The Ark Is Brought to the Temple
1Then King Solomon sent for the elders of Israel. He told them to come to him in Jerusalem. They included all the leaders of the tribes. They also included the chiefs of the families of Israel. Solomon wanted them to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion. Zion was the City of David. 2All the Israelites came together to where King Solomon was. It was at the time of the Feast of Booths. The feast was held in the month of Ethanim. That’s the seventh month.
3All the elders of Israel arrived. Then the priests picked up the ark and carried it. 4They brought up the ark of the Lord. They also brought up the tent of meeting and all the sacred things in the tent. The priests and Levites carried everything up. 5The entire community of Israel had gathered around King Solomon. All of them were in front of the ark. They sacrificed huge numbers of sheep and cattle. There were so many animals that they couldn’t be recorded. In fact, they couldn’t even be counted.
6The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant law to its place in the Most Holy Room of the temple. They put it under the wings of the cherubim. 7Their wings were spread out over the place where the ark was. They covered the ark. They also covered the poles used to carry it. 8The poles were very long. Their ends could be seen from the Holy Room in front of the Most Holy Room. But they couldn’t be seen from outside the Holy Room. They are still there to this day. 9There wasn’t anything in the ark except the two stone tablets. Moses had placed them in it at Mount Horeb. That’s where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites. He made it after they came out of Egypt.
10The priests left the Holy Room. Then the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 11The priests couldn’t do their work because of it. That’s because the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
12Then Solomon said, “Lord, you have said you would live in a dark cloud. 13As you can see, I’ve built a beautiful temple for you. You can live in it forever.”
14The whole community of Israel was standing there. The king turned around and gave them his blessing. 15Then he said,
“I praise the Lord. He is the God of Israel. With his own mouth he made a promise to my father David. With his own powerful hand he made it come true. He said, 16‘I brought my people Israel out of Egypt. Ever since, I haven’t chosen a city in any tribe of Israel where a temple could be built for my Name. But I have chosen David to rule over my people Israel.’
17“With all his heart my father David wanted to build a temple. He wanted to do it so the Lord could put his Name there. The Lord is the God of Israel. 18But the Lord spoke to my father David. He said, ‘With all your heart you wanted to build a temple for my Name. It is good that you wanted to do that. 19But you will not build the temple. Instead, your son will build the temple for my Name. He is your own flesh and blood.’
20“The Lord has kept the promise he made. I’ve become the next king after my father David. Now I’m sitting on the throne of Israel. That’s exactly what the Lord promised would happen. I’ve built the temple where the Lord will put his Name. He is the God of Israel. 21I’ve provided a place for the ark there. The tablets of the Lord’s covenant law are inside it. He made that covenant with our people of long ago. He made it when he brought them out of Egypt.”
Solomon Prays to Set the Temple Apart to the Lord
22Then Solomon stood in front of the Lord’s altar. He stood in front of the whole community of Israel. He spread out his hands toward heaven. 23He said,
“Lord, you are the God of Israel. There is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep the covenant you made with us. You show us your love. You do that when we follow you with all our hearts. 24You have kept your promise to my father David. He was your servant. With your mouth you made a promise. With your powerful hand you have made it come true. And today we can see it.
25“Lord, you are the God of Israel. Keep the promises you made to my father David. Do it for him. He was your servant. Here is what you said to him. ‘A son from your family line will sit before me on the throne of Israel. This will always be true if your children after you are careful in everything they do. They must live in my sight faithfully the way you have lived.’ 26God of Israel, let your promise to my father David come true.
27“But will you really live on earth? After all, the heavens can’t hold you. In fact, even the highest heavens can’t hold you. So this temple I’ve built certainly can’t hold you! 28But please pay attention to my prayer. Lord my God, be ready to help me as I make my appeal to you. Listen to my cry for help. Hear the prayer I’m praying to you today. 29Let your eyes look toward this temple night and day. You said, ‘I will put my Name there.’ So please listen to the prayer I’m praying toward this place. 30Hear me when I ask you to help us. Listen to your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Listen to us from heaven. It’s the place where you live. When you hear us, forgive us.
31“Suppose someone does something wrong to their neighbor. And the person who has done something wrong is required to give their word. They must tell the truth about what they have done. They must come and do it in front of your altar in this temple. 32When they do, listen to them from heaven. Take action. Judge between the person and their neighbor. Punish the guilty one. Do to that person what they have done to their neighbor. Deal with the one who isn’t guilty in a way that shows they are free from blame. That will prove they aren’t guilty.
33“Suppose your people Israel have lost the battle against their enemies. And suppose they’ve sinned against you. But they turn back to you and praise your name. They pray to you in this temple. And they ask you to help them. 34Then listen to them from heaven. Forgive the sin of your people Israel. Bring them back to the land you gave to their people who lived long ago.
35“Suppose your people have sinned against you. And because of that, the sky is closed up and there isn’t any rain. But your people pray toward this place. They praise you by admitting they’ve sinned. And they turn away from their sin because you have made them suffer. 36Then listen to them from heaven. Forgive the sin of your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live. Send rain on the land you gave them as their share.
