I Kings Chapter 8

I Kings Chapter 8
1 Then king Solomon assembled the
elders of Israel, even all the heads of the
tribes, the chief fathers of the children of
Israel unto him in Jerusalem, for to bring
up the ark of the covenant of the Lord
from the city of David, which is Zion.
2 And all the men of Israel assembled
unto king Solomon at the feast in the
month of Ethanim, which is the seventh
month.
3 And all the elders of Israel came and
the priests took the ark. 4 They bear the
ark of the Lord, and they bear the
tabernacle of the congregation, and all
the holy vessels that were in the
tabernacle: those did the priests and
Levites bring up.
5 And king Solomon and all the
congregation of Israel, that were
assembled unto him, were with him
before the ark, offering sheep and
beeves, which could not be told, nor
numbered for multitude.
6 So the priests brought the ark of the
covenant of the Lord unto his place, into
the oracle of the house, into the most
holy place, even under the wings of the
cherubims.
7 For the cherubims stretched out their
wings over the place of the ark, and the
cherubims covered the ark, and the bars
thereof above.
8 And they drew out the bars, that the
ends of the bars might appear out of the
sanctuary before the oracle, but they
were not seen without: and there they are
unto this day.
9 Nothing was in the ark save the two
tables of stone which Moses had put
there at Horeb, where the Lord made a
covenant with the children of Israel,
when he brought them out of the land of
Egypt.
10 And when the priests were come out
of the sanctuary, the cloud 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 said,
that he would dwell in the dark cloud.
13 I have built thee an house to dwell in,
an habitation for thee to abide in forever.
14 And the king turned his face, and
blessed all the congregation of Israel:
for all the congregation of Israel stood
there.
15 And he said, Blessed be the Lord
God of Israel, who spake with his mouth
unto David my father, and hath with his
hand fulfilled it, saying, 16 Since the day
that I brought my people Israel out of
Egypt, I chose no city of all the tribes of
Israel, to build an house that my name
might be there: but I have chosen David
to be over my people Israel.
17 And it was in the heart of David my
father to build an house to the name of
the Lord God of Israel.
18 And the Lord said unto David my
father, Where as it was in thine heart to
build an house unto my name, thou didst
well, that thou wast so minded: 19
Nevertheless thou shalt not build the
house, but thy son that shall come out of
thy loins, he shall build the house unto
my name.
20 And the Lord hath made good his
word that he spake: and I am risen up in
the room of David my father, and sit on
the throne of Israel, as the Lord
promised, and have built the house for
the name of the Lord God of Israel. 21
And I have prepared therein a place for
the ark, wherein is the covenant of the
Lord which he made with our fathers,
when he brought them out of the land of
Egypt.
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar
of the Lord in the sight of all the
congregation of Israel, and stretched out
his hands toward heaven, 23 And said,
O Lord God of Israel, there is no God
like thee in heaven above, or in the earth
beneath, thou that keepest covenant and
mercy with thy servants that walk before
thee with all their heart,
24 Thou that hast kept with thy servant
David my father, that thou hast promised
him: for thou spakest with thy mouth and
hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as
appeareth this day.
25 Therefore now, Lord God of Israel,
keep with thy servant David my father
that thou hast promised him, saying,
Thou shalt not want a man in my sight to
sit upon the throne of Israel: so that thy
children take heed to their way, that they
walk before me; as thou hast walked in
my sight
26 And now, O God of Israel, I pray
thee, let thy word be verified, which
thou spakest unto thy servant David my
father.
27 Is it true indeed that God will dwell
on the earth? Behold, the heavens, and
the heavens of heavens are not able to
contain thee: how much
more unable is this house that I have
built?
28 But have thou respect unto the prayer
of thy servant, and to his supplication, O
Lord, my God, to hear the cry and prayer
which thy servant prayeth before thee
this day:
29 That thine eyes may be open toward
this house, night and
day, even toward the place whereof thou
hast said, My name shall be there: that
thou mayest hearken unto the prayer
which thy servant prayeth in this place.
30 Hear thou therefore the supplication
of thy servant, and of thy people Israel,
which pray in this place, and hear thou
in the place of thine habitation, even in
heaven, and when thou hearest, have
mercy. 31 When a man shall trespass
against his neighbor, and he lay upon
him an oath to cause him to swear, and
the swearer shall come before thine altar
in this house,
32 Then hear thou in heaven, and do and
judge thy servants, that thou condemn the
wicked to bring his way upon his head,
and justify the righteous, to give him
according to his righteousness.
33 When thy people Israel shall be
overthrown before the enemy, because
they have sinned against thee, and turn
again to thee, and confess thy name, and
pray and make supplication unto thee in
this house,
34 Then hear thou in heaven, and be
merciful unto the sin of thy people Israel,
and bring them again unto the land,
which thou gavest unto their fathers.
