May 17
   2 Chronicles 5:1 — 7:10
 

5 Finally all the work that Solomon had to do for the house of Jehovah was at its completion, and Solomon began to bring in the things made holy by David his father; and the silver and the gold and all the utensils he put in the treasures of the house of the [true] God. 2 It was then that Solomon proceeded to congregate the older men of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chieftains of the paternal houses of the sons of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah up from the City of David, that is to say, Zion. 3 So all the men of Israel congregated themselves to the king at the festival, that of the seventh month.

4 So all the older men of Israel came, and the Levites began to carry the Ark. 5 And they came bringing up the Ark and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils that were in the tent. The priests the Levites brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israelites that were keeping their appointment with him before the Ark were sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into its place, into the innermost room of the house, into the Most Holy, to underneath the wings of the cherubs. 8 Thus the cherubs were continually spreading out their wings over the place of the Ark, so that the cherubs covered over the Ark and its poles from above. 9 But the poles were long, so that the tips of the poles were visible at the Holy in front of the innermost room, but they were not visible outside, and they continue there down to this day. 10 There was nothing in the Ark but the two tablets that Moses had given at Horeb, when Jehovah covenanted with the sons of Israel while they were coming out from Egypt.

11 And it came about when the priests came out from the holy place (for all the priests that were to be found had, for their part, sanctified themselves—there was no need to observe the divisions); 12 and the Levites that were singers belonging to all of them, namely, to Asaph, to Heman, to Jeduthun and to their sons and to their brothers clothed in fine fabric with cymbals and with stringed instruments and harps, were standing to the east of the altar and along with them priests to [the number of] a hundred and twenty sounding the trumpets; 13 and it came about that as soon as the trumpeters and the singers were as one in causing one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Jehovah, and as soon as they lifted up the sound with the trumpets and with the cymbals and with the instruments of song and with praising Jehovah, “for he is good, for to time indefinite is his loving-kindness,” the house itself was filled with a cloud, the very house of Jehovah, 14 and the priests were not able to stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of the [true] God.

6 It was then that Solomon said: “Jehovah himself said he was to reside in the thick gloom; 2 and I, for my part, have built a house of lofty abode for you and an established place for you to dwell in to time indefinite.”

3 Then the king turned his face and began to bless all the congregation of Israel, while all the congregation of Israel were standing up. 4 And he went on to say: “Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who spoke with his own mouth with David my father and by his own hands has given fulfillment, saying, 5 ‘From the day that I brought my people out from the land of Egypt I have not chosen a city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name to prove to be there, and I have not chosen a man to become leader over my people Israel. 6 But I shall choose Jerusalem for my name to prove to be there, and I shall choose David to come to be over my people Israel.’ 7 And it came to be close to the heart of David my father to build a house to the name of Jehovah the God of Israel. 8 But Jehovah said to David my father, ‘For the reason that it proved to be close to your heart to build a house to my name, you did well because it proved to be close to your heart. 9 Only you yourself will not build the house, but your son who is coming forth from your loins is the one that will build the house to my name.’ 10 And Jehovah proceeded to carry out his word that he had spoken, that I might rise up in the place of David my father and sit upon the throne of Israel, just as Jehovah had spoken, and that I might build the house to the name of Jehovah the God of Israel, 11 and that I might place there the ark where the covenant of Jehovah is that he concluded with the sons of Israel.”

12 And he began standing before the altar of Jehovah in front of all the congregation of Israel, and he now spread out his palms. 13 (For Solomon had made a platform of copper and then put it in the middle of the enclosure. Its length was five cubits, and its width five cubits, and its height three cubits; and he kept standing upon it.) And he proceeded to kneel upon his knees in front of all the congregation of Israel and to spread his palms out to the heavens. 14 And he went on to say: “O Jehovah the God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens or on the earth, keeping the covenant and the loving-kindness toward your servants who are walking before you with all their heart; 15 you who have kept toward your servant David my father what you promised him, so that you made the promise with your mouth, and with your own hand you have made fulfillment as at this day. 16 And now, O Jehovah the God of Israel, keep toward your servant David my father what you promised him, saying, ‘There will not be cut off a man of yours from before me to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your sons will take care of their way by walking in my law, just as you have walked before me.’ 17 And now, O Jehovah the God of Israel, let your promise that you have promised to your servant David prove trustworthy.

18 “But will God truly dwell with mankind upon the earth? Look! Heaven, yes, the heaven of the heavens themselves, cannot contain you; how much less, then, this house that I have built? 19 And you must turn toward the prayer of your servant and to his request for favor, O Jehovah my God, by listening to the entreating cry and to the prayer with which your servant is praying before you, 20 that your eyes may prove to be opened toward this house day and night, toward the place where you said you would put your name, by listening to the prayer with which your servant prays toward this place. 21 And you must listen to the entreaties of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place, that you yourself may hear from the place of your dwelling, from the heavens; and you must hear and forgive.