37“Suppose there isn’t enough food in the land. And a plague strikes the land. The hot winds completely dry up our crops. Or locusts or grasshoppers come and eat them up. Or an enemy surrounds one of our cities and gets ready to attack it. Or trouble or sickness comes. 38But suppose one of your people prays to you. They ask you to help them. They are aware of how much their own heart is suffering. And they spread out their hands toward this temple to pray. 39Then listen to them from heaven. It’s the place where you live. Forgive them. Take action. Deal with everyone in keeping with everything they do. You know their hearts. In fact, you are the only one who knows every human heart. 40Your people will have respect for you. They will respect you as long as they are in the land you gave our people long ago.
41“Suppose there are outsiders who don’t belong to your people Israel. And they have come from a land far away. They’ve come because they’ve heard about your name. 42When they get here, they will find out even more about your great name. They’ll hear about how you reached out your mighty hand and powerful arm. So they’ll come and pray toward this temple. 43Then listen to them from heaven. It’s the place where you live. Do what those outsiders ask you to do. Then all the nations on earth will know you. They will have respect for you. They’ll respect you just as your own people Israel do. They’ll know that your Name is in this house I’ve built.
44“Suppose your people go to war against their enemies. It doesn’t matter where you send them. And suppose they pray to you toward the city you have chosen. They pray toward the temple I’ve built for your Name. 45Then listen to them from heaven. Listen to their prayer for your help. Stand up for them.
46“Suppose your people sin against you. After all, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t sin. And suppose you get angry with them. You hand them over to their enemies. They take them as prisoners to their own lands. It doesn’t matter whether those lands are near or far away. 47But suppose your people change their ways in the land where they are held as prisoners. They turn away from their sins. They beg you to help them in the land of those who won the battle over them. They say, ‘We have sinned. We’ve done what is wrong. We’ve done what is evil.’ 48And they turn back to you with all their heart and soul. Suppose it happens in the land of their enemies who took them away as prisoners. There they pray to you toward the land you gave their people long ago. They pray toward the city you have chosen. And they pray toward the temple I’ve built for your Name. 49Then listen to them from heaven. It’s the place where you live. Listen to their prayer. Listen to them when they ask you to help them. Stand up for them. 50Your people have sinned against you. Please forgive them. Forgive them for all the wrong things they’ve done against you. And make those who won the battle over them show mercy to them. 51After all, they are your people. They belong to you. You brought them out of Egypt. You brought them out of that furnace that melts iron down and makes it pure.
52“Let your eyes be open to me when I ask you to help us. Let them be open to your people Israel when they ask you to help them. Pay attention to them every time they cry out to you. 53After all, you chose them out of all the nations in the world. You made them your very own people. You did it just as you had announced through your servant Moses. That’s when you brought out of Egypt our people of long ago. You are our Lord and King.”
54Solomon finished praying. He finished asking the Lord to help his people. Then he got up from in front of the Lord’s altar. He had been down on his knees with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55He stood in front of the whole community of Israel. He blessed them with a loud voice. He said,
56“I praise the Lord. He has given peace and rest to his people Israel. That’s exactly what he promised to do. He gave his people good promises through his servant Moses. Every single word of those promises has come true. 57May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our people who lived long ago. May he never leave us. May he never desert us. 58May he turn our hearts to him. Then we will live the way he wants us to. We’ll obey the commands, rules and directions he gave our people of long ago. 59I’ve prayed these words to the Lord our God. May he keep them close to him day and night. May he stand up for me. May he also stand up for his people Israel. May he give us what we need every day. 60Then all the nations on earth will know that the Lord is God. They’ll know that there isn’t any other god. 61And may you commit your lives completely to the Lord our God. May you live by his rules. May you obey his commands. May you always do as you are doing now.”
The Temple Is Set Apart to the Lord
62Then the king and the whole community of Israel offered sacrifices to the Lord. 63Solomon sacrificed friendship offerings to the Lord. He sacrificed 22,000 oxen. He also sacrificed 120,000 sheep and goats. So the king and the whole community set the temple of the Lord apart to him.
64On that same day the king set the middle area of the courtyard apart to the Lord. It was in front of the Lord’s temple. There Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and grain offerings. He also sacrificed the fat of the friendship offerings there. He did it there because the bronze altar that stood in front of the Lord was too small. It wasn’t big enough to hold all the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the friendship offerings.
65At that time Solomon celebrated the Feast of Booths. The whole community of Israel was with him. It was a huge crowd. People came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the Wadi of Egypt. For seven days they celebrated in front of the Lord our God. The feast continued for seven more days. That made a total of 14 days. 66On the following day Solomon sent the people away. They asked the Lord to bless the king. Then they went home. The people were glad. Their hearts were full of joy. That’s because the Lord had done so many good things for his servant David and his people Israel.
