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2 Chronicles 1-7
New American Standard Bible

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 Now (A)Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and (B)exalted him greatly.

2 And Solomon spoke to all Israel, (C)to the commanders of thousands, of hundreds, and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. 3 Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to (D)the high place which was at Gibeon, (E)because God’s tent of meeting was there which Moses, the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. 4 However, David had brought up (F)the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim [a]to (G)the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 Now (H)the bronze altar which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. 6 And Solomon went up there before the Lord to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and (I)offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7 (J)In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

8 And Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great faithfulness, and (K)have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Lord God, (L)Your [b]promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over (M)a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 (N)Now give me wisdom and knowledge, (O)so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11 (P)Then God said to Solomon, “Because this was [c]in your heart, and you did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor did you even ask for long life, but you asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge so that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. (Q)I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, [d]such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed, nor will those who will [e]come after you.” 13 (R)So Solomon went [f]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Wealth

14 (S)Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. (T)He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in (U)the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 (V)The king made (W)silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the [g]lowland. 16 Solomon’s (X)horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders acquired them from Kue for a price. 17 They [h]imported chariots from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver apiece, horses for 150 apiece, and [i]by the same means they [j]exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Solomon Will Build a Temple and a Palace

2 [k](Y)Now Solomon [l]decided to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a [m]royal palace for himself. 2 [n]So (Z)Solomon [o]assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to quarry stone in the mountains, and 3,600 to supervise them.

3 (AA)Then Solomon sent word to [p]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “(AB)As you dealt with my father David and sent him cedars to build him a house to live in, do it for me. 4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, (AC)to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out (AD)the showbread continually, and to offer (AE)burnt offerings morning and evening, (AF)on Sabbaths, on new moons, and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God. This is to be done in Israel forever. 5 The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is (AG)greater than all the gods. 6 But (AH)who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? And who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to [q]burn incense before Him? 7 Now (AI)send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, and in purple, crimson, and violet fabrics, one who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled workers [r](AJ)whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided. 8 (AK)Send me also cedar, juniper, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed (AL)my servants will work with your servants, 9 to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. 10 Now behold, (AM)I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, [s]twenty thousand kors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, [t]twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

Huram to Assist

11 Then Huram, king of Tyre, [u]answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “(AN)Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.” 12 Then Huram [v]continued, “Blessed be (AO)the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, [w]endowed with discretion and understanding, (AP)who will build a house for the Lord and a [x]royal palace for himself.

13 “Now then, I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, [y]endowed with understanding, 14 (AQ)the son of a [z]Danite woman and [aa]a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, violet, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to [ab]execute any design which is assigned to him, to work with your skilled workers and with [ac]those of my lord, your father David. 15 Now then, let my lord send his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of (AR)which he has spoken. 16 (AS)We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, (AT)following the [ad]census which his father David had [ae]taken; and 153,600 were found. 18 (AU)He appointed seventy thousand of them to carry loads and eighty thousand to quarry stones in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

The Temple Construction in Jerusalem

3 (AV)Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared (AW)on the threshing floor of [af]Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build on the second day in the second month [ag]of the fourth year of his reign.

Dimensions and Materials of the Temple

3 Now these are the [ah]foundations which (AX)Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard, was [ai]sixty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits. 4 The porch which was in front of the house (AY)was as long as the width of the house, [aj]twenty cubits, and the height [ak]twenty; and inside he overlaid it with pure gold. 5 He overlaid (AZ)the [al]main room with juniper wood and overlaid it with fine gold; and he [am]ornamented it with palm trees and chains. 6 Further, he overlaid the house [an]with precious stones; and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7 (BA)He also overlaid the house with gold—the beams, the thresholds, and its walls and doors; and he (BB)carved cherubim on the walls.

8 Then he made (BC)the [ao]room of the Most Holy Place: its length across the width of the house was [ap]twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to [aq]six hundred talents. 9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid (BD)the upper rooms with gold.

10 (BE)Then he made two [ar]sculptured cherubim in the room of the Most Holy Place and overlaid them with gold. 11 The wingspan of the [as]cherubim was twenty [at]cubits; the wing of one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing, of five cubits, was attached to the wing of the [au]first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet [av]facing the main room. 14 (BF)He made the veil of violet, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and he worked cherubim into it.

