1 Kings 8:22-61
Solomon’s Prayer for Israel
22Then aSolomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and bspread out his hands toward heaven. 23And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, athere is no god like You in heaven above or upon earth beneath, bkeeping covenant and lovingkindness to Your slaves who walk before You with all their heart, 24who have kept with Your 1servant, my father David, that which You have 2promised him; indeed, You have 3promised 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 1servant David my father that which You have 2promised him, saying, ‘aYou 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 1endure awhich You have spoken to Your 2servant, my father David.
27“But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, aheaven and the 1highest heaven cannot 2contain You; how much less this house which I have built! 28“Yet have regard to the aprayer 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; 29athat Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward bthe 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“aAnd listen to the supplication of Your slave and of Your people Israel, bwhen they pray toward this place; listen in heaven Your dwelling place; listen and cforgive.
31“aIf 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, 32then listen in heaven and act and judge Your slaves, acondemning the wicked by 1bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by 2bringing him reward according to his righteousness.
33“aWhen Your people Israel are 1defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, bif they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34then 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“aWhen 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, 36then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of Your slaves and of Your people Israel; aindeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And bgive rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.
37“aIf 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 1cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each of whom knows the 1affliction of his own heart, and spreads his 2hands toward this house; 39then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, awhose heart You know, for bYou alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40that they may 1fear 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 aand Your strong hand, and of Your outstretched arm); so if he comes and prays toward this house, 43listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order athat all the peoples of the earth may know Your name to 1fear 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 1their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and athey pray to Yahweh 2toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45then listen in heaven to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice.
46“When they sin against You (for athere is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that 1they take them away captive bto the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47aand if they cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and 1return and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘bWe have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48aand 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 bpray 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; 49then listen in heaven Your dwelling place to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and agive them over as objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(afor they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, bfrom the midst of the iron furnace), 52athat 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, aas You spoke by the hand of Moses Your 1servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord Yahweh.”
Solomon Blesses Yahweh
54aNow it happened that when Solomon had 1finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to Yahweh, bhe arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his 2hands spread toward heaven. 55And he stood and ablessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
56“Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to His people Israel, aaccording to all that He 1promised; bnot one promise has 2failed of all His good 3promises, which He 4promised by the hand of Moses His 5servant. 57“May Yahweh our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; amay He not forsake us or abandon us, 58that aHe 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, 1as each day requires, 60so athat all the peoples of the earth may know that bYahweh is God; there is no one else. 61“aLet your heart therefore be 1wholly devoted to Yahweh our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”