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2 Chronicles 7-8
New American Standard Bible

The Shekinah Glory

7 (A)Now when Solomon had finished praying, (B)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2 (C)And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “(D)Certainly He is good, certainly His faithfulness is everlasting.”

Sacrifices Offered

4 (E)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts, and (F)the Levites also, with the musical instruments for the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His faithfulness is everlasting”—whenever David gave praise through their [a]ministry; (G)the priests on the other side blew trumpets and all Israel was standing.

7 (H)Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was before the house of the Lord, for he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat.

The Feast of Dedication

8 So (I)Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly that came from the entrance of Hamath to the (J)brook of Egypt. 9 And on the eighth day they held (K)a solemn assembly, because they held the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the feast for seven days. 10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and happy in heart because of the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, to Solomon, and to His people Israel.

God’s Promise and Warning

11 (L)So Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and successfully completed everything that [b]he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and in his palace.

12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and (M)have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 (N)If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, 14 (O)and My people [c]who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 (P)Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the [d]prayer offered in this place. 16 For (Q)now I have chosen and consecrated this house so that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there [e]always. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, to do according to everything that I have commanded you, and keep My statutes and My ordinances, 18 then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘[f](R)You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’

19 “(S)But if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 (T)then I will uproot [g]you from My land which I have given [h]you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight; and I will make it (U)a proverb and an object of scorn among all peoples. 21 As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘(V)Why has the Lord done these things to this land and to this house?’ 22 And they will say, ‘Because (W)they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods, and worshiped and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Solomon’s Activities and Accomplishments

8 (X)Now it came about at the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 that he built the cities which Huram had given [i]him, and settled the sons of Israel there.

3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities which he had built in Hamath. 5 He also built upper (Y)Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, which were (Z)fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; 6 and Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for [j]his chariots and cities for [k]his horsemen, and everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the land [l]under his rule.

7 (AA)All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 that is, from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, (AB)Solomon raised them as forced laborers to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves from the sons of Israel for his work; for they were men of war, his chief captains and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. 10 These were the chief [m]officers of King Solomon, 250 who ruled over the people.

11 (AC)Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because [n]the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on (AD)the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the porch; 13 and (AE)he did so according to the daily rule, offering them up (AF)according to the commandment of Moses, for (AG)the Sabbaths, (AH)the new moons, and the (AI)three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.

14 Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed (AJ)the divisions of the priests for their service, and (AK)the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and (AL)the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for this is what (AM)David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 And they did not deviate from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any matter or regarding the storehouses.

16 So all the work of Solomon was carried out [o]from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to (AN)Ezion-geber and to (AO)Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. 18 And by his servants Huram sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and (AP)took from there [p]450 talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:6 Lit hand
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:11 Lit came upon the heart of Solomon to do
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Lit over whom My name is called
  4. 2 Chronicles 7:15 Lit prayer of this place
  5. 2 Chronicles 7:16 Lit all the days
  6. 2 Chronicles 7:18 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
  7. 2 Chronicles 7:20 As in ancient versions; MT them
  8. 2 Chronicles 7:20 As in some ancient versions; MT them
  9. 2 Chronicles 8:2 Lit Solomon
  10. 2 Chronicles 8:6 Lit the
  11. 2 Chronicles 8:6 Lit the
  12. 2 Chronicles 8:6 Lit of
  13. 2 Chronicles 8:10 Or deputies
  14. 2 Chronicles 8:11 Lit they are
  15. 2 Chronicles 8:16 As in ancient versions; MT as far as
  16. 2 Chronicles 8:18 About 17 tons or 15 metric tons
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2 Chronicles 7-8
New International Version

The Dedication of the Temple(A)

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire(B) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled(C) the temple.(D) 2 The priests could not enter(E) the temple of the Lord because the glory(F) of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(G)

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites(H) with the Lord’s musical instruments,(I) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

7 Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat(J) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

8 So Solomon observed the festival(K) at that time for seven days, and all Israel(L) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(M) to the Wadi of Egypt.(N) 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated(O) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival(P) for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(Q)

11 When Solomon had finished(R) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared(S) to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(T) this place for myself(U) as a temple for sacrifices.

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(V) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(W) will humble(X) themselves and pray and seek my face(Y) and turn(Z) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(AA) from heaven, and I will forgive(AB) their sin and will heal(AC) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(AD) 16 I have chosen(AE) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(AF) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(AG) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(AH) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(AI) to rule over Israel.’(AJ)

19 “But if you[a] turn away(AK) and forsake(AL) the decrees and commands I have given you[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(AM) Israel from my land,(AN) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(AO) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[c] who pass by will be appalled(AP) and say,(AQ) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(AR)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Solomon’s Other Activities(AS)

8 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace,(AT) 2 Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram[d] had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3 Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.(AU) 5 He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon(AV) and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6 as well as Baalath(AW) and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses[e]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

7 There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites(AX) (these people were not Israelites). 8 Solomon conscripted(AY) the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10 They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.

11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter(AZ) up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

12 On the altar(BA) of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, 13 according to the daily requirement(BB) for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths,(BC) the New Moons(BD) and the three(BE) annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(BF) the Festival of Weeks(BG) and the Festival of Tabernacles.(BH) 14 In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions(BI) of the priests for their duties, and the Levites(BJ) to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers(BK) by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God(BL) had ordered.(BM) 15 They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

16 All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents[f] of gold,(BN) which they delivered to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all
  4. 2 Chronicles 8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18
  5. 2 Chronicles 8:6 Or charioteers
  6. 2 Chronicles 8:18 That is, about 17 tons or about 15 metric tons
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