22 “If a man sins against his fellowman and he actually lays a cursing upon him to bring him under liability to the curse, and he actually comes [within] the curse before your altar in this house, 23 then may you yourself hear from the heavens, and you must act and judge your servants so as to pay back the wicked by putting his course upon his own head and by pronouncing the righteous one righteous by giving to him according to his own righteousness.

24 “And if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they kept sinning against you, and they indeed return and laud your name and pray and make request for favor before you in this house, 25 then may you yourself hear from the heavens, and you must forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the ground that you gave to them and their forefathers.

26 “When the heavens are shut up so that no rain occurs because they kept sinning against you, and they actually pray toward this place and laud your name [and] from their sin they turn back because you kept afflicting them, 27 then may you yourself hear from the heavens, and you must forgive the sin of your servants, even of your people Israel, because you instruct them regarding the good way in which they should walk; and you must give rain upon your land that you have given to your people as a hereditary possession.

28 “In case a famine occurs in the land, in case a pestilence occurs, in case scorching and mildew, locusts and cockroaches occur; in case their enemies besiege them in the land of their gates—any sort of plague and any sort of malady— 29 whatever prayer, whatever request for favor there may occur on the part of any man or of all your people Israel, because they know each one his own plague and his own pain; when he actually spreads out his palms toward this house, 30 then may you yourself hear from the heavens, the place of your dwelling, and you must forgive and give to each one according to all his ways, because you know his heart (for you yourself alone well know the heart of the sons of mankind); 31 to the end that they may fear you by walking in your ways all the days that they are alive upon the surface of the ground that you gave to our forefathers.

32 “And also to the foreigner who is no part of your people Israel and who actually comes from a distant land by reason of your great name and your strong hand and your stretched-out arm, and they actually come and pray toward this house, 33 then may you yourself listen from the heavens, from your established place of dwelling, and you must do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you; in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and may fear you the same as your people Israel do, and may know that your name has been called upon this house that I have built.

34 “In case your people go out to the war against their enemies in the way that you send them, and they indeed pray to you in the direction of this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built to your name, 35 you must also hear from the heavens their prayer and their request for favor, and you must execute judgment for them.

36 “In case they sin against you (for there is no man that does not sin), and you have to be incensed at them and abandon them to an enemy, and their captors actually carry them off captive to a land distant or nearby; 37 and they indeed come to their senses in the land where they have been carried off captive, and they actually return and make request to you for favor in the land where they are captives, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have erred and we have acted wickedly’; 38 and they indeed return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land where they are captives of those who carried them off captive, and they indeed pray in the direction of their land that you gave to their forefathers and the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built to your name; 39 you must also hear from the heavens, from your established place of dwelling, their prayer and their requests for favor, and you must execute judgment for them and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

40 “Now, O my God, please, let your eyes prove to be opened and your ears attentive to the prayer respecting this place. 41 And now do rise up, O Jehovah God, into your rest, you and the Ark of your strength. Let your priests themselves, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and let your loyal ones themselves rejoice in goodness. 42 O Jehovah God, do not turn back the face of your anointed one. O do remember the loving-kindnesses to David your servant.”

7 Now as soon as Solomon finished praying, the fire itself came down from the heavens and proceeded to consume the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and Jehovah’s glory itself filled the house. 2 And the priests were unable to enter into the house of Jehovah because Jehovah’s glory had filled the house of Jehovah. 3 And all the sons of Israel were spectators when the fire came down and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house, and they immediately bowed low with their faces to the earth upon the pavement and prostrated themselves and thanked Jehovah, “for he is good, for his loving-kindness is to time indefinite.”

4 And the king and all the people were offering sacrifice before Jehovah. 5 And King Solomon went on offering the sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. Thus the king and all the people inaugurated the house of the [true] God. 6 And the priests were standing at their posts of duty, and the Levites with the instruments of song to Jehovah that David the king had made to thank Jehovah, “for his loving-kindness is to time indefinite,” when David would render praise by their hand; and the priests were loudly sounding the trumpets in front of them, while all the Israelites were standing.

7 Then Solomon sanctified the middle of the courtyard that was before the house of Jehovah, because there he rendered up the burnt offerings and the fat pieces of the communion sacrifices, for the copper altar that Solomon had made was itself not able to contain the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces. 8 And Solomon proceeded to hold the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation from the entering in of Hamath down to the torrent valley of Egypt. 9 But on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, because the inauguration of the altar they had held for seven days and the festival for seven days. 10 And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and feeling good at heart over the goodness that Jehovah had performed toward David and toward Solomon and toward Israel his people.