1 Kings 8:12-50

Legacy Standard Bible

Solomon Blesses the People

^12 (A)Then Solomon said,

¹⁴ Then the king turned his face around and ^(E)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ¹⁵ And he said, “^(F)Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^(G)who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it by His hand, saying, ¹⁶ ‘^(H)Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that ^(I)My name might be there, but ^(J)I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ ^17 (K)And it was ^[a]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁸ But Yahweh said to my father David, ‘Because it was ^[b]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was ^[c]in your heart. ^19 (L)Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will ^(M)come forth from your loins, he shall build the house for My name.’ ²⁰ And Yahweh has established His word which He spoke; and ^(N)I have been established in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh ^[d]promised, and have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ²¹ And there I have set a place for the ark, ^(O)in which is the covenant of Yahweh, which He cut with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Israel

²² Then ^(P)Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and ^(Q)spread out his hands toward heaven. ²³ And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^(R)there is no god like You in heaven above or upon earth beneath, ^(S)keeping covenant and lovingkindness to Your slaves who walk before You with all their heart, ²⁴ who have kept with Your ^[e]servant, my father David, that which You have ^[f]promised him; indeed, You have ^[g]promised with Your mouth and have fulfilled it by Your hand as it is this day. ²⁵ So now, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with Your ^[h]servant David my father that which You have ^[i]promised him, saying, ‘^(T)You shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons keep their way to walk as you have walked before Me.’ ²⁶ So now, O God of Israel, let Your word truly ^[j]endure ^(U)which You have spoken to Your ^[k]servant, my father David.

²⁷ “But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, ^(V)heaven and the ^[l]highest heaven cannot ^[m]contain You; how much less this house which I have built! ²⁸ Yet have regard to the ^(W)prayer of Your slave and to his supplication, O Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your slave prays before You today; ^29 (X)that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward ^(Y)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your slave shall pray toward this place. ^30 (Z)And listen to the supplication of Your slave and of Your people Israel, ^(AA)when they pray toward this place; listen in heaven Your dwelling place; listen and ^(AB)forgive.

³¹ “^(AC)If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, ³² then listen in heaven and act and judge Your slaves, ^(AD)condemning the wicked by ^[n]bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by ^[o]bringing him reward according to his righteousness.

³³ “^(AE)When Your people Israel are ^[p]defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, ^(AF)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, ³⁴ then listen in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

³⁵ “^(AG)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, ³⁶ then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of Your slaves and of Your people Israel; ^(AH)indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And ^(AI)give rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

³⁷ “^(AJ)If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is scorching wind or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their ^[q]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, ³⁸ whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each of whom knows the ^[r]affliction of his own heart, and spreads his ^[s]hands toward this house; ³⁹ then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, ^(AK)whose heart You know, for ^(AL)You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, ⁴⁰ that they may ^[t]fear You all the days that they live upon the face of the land which You have given to our fathers.

⁴¹ “Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, if he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake ⁴² (for they will hear of Your great name ^(AM)and Your strong hand, and of Your outstretched arm); so if he comes and prays toward this house, ⁴³ listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order ^(AN)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name to ^[u]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and to know that Your name is called upon this house which I have built.

⁴⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against ^[v]their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and ^(AO)they pray to Yahweh ^[w]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, ⁴⁵ then listen in heaven to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice.

⁴⁶ “When they sin against You (for ^(AP)there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that ^[x]they take them away captive ^(AQ)to the land of the enemy, far off or near; ^47 (AR)and if they cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and ^[y]return and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘^(AS)We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; ^48 (AT)and if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and ^(AU)pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; ⁴⁹ then listen in heaven Your dwelling place to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them, ⁵⁰ and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and ^(AV)give them over as objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them