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7
Solomon Offers Sacrifices
(1 Kings 8:62–66)
1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices, and the Lord’s glory filled the temple. 2 The priests couldn’t go into the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s glory had filled the Lord’s temple. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s glory on the temple, they knelt down with their faces on the pavement. They worshiped and praised the Lord, ⌞by saying,⌟ “He is good; his mercy endures forever.”
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as sacrifices to the Lord. So the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple.
6 The priests were standing at their posts. So were the Levites who had the Lord’s musical instruments which King David made for praising the Lord with “his mercy endures forever” and which he used to offer praise. The priests were opposite the Levites blowing trumpets while all Israel was standing ⌞there⌟.
7 Solomon designated the courtyard in front of the Lord’s temple as a holy place. He sacrificed the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat because the bronze altar that he had made and that was in front of the Lord was not able to hold all of them.
8 At that time Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival ⌞of Booths⌟. A very large crowd had come from ⌞the territory between⌟ the border of Hamath and the River of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day there was an assembly. They had observed the dedication of the altar for seven days and celebrated the festival for ⌞another⌟ seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon dismissed the people to their tents. They rejoiced with cheerful hearts for all the blessings the Lord had given David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
The LORD Answers Solomon’s Prayer
(1 Kings 9:1–9)
11 Solomon finished the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and completed everything he had in mind for the Lord’s temple and his own palace. 12 Then the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to Solomon,
“I have heard your prayer
and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 I may shut the sky so that there is no rain,
or command grasshoppers to devour the countryside,
or send an epidemic among my people.
14 However, if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves,
pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways,
then I will hear ⌞their prayer⌟ from heaven, forgive their sins,
and heal their country.
15 My eyes will be open,
and my ears will pay attention to those prayers at this place.
16 I have chosen and declared this temple holy
so that my name may be placed there forever.
My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17 “If you will be faithful to me as your father David was,
do everything I command,
and obey my laws and rules,
18 then I will establish your royal dynasty
as I said in a promise to your father David,
‘You will never fail to have an heir ruling Israel.’
19 But if you and your descendants turn away from me
and abandon my commands and laws that I gave you,
and follow and serve other gods and worship them,
20 then I will uproot Israel from the land I gave them.
I will reject this temple that I declared holy for my name.
I will make it an example
and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world.
21 Everyone passing by this impressive temple will be appalled.
They will ask,
‘Why did the Lord do these things to this land and this temple?’
22 They will answer ⌞themselves⌟,
‘They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors,
who brought them out of Egypt.
They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them.
That is why he brought this disaster on them.’ ”

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