1 Kings 8
1 Then, did Solomon call together the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, chiefs of the fathers of the sons of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, —that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, out of the city of David, the same is Zion.
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of the people of Israel, before himself in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion.
2 So all the men of Israel came together unto King Solomon, in the month of steady flowings, at the festival, —the same is the seventh month.
All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the feast, in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3 And all the elders of Israel came in, —and the priests took up the ark;
All the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
4 and they brought up the ark of Yahweh, and the Tent of Meeting, and all the hallowed vessels that were in the tent, —yea, the priests and the Levites, did bring them up.
They brought up the ark of Yahweh, the tent of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought these things up.
5 And, King Solomon, and all the assembly of Israel who had assembled themselves unto him, were with him, before the ark, —sacrificing sheep and oxen, which could neither be recorded nor counted, for multitude.
King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel came together before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted.
6 So the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh into its place, into the shrine of the house, into the holy of holies, —under the wings of the cherubim.
The priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner room of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim.
7 For, the cherubim, were spreading forth their two wings, over the place of the ark, —and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and over the staves thereof, above.
For the cherubim spread out their wings to the place of the ark, and they covered the ark and the poles by which it was carried.
8 And they drew out the staves, and the heads of the staves were seen from the holy place, in front of the shrine, although they were not seen on the outside, —and they have remained there until this day.
The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner room, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day.
9 There was nothing in the ark, save the two tables of stone, which Moses deposited there in Horeb, —the tables of the covenant which Yahweh solemnised with the sons of Israel, when they came forth out of the land of Egypt.
There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 And so it was, when the priests came forth out of the holy place, that, a cloud, filled the house of Yahweh;
It came about that when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of Yahweh.
11 so that the priests could not stand to minister, because of the cloud, —for, the glory of Yahweh, filled, the house of Yahweh.
The priests could not stand to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled his house.
12 Then, said Solomon, —Yahweh, said, that he would make his habitation in thick gloom:
Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would live in thick darkness,
13 I have, built, a house as a high abode for thee, —A settled place for thee to abide in, for ages.
But I have built you a lofty residence, a place for you to live in forever.”
14 And the king turned about his face, and blessed all the convocation of Israel, —while all the convocation of Israel was standing;
Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.
15 and he said—Blessed, be Yahweh, God of Israel, who spake with his mouth, unto David my father, —that which with his hand he hath fulfilled, saying: —
He said, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised, who spoke to David my father, and has fulfilled it with his own hands, saying,
16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel, out of Egypt, I had chosen no city, out of all the tribes of Israel, for building a house, where my Name might be, —but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my Name should be there, and I have chosen David, to be over my people Israel:
'Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, in order for my name to be there. However, I chose David to rule over my people Israel.'
17 And so it came to pass, that it was near the heart of David my father, —to build a house for the Name of Yahweh, God of Israel.
Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
18 Then said Yahweh unto David my father, Because it was near thy heart to build a house for my Name, thou didst well that it was near thy heart;
But Yahweh said to David my father, 'In that it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well for it to be in your heart.
19 Only, thou thyself, must not build the house, —but, thine own son who hath proceeded out of thy loins, he, shall build the house, for my Name.
Nevertheless you will not build the house; instead, your son, one who will be born from your loins, will build the house for my name.'
20 So then Yahweh hath established his word which he spake, —and I have been raised up in the room of David my father, and have taken my seat upon the throne of Israel, as spake Yahweh, and have built the house for the Name of Yahweh, God of Israel;
Yahweh has carried out the word that he had said, for I have arisen in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
21 and have appointed there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Yahweh, —which he solemnised with our fathers, when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt.
I have made a place for the ark there, in which is Yahweh's covenant, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
22 And Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh, in the presence of all the convocation of Israel, —and spread forth his hands towards the heavens;
Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh, before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the heavens.
23 and said—O Yahweh, God of Israel! Not like thee, is there a God, in the heavens above, or upon the earth beneath, —keeping Covenant and Lovingkindness for thy servants who are walking before thee, with all their heart;
He said, “Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth below, who keeps his covenant faithfulness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart;
24 who hast kept for thy servant David my father, that which thou didst promise him, —in that thou didst promise with thy mouth, and, with thy hand, hast fulfilled, as it is this day.
you who have kept with your servant David my father, what you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today.
25 Now, therefore, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep thou for thy servant David my father, that which thou didst promise him, saying, There shall not be cut off to thee a man from before me, to sit upon the throne of Israel, —if only, thy sons take heed to their way, by walking before me, as thou hast walked before me.
Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, carry out what you have promised to your servant David my father, when you said, 'You will not fail to have a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful to walk before me, as you have walked before me.'