15 (BG)He also made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five cubits [aw]high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. 16 He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. 17 (BH)He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

Furnishings of the Temple

4 Then (BI)he made a bronze altar, [ax]twenty cubits in length, [ay]twenty cubits in width, and [az]ten cubits in height. 2 (BJ)He also made the [ba]Sea of cast metal, [bb]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was [bc]five cubits and [bd]its circumference [be]thirty cubits. 3 Now figures like oxen were under it and all around it, [bf]ten cubits, entirely encircling the Sea. The oxen were in two rows, cast [bg]in one piece. 4 It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them and all their hindquarters turned inward. 5 It was a [bh]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it (BK)could hold three thousand [bi]baths. 6 (BL)He also made ten basins in which to wash, and he set five on the right side and five on the left [bj]to rinse things for the burnt offering; but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.

7 Then (BM)he made the ten golden lampstands in the way prescribed for them, and he set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. 8 He also made (BN)ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made a hundred golden bowls. 9 Then he made (BO)the courtyard of the priests and (BP)the great courtyard, and doors for the courtyard, and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 (BQ)He put the Sea on the right side of the house toward the southeast.

11 (BR)Huram also made the pails, the shovels, and the bowls. So Huram finished the work that he did for King Solomon in the house of God: 12 the two pillars, the bowls and the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars, 13 and (BS)the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the pillars. 14 (BT)He also made the stands and he made the basins on the stands, 15 and the one Sea with the twelve oxen under it. 16 The pails, the shovels, the forks, and all its utensils, (BU)Huram-abi made of polished bronze for King Solomon, for the house of the Lord. 17 On the plain of the Jordan the king cast them in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 (BV)So Solomon made all these utensils in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

19 Solomon also made all the things that were in the house of God: the golden altar, (BW)the tables with the bread of the Presence on them, 20 the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, (BX)to burn in front of the inner sanctuary in the way prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold, that is, of purest gold; 22 and the snuffers, the bowls, the spoons, and the firepans of pure gold; and the entrance of the house, its inner doors for the Most Holy Place and the doors of the house, that is, of the main room, of gold.

The Ark Is Brought into the Temple

5 (BY)So all the work that Solomon performed for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the [bk](BZ)things that his father David had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and all the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

2 (CA)Then Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, (CB)to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David, which is Zion. 3 (CC)All the men of Israel assembled themselves before the king at (CD)the feast, that is in the seventh month. 4 Then all the elders of Israel came, and (CE)the Levites picked up the ark. 5 They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils that were in the tent. The Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled with him before the ark were sacrificing [bl]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its [bm]poles. 9 The poles were so long that (CF)the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and [bn]they are there to this day. 10 (CG)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

The Glory of God Fills the Temple

11 When the priests came out from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard (CH)to divisions), 12 and all the Levitical singers, (CI)Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, (CJ)with cymbals, harps, and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them 120 priests (CK)blowing trumpets 13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they raised their voices (CL)accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, and when they praised the Lord saying, “(CM)He indeed is good for His [bo]kindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not rise to minister because of the cloud, for (CN)the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Solomon’s Dedication of the Temple

6 (CO)Then Solomon said,

“The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.
2 I have built You a lofty house,
And a place for Your dwelling forever.”

3 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 4 He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and fulfilled it with His hands, saying, 5 ‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, so that My name might be there, nor did I choose a man to be the leader over My people Israel; 6 but (CP)I have chosen Jerusalem so that My name might be there, and I (CQ)have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ 7 (CR)Now it was [bp]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was [bq]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was [br]in your heart. 9 Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who [bs]will be born to you, he shall build the house for My name.’ 10 Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord [bt]promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 There I have placed the ark (CS)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with the sons of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

12 Then he stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 (CT)For Solomon had made a bronze platform, [bu]five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the courtyard; and he stood on it, (CU)knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 14 He said, “Lord, God of Israel, (CV)there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, (CW)keeping [bv]Your covenant and [bw]Your faithfulness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart; 15 (CX)You who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You [bx]promised him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 16 Now then, Lord, God of Israel, keep to Your servant David, my father, that which You [by]promised him, saying, ‘[bz](CY)You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay attention to their way, to walk in My Law as you have walked before Me.’ 17 Now then, Lord, God of Israel, let Your word be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant David.

18 “But (CZ)will God really dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, (DA)heaven and the [ca]highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built! 19 Nevertheless, turn Your attention to the prayer of Your servant and to his plea, Lord, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You; 20 that Your (DB)eye will be open toward this house day and night, toward (DC)the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 21 Listen to the pleadings of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; (DD)hear and forgive.

22 “If someone sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 23 then hear from heaven and take action and judge Your servants, [cb](DE)punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by [cc]repaying him according to his righteousness.

