Chapter 7
1 Now when Solomon had finished praying , fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices ; and Yahweh ’s glory filled the house .
2 The priests could not enter into Yahweh ’s house , because Yahweh ’s glory filled Yahweh ’s house .
3 All the children of Israel looked on , when the fire came down , and Yahweh ’s glory was on the house . They bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement , worshiped , and gave thanks to Yahweh , saying, " For he is good , for his loving kindness endures forever !"
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before Yahweh .
5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred twenty thousand sheep . So the king and all the people dedicated God’s house .
6 The priests stood , according to their positions; the Levites also with instruments of music of Yahweh , which David the king had made to give thanks to Yahweh , when David praised by their ministry , saying " For his loving kindness endures forever ." The priests sounded trumpets before them ; and all Israel stood .
7 Moreover Solomon made the middle of the court that was before Yahweh ’s house holy ; for there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings , because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offering , the meal offering , and the fat .
8 So Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days , and all Israel with him , a very great assembly , from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt .
9 On the eighth day , they held a solemn assembly ; for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days , and the feast seven days .
10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month , he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David , to Solomon , and to Israel his people .
11 Thus Solomon finished Yahweh ’s house and the king ’s house ; and he successfully completed all that came into Solomon ’s heart to make in Yahweh ’s house and in his own house .
12 Then Yahweh appeared to Solomon by night , and said to him , " I have heard your prayer , and have chosen this place for myself for a house of sacrifice .
13 " If I shut up the sky so that there is no rain , or if I command the locust to devour the land , or if I send pestilence among my people ,
14 if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves , pray , seek my face , and turn from their wicked ways , then I will hear from heaven , will forgive their sin , and will heal their land .
15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to prayer that is made in this place .
16 For now I have chosen and made this house holy , that my name may be there forever ; and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually .
17 " As for you , if you will walk before me as David your father walked , and do according to all that I have commanded you , and will keep my statutes and my ordinances ,
18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom , according as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘ There shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel .’
19 But if you turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you , and go and serve other gods and worship them ,
20 then I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them ; and this house , which I have made holy for my name , I will cast out of my sight , and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples .
21 This house , which is so high , everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘ Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house ?’
22 They shall answer, ‘ Because they abandoned Yahweh , the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt , and took other gods, worshiped them , and served them . Therefore he has brought all this evil on them .’"