26 Now, therefore, O God of Israel, —verified be thy word, I pray thee, which thou didst speak to thy servant, David my father.
Now then, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.
27 But, in very deed, will God dwell, upon the earth? Lo! the heaven, yea the heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built?
But will God actually live on the earth? Look, the entire universe and heaven itself cannot contain you—how much less can this temple that I have built!
28 Yet wilt thou turn unto the prayer of thy servant, and unto his supplication, O Yahweh my God, —to hearken unto the cry, and unto the prayer, wherewith thy servant doth pray before thee to-day;
Yet please respect this prayer of your servant and his request, Yahweh my God; listen to the cry and prayer that your servant prays before you today.
29 that thine eye may be opened toward this house, night and day, toward the place of which thou hast said, My Name shall be, there; hearkening unto the prayer which thy servant shall offer toward this place.
May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, to the place about which you have said, 'My name and my presence will be there'—in order to listen to the prayers that your servant will pray toward this place.
30 Wilt, thou, therefore, hearken unto the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, whensoever they shall pray toward this place, —yea wilt, thou thyself, hear, in thine own dwelling-place, in the heavens, and, when thou hearest, then wilt thou forgive?
So listen to the request of your servant and of your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and when you listen, forgive.
31 When a man shall sin against his neighbour, and there shall be taken up against him an oath, to put him on oath, —and he shall come in and swear before thine altar, in this house,
If a man sins against his neighbor and is required to swear an oath, and if he comes and swears an oath before your altar in this house,
32 then wilt, thou thyself, hear in the heavens, and act, and judge thy servants, condemning the lawless, by setting his way upon his own head, —and justifying the righteous, by giving to him, according to his righteousness?
listen from the heavens and act. Judge your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing what he has done upon his own head. Declare the innocent not guilty and give to him according to his righteousness.
33 When thy people Israel are smitten before an enemy, because they have been sinning against thee, —and they turn again unto thee, and confess thy Name, and pray and make supplication unto thee, in this house,
When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, if they turn back to you, confess your name, pray, and request forgiveness from you in this temple—
34 then wilt, thou thyself, hear in the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them back unto the soil, which thou gavest unto their fathers?
then please listen in the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel; bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.
35 When the heavens are shut up, and there is no rain, because they have been sinning against thee, —and they shall pray toward this place, and confess thy Name, and, from their sin, shall return, because thou hast been afflicting them,
When the skies are shut up and there is no rain because the people have sinned against you—if they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin when you have afflicted them—
36 then wilt, thou thyself, hear in the heavens and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou mayest teach them the good way, wherein they should walk, —and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people, for an inheritance?
then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk. Send rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.
37 When there shall be, famine, in the land, when there shall be, pestilence, when there shall be, blasting, mildew locust, caterpillar, when their enemy shall besiege them in one of their own gates, —whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness;
Suppose there is famine in the land, or suppose that there is disease, blight or mildew, locusts or caterpillars; or suppose that an enemy attacks the city gates in their land, or that there is any plague or sickness—
38 any prayer, any supplication which, any son of earth, may have, of all thy people Israel, —who will certainly know every man the plague of his own heart, and so he shall spread abroad his hands towards this house,
and suppose then that prayers and requests are made by a person or by all your people Israel—each knowing the plague in his own heart as he spreads out his hands toward this temple.
39 then wilt, thou thyself, hear in the heavens, in the settled place of thine abode, and forgive and act, and give unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou wilt know, —for, thou thyself alone, knowest the heart of all the sons of men;
Then listen from heaven, the place where you live, forgive and act, and reward every person for all he does; you know his heart, because you and you only know the hearts of all human beings.
40 to the end they may revere thee, all the days which they do live, upon the face of the soil, —which thou gavest unto our fathers?
Do this so that they may fear you all the days that they live on the land that you gave to our ancestors.
41 Moreover also, unto the stranger, who is, not of thy people Israel, —but hath come in out of a far country, for the sake of thy Name, —
In addition, concerning the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel: When he comes from a distant country because of your name—
42 (for they will certainly hear of thy great Name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched-out arm, —and so will come in and pray towards this house),
for they will hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your raised arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,
43 wilt, thou thyself, hear in the heavens, the settled place of thine abode, and act, according to all for which, the stranger, shall cry unto thee, —to the end that all the peoples of the earth may truly know thy Name, so as to revere thee, like thy people Israel, and to know that, thine own Name, hath been given unto this house, which I have built?
then please listen from heaven, the place where you live, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you. Do this so that all the peoples on earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel. Do this so they might know that this house I have built is called by your name.
44 When thy people go forth to war against their enemy, whithersoever thou mayest send them, —and shall pray unto Yahweh, in the direction of the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy Name,
Suppose that your people go out to battle against an enemy, by whatever way you may send them, and suppose that they pray to you, Yahweh, toward the city that you have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for your name.
