, into the Oracle of the house to the most holy place, euen vnder the wings of the Cherubims.

7 For the Cherubims spread forth their two wings ouer the place of the Arke, and the Cherubims couered the Arke, and the staues thereof aboue.

8 And they drew out the staues, that the [Note: Hebrew: heads.] ends of the staues were seene out in the [Note: Or, Arke, as 2 Chronicles 5:9.] Holy place before the Oracle, and they were not seene without: and there they are vnto this day.

9 There was nothing in the Arke, [Note: Deuteronomy 10:5.] saue the two Tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, [Note: Or, where.] when the Lord made a Couenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10 And it came to passe when the Priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud [Note: Exodus 40:34.] filled the house of the Lord;

11 So that the Priests could not stand to minister, because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

12 Then spake Solomon; The Lord [Note: 2.Chro 6.1.] said that hee would dwell in the thicke darkenesse.

13 I haue surely built thee an house to dwel in, a setled place for thee to abide in for euer.

14 And the King turned his face about, and blessed all the Congregation of Israel: (and all the Congregation of Israel stood.)

[Solomons blessing, and prayer.]

15 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which spake with his mouth vnto Dauid my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying;

16 Since the day that I brought foorth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no citie out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house that my Name might be therein; but I chose [Note: 2 Samuel 7:8.] Dauid to be ouer my people Israel.

17 And it was in the heart of Dauid my father, to builde an house for the Name of the Lord God of Israel.

18 And the Lord sayd vnto Dauid my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house vnto my Name, thou diddest well that it was in thine heart.

19 Neuerthelesse, thou shalt not build the house, but thy sonne that shall come foorth out of thy loynes, hee shall build the house vnto my Name.

20 And the Lord hath perfourmed his word that he spake, and I am risen vp in the roume of Dauid my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and haue built an House for the Name of the Lord God of Israel.

21 And I haue set there a place for the Arke, wherein is the Couenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

22 And Solomon stood before [Note: 2 Chronicles 6:13.] the Altar of the Lord, in the presence of all the Congregation of Israel, and spread foorth his handes toward heauen:

23 And hee said, [Note: 2; Macc. 2.8.] Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heauen aboue, or on earth beneath, who keepest couenant and mercy with thy seruants, that walke before thee with all their heart:

24 Who hast kept with thy seruant Dauid my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

25 Therefore now Lord God of Israel, keepe with thy seruant Dauid my father, that thou promisedst him, saying; [Note: 1 Kings 2:4; 2 Samuel 7:12.] [Note: Hebrew: there shall not be cut off vnto thee a man from my sight.] There shall not faile thee a man in my sight to sit on the Throne of Israel; [Note: Hebrew: onely if.] so that thy children take heede to their way, that they walke before me as thou hast walked before me:

26 And now, O God of Israel, let

[Solomons blessing, and prayer.]

thy worde (I pray thee) bee verified, which thou spakest vnto thy seruant Dauid my father.

27 But will God indeede dwell on the earth? Behold, the heauen, and heauen of heauens cannot conteine thee: how much lesse this House that I haue builded?

28 Yet haue thou respect vnto the prayer of thy seruant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken vnto the crie and to the prayer, which thy seruant prayeth before thee to day:

29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house, night and day, euen toward the place of which thou hast said, [Note: Deuteronomy 12:11.] My Name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken vnto the prayer which thy seruant shall make [Note: Or, in this place.] towards this place.

30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy seruant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray [Note: Or, in this place.] towards this place: and heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place, and when thou hearest, forgiue.

31 If any man trespasse against his neighbour, [Note: Hebrew: and he require an oath of him.] and an oath be laid vpon him to cause him to sweare, and the oath come before thine Altar in this house:

32 Then heare thou in heauen, and doe, and iudge thy seruants, condemning the wicked to bring his way vpon his head, and iustifying the righteous, to giue him according to his righteousnesse.

33 When thy people Israel bee smitten downe before the enemie, because they haue sinned against thee, and shall turne againe to thee, and confesse thy Name, and pray, and make supplication vnto thee [Note: Or, towards.] in this house:

34 Then heare thou in heauen, and forgiue the sinne of thy people Israel, and bring them againe vnto the land, which thou gauest vnto their fathers.