35 When heaven shall be shut up, and
there shall be no rain because they have
sinned against thee, and shall pray in this
place, and confess thy name, and turn
from their sin, when thou dost afflict
them,
36 Then hear thou in heaven, and pardon
the sin of thy servants and of thy people
Israel (when thou hast taught them the
good way wherein they may walk) and
give rain upon the land that thou hast
given to thy people to inherit. 37 When
there shall be famine in the land, when
there shall be pestilence, when there
shall be blasting mildew, grasshopper or
caterpillar, when their enemy shall
besiege them in the cities of their land,
or any plague, or any sickness,
38 Then what prayers, and supplication
so ever shall be made of any man or of
all thy people Israel, when every one
shall know the plague in his own heart,
and stretch forth his hands in this house,
39 Hear thou then in heaven, in thy
dwelling place, and be merciful, and do,
and give every man according to all his
ways, as thou knowest his heart, (for
thou only knowest the hearts of all the
children of men)
40 That they may fear thee as long as
they live in the land, which thou gavest
unto our fathers.
41 Moreover as touching the stranger
that is not of thy people Israel, who shall
come out of a far country for thy name's
sake,
42 (When they shall hear of thy great
name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thy
stretched out arm) and shall come and
pray in this house,
43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling
place, and do according to all that the
stranger calleth for unto thee: that all the
people of the earth may know thy name,
and fear thee, as do thy people Israel:
and that they may know, that thy name is
called upon in this house which I have
built.
44 When thy people shall go out to battle
against their enemy by the way that thou
shalt send them, and shall pray unto the
Lord toward the way of the city which
thou hast chosen, and toward the house
that I have built for thy name, 45 Hear
thou then in heaven their prayer and their
supplication, and judge their cause.
46 If they sin against thee, (for there is
no man that sinneth not) and thou be
angry with them, and deliver them unto
the enemies, so that they carry them
away prisoners unto the land of the
enemies, either far or near, 47 Yet if
they turn again unto their heart in the
land (to the which they be carried away
captives) and return and pray unto thee
in the land of them that carried them
away captives, saying, We have sinned,
we have transgressed, and done
wickedly,
48 If they turn again unto thee with all
their heart, and with all their soul in the
land of their enemies, which led them
away captives, and pray unto thee
toward the way of their land, which thou
gavest unto their fathers, and toward the
city which thou hast chosen, and the
house, which I have built for thy name,
49 Then hear thou their prayer and their
supplication in heaven thy dwelling
place, and judge their cause,
50 And be merciful unto thy people that
have sinned against thee, and unto all
their iniquities (wherein they have
transgressed against thee) and cause that
they, which led them away captives, may
have pity and compassion on them: 51
For they be thy people, and thine
inheritance, which thou broughtest out of
Egypt from the midst of the iron furnace.
52 Let thine eyes be open unto the prayer
of thy servant, and unto the prayer of thy
people Israel, to hearken unto them, in
all that they call for unto thee. 53 For
thou didst separate them to thee from
among all people of the earth for an
inheritance, as thou saidest by the hand
of Moses thy servant, when thou
broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O
Lord God.
54 And when Solomon had made an end
of praying all this prayer and
supplication unto the Lord, he arose
from before the altar of the Lord, from
kneeling on his knees, and stretching of
his hands to heaven,
55 And stood and blessed all the
congregation of Israel with a loud voice,
saying,
56 Blessed be the Lord that hath given
rest unto his people Israel, according to
all that he promised: there hath not failed
one word of all his good promise which
he promised by the hand of Moses his
servant.
57 The Lord our God be with us, as he
was with our fathers, that he forsake us
not, neither leave us,
58 That he may bow our hearts unto him,
that we may walk in all his ways, and
keep his commandments, and his
statutes, and his laws, which he
commanded our fathers.
59 And these my words, which I have
prayed before the Lord, be near unto the
Lord our God day and night, that he
defend the cause of his servant, and the
cause of his people Israel alway as the
matter requireth,
60 That all the people of the earth may
know, that the Lord is God, and none
other.
61 Let your heart therefore be perfect
with the Lord our God to walk in his
statutes, and to keep his commandments,
as this day.
62 Then the king and all Israel with him
offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of
peace offerings which he offered unto
the Lord, to wit, two and twenty
thousand beeves, and an hundred and
twenty thousand sheep: 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 he made
burnt offerings, and the meat offerings,
and the fat of the peace offerings,
because the brazen altar that was before
the Lord, was too little to receive the
burnt offerings, and the meat offerings,
and the fat of the peace offerings.
65 And Solomon made at that time a
feast and all Israel with him, a very great
congregation, even from the entering in
of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before
the Lord our God, seven days and seven
days, even fourteen days. 66 And the
eighth day he sent the people away: and
they thanked the king and went unto their
tents joyous and with glad heart, because
of all the goodness that the Lord had
done for David his servant, and for
Israel his people.