45 then wilt thou hear, in the heavens, their prayer and their supplication, —and maintain their cause?
Then listen in the heavens to their prayer and their request, and help their cause.
46 When they sin against thee—for there is, no son of earth, that sinneth not, and thou shalt be angry with them, and deliver them up before an enemy, —who shall carry them away as their captives, into the land of the enemy, far or near;
Suppose that they sin against you, since there is no one who does not sin, and suppose that you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that the enemy takes them away captive to their land, whether distant or near.
47 and they come back to their right mind, in the land whither they have been taken captive, —and so turn and make supplication unto thee, in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned and done perversely, we have been lawless;
Then suppose that they realize they are in the land where they have been exiled, and suppose that they repent and seek favor from you from the land of their captors. Suppose that they say, 'We have acted perversely and sinned. We have behaved wickedly.'
48 and so they turn unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, who have carried them away captive, —and pray unto thee in the direction of their own land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy Name,
Suppose that they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who captured them, and suppose that they pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, and toward the city that you chose, and toward the house that I have built for your name.
49 then wilt thou hearken in the heavens, the settled place of thine abode, unto their prayer, and unto their supplication, —and maintain their cause;
Then from heaven, the place where you live, listen to their prayer and their request for help, and you will make matters right for them.
50 and grant forgiveness to thy people, who have sinned against thee, even as to all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, —and grant them compassion before their captors, so that they may have compassion upon them;
Forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and make them objects of compassion before their conquerors, and cause their conquerors to have compassion on them.
51 because, thy people and thine inheritance, they are, —whom thou didst bring forth out of Egypt, out of the midst of the smelting-pot of iron;
They are your people whom you have chosen, whom you rescued out of Egypt as if from the middle of a furnace where iron is forged.
52 that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, —to hearken unto them, in all their crying unto thee;
May your eyes be open to the request of your servant and to the requests of your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they cry to you.
53 because, thou thyself, didst separate them unto thee, for an inheritance, out of all the peoples of the earth, —as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest forth our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Yahweh.
For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to belong to you and receive your promises, just as you explained by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord Yahweh.”
54 And it came to pass, when Solomon had made an end of praying unto Yahweh all this prayer and supplication, that he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands outspread to the heavens;
So it was that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and request to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward the heavens.
55 and stood and blessed all the convocation of Israel, —with a loud voice, saying:
He stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying,
56 Blessed, be Yahweh, who 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.
“May Yahweh be praised, who has given rest to his people Israel, keeping all his promises. Not one word has failed out of all Yahweh's good promises that he made with Moses his servant.
57 Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our fathers, —let him not leave us, nor forsake us;
May Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or forsake us,
58 but bow our heart unto himself, —to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his regulations, which he commanded our fathers.
that he may incline our hearts to him, to live in all his ways and keep his commandments and his regulations and his statutes, which he commanded our fathers.
59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near unto Yahweh our God, day and night, —that he may maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as any need ariseth:
Let these words I have spoken, by which I have made request before Yahweh, be near Yahweh our God day and night, so that he may help the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as every day will require;
60 To the end that all the peoples of the earth may know, that, Yahweh, is God, —there is none else.
that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh, he is God, and there is no other God!
61 So shall your heart be sound with Yahweh our God, —to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
Therefore let your heart be true to Yahweh our God, to walk in his statutes and keep his commandments, as on this day.”
62 And, the king, and all Israel with him, were offering sacrifice before Yahweh.
So the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices to Yahweh.
63 So Solomon offered as a sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto Yahweh—Oxen, two and twenty thousand, and Sheep, a hundred and twenty thousand, —Thus did, the king and all the sons of Israel, dedicate the house of Yahweh.
Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of Yahweh.
64 On that day, did the king hallow the middle of the court, that was before the house of Yahweh, —for he offered there the ascending-sacrifice, and the meal-offering, and the fat portions of the peace-offerings, because, the altar of bronze that was before Yahweh, was too small to receive the ascending-sacrifice and the meal-offering, and the fat portions of the peace-offerings.
The same day the king set apart the middle of the courtyard in front of the temple of Yahweh, for there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that was before Yahweh was too small to receive the burnt offering, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.
65 And Solomon made, at that time, a festival—and all Israel with him—a great convocation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the ravine of Egypt, before Yahweh our God, seven days, and seven days, —fourteen days.
So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Yahweh our God for seven days and also for another seven days, a total of fourteen days.
66 And on the eighth day, he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, —and departed to their homes, rejoicing and glad of heart, over all the goodness which Yahweh had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes with joyful and glad hearts for all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, his servant, and to Israel, his people.
