¶ Then Solomon¹ assembled² the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers³ of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring⁴ up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city⁵ of David, which is Zion.

And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast⁶ in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up⁷ the ark.

And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the⁸ tabernacle⁹ of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep¹⁰ and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

And the priests¹¹ brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place¹², into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings¹³ of the cherubims.

For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

And they drew out the staves¹⁴, that the ends¹⁵ of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day¹⁶.

There was nothing¹⁷ in the ark¹⁸ save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb¹⁹, when²⁰ the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

¶ And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory²² of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

¶ Then spake Solomon, The LORD²³ said that he would dwell in the thick²⁴ darkness.

I have surely built²⁵ thee an house to dwell in, a settled²⁶ place for thee to abide in for ever.

And the king turned his face about, and blessed all²⁷ the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation²⁸ of Israel stood;)

And he said, Blessed²⁹ be the LORD God of Israel, which spake³⁰ with his mouth unto David my father, and hath³¹ with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

Since³² the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose³³ no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name³⁴ might be therein; but I chose David³⁵ to be over my people Israel.

³⁶And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas³⁷ it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.

³⁸Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

¶ And the LORD hath performed³⁹ his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD⁴⁰ promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

And I have⁴¹ set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant⁴² of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

¶ And Solomon stood before the altar⁴³ of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth⁴⁴ his hands toward heaven:

And he said, LORD God⁴⁶ of Israel, there is no God⁴⁷ like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest⁴⁸ covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before⁴⁹ thee with all their heart:

Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest⁵⁰ also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy⁵¹ servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not⁵² fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that⁵³ thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

And now,⁵⁴ O God of Israel, let thy word⁵⁵, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.

But will⁵⁶ God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven⁵⁷ and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

Yet have thou⁵⁸ respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken⁵⁹ unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:

That thine⁶⁰ eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name⁶¹ shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place⁶².

¶ And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall⁶³ pray toward this place⁶⁴: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive⁶⁵.

If any man⁶⁶ trespass⁶⁷ against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him⁶⁸ to cause him to swear, and the oath⁶⁹ come before thine altar in this house:

Then hear thou⁷⁰ in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning⁷¹ the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying⁷² the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

When thy people Israel be smitten down⁷³ before the enemy, because they have⁷⁴ sinned against thee, and shall turn again⁷⁵ to thee, and confess thy name, and pray⁷⁶, and make supplication unto thee in⁷⁷ this house:

Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin⁷⁸ of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest⁷⁹ unto their fathers.

When heaven⁸⁰ is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray⁸¹ toward this place, and confess⁸² thy name, and turn⁸³ from their sin, when thou afflictest them:

Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach⁸⁴ them the good way⁸⁵ wherein they should walk, and give rain⁸⁶ upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

If there be in the land famine⁸⁷, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities⁸⁸; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;

What prayer⁸⁹ and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague⁹⁰ of his own heart, and spread forth⁹¹ his hands toward this house:

Then hear⁹² thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man⁹³ according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou,⁹⁴ even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

¶ That they may fear thee⁹⁵ all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

Moreover concerning a stranger⁹⁶, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out⁹⁷ of a far country for thy name's sake;

(For they shall⁹⁸ hear of thy great name⁹⁹, and of thy strong hand¹⁰⁰, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall¹⁰¹ come and pray toward this house;

Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee,¹⁰³ as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house¹⁰⁴, which I have builded, is called by thy name.

If thy people go out to battle¹⁰⁵ against their enemy, whithersoever¹⁰⁶ thou shalt send them, and shall pray¹⁰⁷ unto the LORD toward the city¹⁰⁸ which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:

Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause¹⁰⁹.

If they sin¹¹⁰ against thee, (for there is no man¹¹¹ that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land¹¹² of the enemy, far or near;

Yet if they¹¹³ shall bethink themselves¹¹⁴ in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely¹¹⁵, we have committed wickedness;

And so return¹¹⁶ unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto¹¹⁷ thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city¹¹⁸ which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

Then hear¹¹⁹ thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause¹²⁰,

¶ And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them¹²¹ compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

For they be thy people¹²², and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace¹²³ of iron:

That thine¹²⁴ eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that¹²⁵ they call for unto thee.

For thou didst separate¹²⁶ them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance¹²⁷, as thou¹²⁸ spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.

¶ And it was so, that when Solomon¹²⁹ had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling¹³⁰ on his knees with his hands¹³¹ spread up to heaven.

And he stood, and blessed¹³² all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

Blessed be¹³³ the LORD, that hath given rest¹³⁴ unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there¹³⁵ hath not failed¹³⁶ one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

¹³⁷The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:

That he may incline¹³⁸ our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments¹³⁹, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

And let these my words¹⁴⁰, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh¹⁴¹ unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times¹⁴², as the matter¹⁴³ shall require:

¶ That all¹⁴⁴ the people of the earth may know that the LORD¹⁴⁵ is God, and that there is none else.

Let your heart therefore be perfect¹⁴⁶ with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

¶¹⁴⁷And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.

And Solomon offered a sacrifice¹⁴⁸ of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty¹⁴⁹ thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated¹⁵⁰ the house of the LORD.

The same day did the king hallow¹⁵¹ the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen¹⁵² altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

And at that time Solomon held¹⁵³ a feast, and all Israel with him, a great¹⁵⁴ congregation, from the entering¹⁵⁵ in of Hamath unto the river¹⁵⁶ of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days¹⁵⁷ and seven days, even fourteen days.

On the eighth day¹⁵⁸ he sent the people away: and they blessed¹⁵⁹ the king, and went unto their tents joyful¹⁶⁰ and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.