24 “If Your people Israel are [cd]defeated before an enemy because (DF)they have sinned against You, and they return to You and praise Your name, and pray and plead before You in this house, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers.

26 “When the (DG)heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and praise Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel; indeed, (DH)teach them the good way in which they are to walk. And provide rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

28 “If there is a (DI)famine in the land, if there is a plague, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their [ce]cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer or plea is made by anyone or by all Your people Israel, [cf]each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, 30 then hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know—(DJ)for You alone know the hearts of the sons of mankind— 31 so that they may [cg]fear You, to walk in Your ways [ch]as long as they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

32 “Also concerning (DK)the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house, 33 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and [ci]fear You as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that [cj]this house which I have built is (DL)called by Your name.

34 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way You send them, and they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their pleading, and maintain their cause.

36 “When they sin against You ((DM)for there is no one who does not sin), and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that [ck]they take them away captive to a land far off or near, 37 if they [cl]take it to heart in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and plead to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and have acted wickedly’; 38 (DN)if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name, 39 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and pleadings, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

40 “Now, my God, please, (DO)let Your eyes be open and (DP)Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

41 “(DQ)Now then arise, Lord God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might; let Your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your godly ones rejoice in what is good.

42 “Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; (DR)remember Your faithfulness to Your servant David.”

The Shekinah Glory

7 (DS)Now when Solomon had finished praying, (DT)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2 (DU)And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “(DV)Certainly He is good, certainly His faithfulness is everlasting.”

Sacrifices Offered

4 (DW)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts, and (DX)the Levites also, with the musical instruments for the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His faithfulness is everlasting”—whenever David gave praise through their [cm]ministry; (DY)the priests on the other side blew trumpets and all Israel was standing.

7 (DZ)Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was before the house of the Lord, for he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat.

The Feast of Dedication

8 So (EA)Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly that came from the entrance of Hamath to the (EB)brook of Egypt. 9 And on the eighth day they held (EC)a solemn assembly, because they held the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the feast for seven days. 10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and happy in heart because of the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, to Solomon, and to His people Israel.

God’s Promise and Warning

11 (ED)So Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and successfully completed everything that [cn]he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and in his palace.

12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and (EE)have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 (EF)If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, 14 (EG)and My people [co]who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 (EH)Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the [cp]prayer offered in this place. 16 For (EI)now I have chosen and consecrated this house so that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there [cq]always. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, to do according to everything that I have commanded you, and keep My statutes and My ordinances, 18 then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘[cr](EJ)You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’

