1 Kings 8:22 - 8:61 - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 8:22 - 8:61

Solomon’s Prayer for Israel

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 23 And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven above or upon earth beneath, keeping covenant and lovingkindness to Your slaves who walk before You with all their heart, 24 who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have 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 servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘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 endure which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David. 27 “But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the 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 that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward 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 And listen to the supplication of Your slave and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; listen in heaven Your dwelling place; listen and forgive. 31 “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, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by bringing him reward according to his righteousness. 33 “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, 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 “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; indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And give rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. 37 “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 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 affliction of his own heart, and spreads his 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, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40 that they may 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 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 that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name to 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 their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to Yahweh 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 there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47 and if they cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and return and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48 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 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 give them over as objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51 (for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace), 52 that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your slave and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as You spoke by the hand of Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord Yahweh.”

Solomon Blesses Yahweh

54 Now it happened that when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 “Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one promise has failed of all His good promises, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant. 57 May Yahweh our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not forsake us or abandon us, 58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that He may do justice for His slave and justice for His people Israel, as each day requires, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God; there is no one else. 61 Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to Yahweh our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”