35 When heauen is shut vp, and there is no raine, because they haue sinned against thee: if they pray towards this place, and confesse thy Name, and turne from their sinne, when thou afflictest them:

36 Then heare thou in heauen, and forgiue the sinne of thy seruants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walke, and giue raine vpon thy land

[Solomons prayer for the people.]

which thou hast giuen to thy people for an inheritance.

37 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller: if their enemy besiege them in the land of their [Note: Or, iurisdiction.] cities, whatsoeuer plague, whatsoeuer sicknes there be;

38 What prayer and supplication soeuer be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know euery man the plague of his owne heart, and spread forth his handes towards this house:

39 Then heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place, and forgiue, and do, and giue to euery man according to his wayes, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, euen thou onely knowest the hearts of all the children of men,)

40 That they may feare thee all the dayes that they liue, in the land which thou gauest vnto our fathers.

41 Moreouer, concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel, but commeth out of a farre countrey, for thy Names sake;

42 (For they shall heare of thy great Name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arme) when hee shall come and pray towards this house:

43 Heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place, and doe according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy Name, to feare thee, as doe thy people Israel, and that they may know that [Note: Hebrew: thy Name is called vpon this house.] this house which I haue builded, is called by thy Name.

44 If thy people goe out to battell against their enemie, whithersoeuer thou shalt send them, and shall pray vnto the Lord [Note: Hebrew: the way of the citie.] toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I haue built for thy Name:

45 Then heare thou in heauen their prayer & their supplication, and mainteine their [Note: Or, right.] cause.

46 If they sinne against thee, ([Note: 2 Chronicles 6:36; Ecclesiastes 7:22; 1 John 1:8; 1 John 1:10.] for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliuer them to the enemy, so that they cary them away captiues, vnto the land of the enemy, farre or neere;

47 Yet if they shall [Note: Hebrew: bring backe to their heart.] bethinke themselues, in the land whither they were caried captiues, and repent, and make supplication vnto thee in the land of them that caried them captiues, saying,

[Solomons prayer for the people.]

Wee haue sinned, and haue done peruersly, we haue committed wickednes;

48 And so returne vnto thee with all their heart, and with all their soule, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captiue, and pray vnto thee toward their land, which thou gauest vnto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I haue built for thy Name:

49 Then heare thou their prayer and their supplication in heauen thy dwelling place, and mainteine their [Note: Or, right.] cause,

50 And forgiue thy people that haue sinned against thee, and all their transgressions, wherein they haue transgressed against thee, and giue them compassion before them who caried them captiue, that they may haue compassion on them:

51 For they bee thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest foorth out of Egypt, from the mids of the furnace of iron:

52 That thine eyes may be open vnto the supplication of thy seruant, and vnto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken vnto them in all that they call for vnto thee.

53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy seruant, when thou [Note: Exodus 19:6.] broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.

54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication vnto the Lord, he arose from before the Altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees, with his handes spread vp to heauen.

55 And he stood, and blessed all the Congregation of Israel, with a lowd voice, saying;

56 Blessed be the Lord, that hath giuen rest vnto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not [Note: Hebrew: fallen.] failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his seruant.

57 The Lord our God be with vs, as he was with our fathers: let him not leaue vs, nor forsake vs:

58 That hee may encline our hearts vnto him, to walke in all his wayes, and to keepe his Commaundements, and his Statutes, and his Iudgements

[Solomons offrings.]

which hee commaunded our fathers.

59 And let these my wordes wherewith I haue made supplication before the Lord, be nigh vnto the Lord our God, day and night, that hee maintaine the cause of his seruant, and the cause of his people Israel [Note: Hebrew: the thing of a day in his day.] at all times, as the matter shall require:

60 That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God: and that there is none else.

61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord your God, to walke in his Statutes, and to keepe his Commandements, as at this day.

62 And [Note: 2 Chronicles 7:4.] the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.

63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered vnto the Lord, two and twentie thousand oxen, and an hundred and twentie thousand sheepe: so the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.

64 The same day did the king hallow the middle of the Court that was before the house of the Lord: for there hee offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because [Note: 2 Chronicles 7:7.] the brasen Altar that was before the Lord, was too little to receiue the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great Congregation, from the entring in of Hamath, vnto the riuer of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seuen dayes and seuen dayes, euen fourteene dayes.

66 On the eight day he sent the people away: and they [Note: Or, thanked.] blessed the King, and went vnto their tents ioyfull, and glad of heart, for all the goodnesse that the Lord had done for Dauid his seruant, and for Israel his people.