19 “(EK)But if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 (EL)then I will uproot [cs]you from My land which I have given [ct]you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight; and I will make it (EM)a proverb and an object of scorn among all peoples. 21 As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘(EN)Why has the Lord done these things to this land and to this house?’ 22 And they will say, ‘Because (EO)they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods, and worshiped and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 1:4 Lit where David had prepared for it
  2. 2 Chronicles 1:9 Lit word
  3. 2 Chronicles 1:11 Lit with
  4. 2 Chronicles 1:12 Lit which was not so to the kings who were before you
  5. 2 Chronicles 1:12 Lit be
  6. 2 Chronicles 1:13 As in other ancient versions; MT to
  7. 2 Chronicles 1:15 Heb shephelah
  8. 2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit brought up and brought out
  9. 2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit in the same way by their hand
  10. 2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit brought out
  11. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Ch 1:18 in Heb
  12. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Lit said
  13. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Lit house for his royalty
  14. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Ch 2:1 in Heb
  15. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Lit counted
  16. 2 Chronicles 2:3 In 1 Kin 5:18, Hiram
  17. 2 Chronicles 2:6 Lit offer up in smoke
  18. 2 Chronicles 2:7 Lit who are with me
  19. 2 Chronicles 2:10 About 154,000 cubic feet or 4,360 cubic meters
  20. 2 Chronicles 2:10 About 120,000 gallons or 454,249 liters
  21. 2 Chronicles 2:11 Lit said...and he sent
  22. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit said
  23. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit knowing discretion
  24. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit house for his royalty
  25. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Lit knowing understanding
  26. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit a woman of the daughters of Dan
  27. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit whose father is a Tyrian man
  28. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit devise any device
  29. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit skilled men
  30. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit numbering
  31. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit numbered of them
  32. 2 Chronicles 3:1 In 2 Sam 24:18, Araunah
  33. 2 Chronicles 3:2 Lit in
  34. 2 Chronicles 3:3 Lit founding of Solomon to build
  35. 2 Chronicles 3:3 About 90 ft. long and 30 ft. wide or 27 m long and 9 m wide
  36. 2 Chronicles 3:4 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  37. 2 Chronicles 3:4 As in ancient versions; MT 120 cubits or about 180 ft. or 55 m
  38. 2 Chronicles 3:5 Lit great house
  39. 2 Chronicles 3:5 Lit put on it palm trees
  40. 2 Chronicles 3:6 Lit for beauty
  41. 2 Chronicles 3:8 Lit house
  42. 2 Chronicles 3:8 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  43. 2 Chronicles 3:8 About 23 tons or 21 metric tons
  44. 2 Chronicles 3:10 Lit cherubim of cast work
  45. 2 Chronicles 3:11 Heb plural of cherub
  46. 2 Chronicles 3:11 About 18 in. or 45 cm
  47. 2 Chronicles 3:12 Lit other
  48. 2 Chronicles 3:13 Lit and their faces to
  49. 2 Chronicles 3:15 Lit long
  50. 2 Chronicles 4:1 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  51. 2 Chronicles 4:1 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  52. 2 Chronicles 4:1 About 15 ft. or 4.6 m
  53. 2 Chronicles 4:2 I.e., large basin
  54. 2 Chronicles 4:2 About 15 ft. or 4.6 m
  55. 2 Chronicles 4:2 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  56. 2 Chronicles 4:2 Lit a line of 30 cubits encircling it round about
  57. 2 Chronicles 4:2 About 45 ft. or 14 m
  58. 2 Chronicles 4:3 About 15 ft. or 4.6 m
  59. 2 Chronicles 4:3 Lit in its casting
  60. 2 Chronicles 4:5 About 3 in. or 7.6 cm
  61. 2 Chronicles 4:5 About 18,000 gallons or 68,137 liters
  62. 2 Chronicles 4:6 Lit in which to
  63. 2 Chronicles 5:1 Lit dedicated things of his
  64. 2 Chronicles 5:6 Lit sheep...numbered for multitude
  65. 2 Chronicles 5:8 Lit poles above
  66. 2 Chronicles 5:9 Lit it is
  67. 2 Chronicles 5:13 Or faithfulness
  68. 2 Chronicles 6:7 Lit with
  69. 2 Chronicles 6:8 Lit with
  70. 2 Chronicles 6:8 Lit with
  71. 2 Chronicles 6:9 Lit will come forth from your loins
  72. 2 Chronicles 6:10 Lit spoke
  73. 2 Chronicles 6:13 About 7.5 ft. long and wide and 4.5 ft. high or 2.3 m and 1.4 m
  74. 2 Chronicles 6:14 Or the
  75. 2 Chronicles 6:14 Or the
  76. 2 Chronicles 6:15 Lit spoke to
  77. 2 Chronicles 6:16 Lit have spoken to
  78. 2 Chronicles 6:16 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man from before Me
  79. 2 Chronicles 6:18 Lit heaven of heavens
  80. 2 Chronicles 6:23 Lit returning
  81. 2 Chronicles 6:23 Lit giving
  82. 2 Chronicles 6:24 Lit struck
  83. 2 Chronicles 6:28 Lit gates
  84. 2 Chronicles 6:29 Lit whoever shall know
  85. 2 Chronicles 6:31 Or revere
  86. 2 Chronicles 6:31 Lit all the days that they live on the face of the land
  87. 2 Chronicles 6:33 Or revere
  88. 2 Chronicles 6:33 Lit Your name is called upon this house
  89. 2 Chronicles 6:36 Lit their captors lead them captive
  90. 2 Chronicles 6:37 Lit return to their heart
  91. 2 Chronicles 7:6 Lit hand
  92. 2 Chronicles 7:11 Lit came upon the heart of Solomon to do
  93. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Lit over whom My name is called
  94. 2 Chronicles 7:15 Lit prayer of this place
  95. 2 Chronicles 7:16 Lit all the days
  96. 2 Chronicles 7:18 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
  97. 2 Chronicles 7:20 As in ancient versions; MT them
  98. 2 Chronicles 7:20 As in some ancient versions; MT them
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2 Chronicles 1-7
New International Version

Solomon Asks for Wisdom(A)(B)

1 Solomon son of David established(C) himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with(D) him and made him exceedingly great.(E)

2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel(F)—to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families— 3 and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon,(G) for God’s tent of meeting(H) was there, which Moses(I) the Lord’s servant had made in the wilderness. 4 Now David had brought up the ark(J) of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent(K) for it in Jerusalem. 5 But the bronze altar(L) that Bezalel(M) son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the Lord; so Solomon and the assembly inquired(N) of him there. 6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the Lord in the tent of meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7 That night God appeared(O) to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me(P) king in his place. 9 Now, Lord God, let your promise(Q) to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.(R) 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead(S) this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth,(T) possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor,(U) such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.(V)”

13 Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting. And he reigned over Israel.

