[1] Now when Solomon's prayers were ended, fire came down from heaven,
burning up all the offerings; and the house was full of the glory of the
Lord. [2] And the priests were not able to go into the house of the Lord,
for the Lord's house was full of the glory of the Lord. [3] And all the
children of Israel were looking on when the fire came down, and the glory
of the Lord was on the house; and they went down on their knees, with their
faces to the earth, worshipping and praising the Lord, and saying, He is
good; for his mercy is unchanging for ever. [4] Then the king and all the
people made offerings before the Lord. [5] King Solomon made an offering of
twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the
king and all the people kept the feast of the opening of the house of God.
[6] And the priests were in their places, and the Levites with their
instruments of music for the Lord's song, which David the king had made for
the praise of the Lord whose mercy is unchanging for ever, when David gave
praise by their hand; and the priests were sounding horns before them; and
all Israel were on their feet. [7] Then Solomon made holy the middle of the
open square in front of the house of the Lord, offering the burned
offerings there, and the fat of the peace-offerings; for there was not room
on the brass altar which Solomon had made for all the burned offerings and
the meal offerings and the fat. [8] So Solomon kept the feast at that time
for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great meeting, for the
people had come together from the way into Hamath and from as far as the
river of Egypt. [9] And on the eighth day they had a holy meeting; the
offerings for making the altar holy went on for seven days, and the feast
for seven days. [10] And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he
sent the people away to their tents, full of joy and glad in their hearts,
because of all the good which the Lord had done to David and to Solomon and
to Israel his people. [11] So Solomon came to the end of building the house
of the Lord and the king's house; and everything which it was in his mind
to make in the house of the Lord and for himself had been well done. [12]
Now the Lord came to Solomon in a vision by night, and said to him, I have
given ear to your prayer, and have taken this place for myself as a house
where offerings are to be made. [13] If, at my word, heaven is shut up, so
that there is no rain, or if I send locusts on the land for its
destruction, or if I send disease on my people; [14] If my people, on whom
my name is named, make themselves low and come to me in prayer, searching
for me and turning from their evil ways; then I will give ear from heaven,
overlooking their sin, and will give life again to their land. [15] Now my
eyes will be open and my ears awake to the prayers made in this place. [16]
For I have taken this house for myself and made it holy, so that my name
may be there for ever; and my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.
[17] And as for you, if you will go on your way before me as David your
father did, doing whatever I have given you orders to do and keeping my
laws and my decisions: [18] Then I will make strong the seat of your
kingdom, as I gave my word to David your father, saying, You will never be
without a man to be ruler in Israel. [19] But if you are turned away from
me, and do not keep my orders and my laws which I have put before you, but
go and make yourselves servants to other gods, giving them worship: [20]
Then I will have this people uprooted out of my land which I have given
them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, I will put away
from before my eyes, and make it an example and a word of shame among all
peoples. [21] And this house will become a mass of broken walls, and
everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder, and will say, Why has
the Lord done so to this land and to this house? [22] And their answer will
be, Because they were turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers,
who took them out of the land of Egypt, and took for themselves other gods
and gave them worship and became their servants: that is why he has sent
all this evil on them.