14 Solomon accumulated chariots(W) and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[a] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold(X) as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[b]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 17 They imported a chariot(Y) from Egypt for six hundred shekels[c] of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.[d] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

Preparations for Building the Temple(Z)

2 [e]Solomon gave orders to build a temple(AA) for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(AB) 2 He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.(AC)

3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram[f](AD) king of Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs(AE) as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4 Now I am about to build a temple(AF) for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense(AG) before him, for setting out the consecrated bread(AH) regularly, and for making burnt offerings(AI) every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths,(AJ) at the New Moons(AK) and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

5 “The temple I am going to build will be great,(AL) because our God is greater than all other gods.(AM) 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?(AN) Who then am I(AO) to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers,(AP) whom my father David provided.

8 “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum[g] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9 to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors[h] of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors[i] of barley, twenty thousand baths[j] of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.(AQ)”

11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:

“Because the Lord loves(AR) his people, he has made you their king.”

12 And Hiram added:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!(AS) He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 “I am sending you Huram-Abi,(AT) a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from Dan(AU) and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained(AV) to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue(AW) and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.

15 “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil(AX) and wine he promised, 16 and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa.(AY) You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreigners(AZ) residing in Israel, after the census(BA) his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned(BB) 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

Solomon Builds the Temple(BC)

3 Then Solomon began to build(BD) the temple of the Lord(BE) in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah[k](BF) the Jebusite, the place provided by David. 2 He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.(BG)

3 The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide[l](BH) (using the cubit of the old standard). 4 The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits[m] long across the width of the building and twenty[n] cubits high.

He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5 He paneled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree(BI) and chain designs. 6 He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. 7 He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim(BJ) on the walls.

8 He built the Most Holy Place,(BK) its length corresponding to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents[o] of fine gold. 9 The gold nails(BL) weighed fifty shekels.[p] He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.

10 For the Most Holy Place he made a pair(BM) of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. 11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits[q] long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim(BN) extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.[r]

14 He made the curtain(BO) of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim(BP) worked into it.

15 For the front of the temple he made two pillars,(BQ) which together were thirty-five cubits[s] long, each with a capital(BR) five cubits high. 16 He made interwoven chains[t](BS) and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates(BT) and attached them to the chains. 17 He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin[u] and the one to the north Boaz.[v]

The Temple’s Furnishings(BU)

4 He made a bronze altar(BV) twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.[w] 2 He made the Sea(BW) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits[x] high. It took a line of thirty cubits[y] to measure around it. 3 Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it—ten to a cubit.[z] The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

4 The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east.(BX) The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 5 It was a handbreadth[aa] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.[ab]

6 He then made ten basins(BY) for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings(BZ) were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.

7 He made ten gold lampstands(CA) according to the specifications(CB) for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

8 He made ten tables(CC) and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls.(CD)

9 He made the courtyard(CE) of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. 10 He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

11 And Huram also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished(CF) the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God:

12 the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

13 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);

14 the stands(CG) with their basins;

15 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

16 the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles.

All the objects that Huram-Abi(CH) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of polished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth(CI) and Zarethan.[ac] 18 All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze(CJ) could not be calculated.

19 Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God’s temple:

the golden altar;

the tables(CK) on which was the bread of the Presence;

20 the lampstands(CL) of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;

21 the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold);

22 the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(CM) and censers;(CN) and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.

5 When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished,(CO) he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(CP)—the silver and gold and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

The Ark Brought to the Temple(CQ)

2 Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(CR) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 3 And all the Israelites(CS) came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.

4 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5 and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priests(CT) carried them up; 6 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

7 The priests then brought the ark(CU) of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim(CV) spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9 These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 10 There was nothing in the ark except(CW) the two tablets(CX) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.(CY) 12 All the Levites who were musicians(CZ)—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.(DA) 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(DB)

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud,(DC) 14 and the priests could not perform(DD) their service because of the cloud,(DE) for the glory(DF) of the Lord filled the temple of God.

6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(DG) 2 I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.(DH)”

3 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. 4 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, 5 ‘Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem(DI) for my Name(DJ) to be there, and I have chosen David(DK) to rule my people Israel.’

7 “My father David had it in his heart(DL) to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 9 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’

10 “The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenant(DM) of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(DN)(DO)

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Now he had made a bronze platform,(DP) five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high,[ad] and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down(DQ) before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 14 He said:

“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you(DR) in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love(DS) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 15 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised(DT) and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

16 “Now, Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail(DU) to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law,(DV) as you have done.’ 17 And now, Lord, the God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.

18 “But will God really dwell(DW) on earth with humans? The heavens,(DX) even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes(DY) be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name(DZ) there. May you hear(EA) the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.(EB)

22 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath(EC) and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning(ED) the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.

24 “When your people Israel have been defeated(EE) by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.

26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(EF) because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 27 then hear from heaven and forgive(EG) the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

28 “When famine(EH) or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 29 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— 30 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive,(EI) and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart),(EJ) 31 so that they will fear you(EK) and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.

32 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come(EL) from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand(EM) and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner(EN) asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

34 “When your people go to war against their enemies,(EO) wherever you send them, and when they pray(EP) to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin(EQ)—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive(ER) to a land far away or near; 37 and if they have a change of heart(ES) in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive(ET) your people, who have sinned against you.

40 “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive(EU) to the prayers offered in this place.

41 “Now arise,(EV) Lord God, and come to your resting place,(EW)
    you and the ark of your might.
May your priests,(EX) Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
    may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.(EY)
42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one.(EZ)
    Remember the great love(FA) promised to David your servant.”

The Dedication of the Temple(FB)

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire(FC) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled(FD) the temple.(FE) 2 The priests could not enter(FF) the temple of the Lord because the glory(FG) of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(FH)

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites(FI) with the Lord’s musical instruments,(FJ) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

7 Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat(FK) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

8 So Solomon observed the festival(FL) at that time for seven days, and all Israel(FM) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(FN) to the Wadi of Egypt.(FO) 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated(FP) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival(FQ) for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(FR)

11 When Solomon had finished(FS) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared(FT) to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(FU) this place for myself(FV) as a temple for sacrifices.

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(FW) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(FX) will humble(FY) themselves and pray and seek my face(FZ) and turn(GA) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(GB) from heaven, and I will forgive(GC) their sin and will heal(GD) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(GE) 16 I have chosen(GF) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(GG) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(GH) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(GI) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(GJ) to rule over Israel.’(GK)

19 “But if you[ae] turn away(GL) and forsake(GM) the decrees and commands I have given you[af] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(GN) Israel from my land,(GO) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(GP) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[ag] who pass by will be appalled(GQ) and say,(GR) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(GS)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 1:14 Or charioteers
  2. 2 Chronicles 1:16 Probably Cilicia
  3. 2 Chronicles 1:17 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms
  4. 2 Chronicles 1:17 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:18, and 2:2-18 is numbered 2:1-17.
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verses 11 and 12
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:8 Probably a variant of almug
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,200 metric tons of wheat
  9. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,000 tons or about 2,700 metric tons of barley
  10. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
  11. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah
  12. 2 Chronicles 3:3 That is, about 90 feet long and 30 feet wide or about 27 meters long and 9 meters wide
  13. 2 Chronicles 3:4 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 8, 11 and 13
  14. 2 Chronicles 3:4 Some Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew and a hundred and twenty
  15. 2 Chronicles 3:8 That is, about 23 tons or about 21 metric tons
  16. 2 Chronicles 3:9 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  17. 2 Chronicles 3:11 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 15
  18. 2 Chronicles 3:13 Or facing inward
  19. 2 Chronicles 3:15 That is, about 53 feet or about 16 meters
  20. 2 Chronicles 3:16 Or possibly made chains in the inner sanctuary; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  21. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  22. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  23. 2 Chronicles 4:1 That is, about 30 feet long and wide and 15 feet high or about 9 meters long and wide and 4.5 meters high
  24. 2 Chronicles 4:2 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
  25. 2 Chronicles 4:2 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  26. 2 Chronicles 4:3 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  27. 2 Chronicles 4:5 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  28. 2 Chronicles 4:5 That is, about 18,000 gallons or about 66,000 liters
  29. 2 Chronicles 4:17 Hebrew Zeredatha, a variant of Zarethan
  30. 2 Chronicles 6:13 That is, about 7 1/2 feet long and wide and 4 1/2 feet high or about 2.3 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  31. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  32. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  33. 2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all
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