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契約の箱の安置
1ソロモン王は、イスラエルの部族や氏族の長をみなエルサレムに集めました。契約の箱を、ダビデの町シオンにある幕屋から、神殿に運び入れるためでした。 2この祝典が挙行されたのは十月の仮庵の祭りの時で、 3-4祭りの間に、祭司たちは契約の箱と、それまで幕屋に置いてあった神聖な器具をすべて神殿に運び入れました。 5王とイスラエル国民は契約の箱の前に集まり、数えきれないほどの羊や牛をいけにえとしてささげました。
6それから祭司たちは、契約の箱を神殿の奥の至聖所に運び、ケルビムの翼の下に安置しました。 7ケルビムの像は、翼が箱の上に来るように設計されていたので、その翼は箱とかつぎ棒を覆いました。 8かつぎ棒は長く、先がケルビムの横から突き出ているので、前方の聖所からも見えましたが、外庭からは見えませんでした。現在もそのままです。 9箱の中には、二枚の石板しか入っていませんでした。その石板は、主がエジプトを出たイスラエルの民とホレブ山（シナイ山）で契約を結ばれた時、モーセが納めたものです。
10祭司たちが至聖所から出て来ると、雲が神殿に満ちました。 11主の栄光が神殿に満ちあふれたので、祭司たちは外に出なければなりませんでした。
12-13その時、ソロモン王はこう祈りました。「主は、暗闇の中に住むとお語りになりました。そこで主よ。私はあなたの永遠のお住まいとして、地上に美しい家を建てました。」
14それから、振り向いて民を祝福しました。 15「イスラエルの神、主をほめたたえよう。主は、今日このように、父ダビデに約束なさったことを成し遂げてくださった。 16主は父にこうお語りになった。『わたしは民をエジプトから連れ出した時からこれまで、神殿を建てる場所を選ぶことはしなかったが、わたしの民の指導者となる一人の者を選んだ。』 17それが、父ダビデだ。父は、イスラエルの神、主のために神殿を建てたかった。 18しかし主はそれをお許しにならず、『あなたの志はうれしい。 19だが、わたしの神殿を建てるのはあなたの息子だ』と言われた。 20主は今、お約束を果たしてくださった。私はイスラエルの王として父の跡を継ぎ、こうして、主のために神殿を建て上げることができた。 21そして、主がエジプトを出た私たちの先祖と結ばれた契約を納めた箱を、神殿の中に置く場所を用意した。」
ソロモンの祈りと神殿の奉献
22-23王は、人々が見守る中で祭壇の前に立ち、両手を天に差し伸べて祈りました。
「ああ、イスラエルの神、主。天にも地にも、あなたのようなお方はありません。あなたは、心からお従いしようとする民を愛し、約束を守ってくださるからです。 24今日このとおり、あなたのしもべである父ダビデへの約束を実現してくださいました。 25イスラエルの神、主よ。どうか、父ダビデとの約束をこれからも果たしてください。父の子孫が、父と同じようにお従いし、主の言われるとおりにするなら、その中の一人がいつもイスラエルの王位につくようにしてください。 26イスラエルの神よ！ どうか、この約束もまた果たしてください。
27それにしても、神様ははたしてこの地上にお住みになるでしょうか。大空も天も、あなたをお入れすることはできません。まして、私が建てたこの神殿などなおのことです。 28けれども、どうか、このしもべの願いをお聞き届けください。 29確かに住むと約束なさったこの場所を、昼も夜も見守ってください。そして、私がこの神殿に向かって祈る時、昼であっても夜であっても、祈りを聞き、それに答えてください。 30イスラエルの民が、この場所に向かって祈る時、いつでも願いを聞き届けてください。あなたがお住まいになる天で、その願いを聞き、彼らの罪を赦してください。
31だれかが何か悪いことをして訴えられた時、この神殿の祭壇の前に立ち、自分はそのようなことはしなかったと誓うなら、 32天でその訴えを聞き、正しくさばいてください。
33-34イスラエルの民が罪を犯したため敵に負かされたとき、もし彼らが反省し、もう一度あなたをあがめるなら、天で彼らの願いを聞き、その罪を赦してください。そして、先祖にお与えになった地に、彼らを連れ帰してください。
35-36彼らの罪が原因で雨が降らないとき、彼らがこの場所に向かって祈り、あなたをあがめるなら、天でその願いを聞き、彼らを赦してください。また、罰を下したあと、正しい道に彼らを引き戻し、あなたがお与えになった地に雨を降らせてください。
37農作物の立ち枯れや、いなごや油虫の発生によってききんが起こったり、敵が攻めて来たり、また疫病や災害に襲われたり、そのほか、どんな問題が起こった時でも、 38もし民が罪を悟り、この神殿に向かって祈るなら、 39天で彼らの祈りを聞き、正直に罪を告白した人々を赦し、願いをかなえてください。あなたは、一人一人の心のうちを知っておられるからです。 40そうすれば、あなたが私たちの先祖にお与えになった地に生きている限り、彼らはいつもあなたを信じ、お従いするようになるでしょう。
41-42それから、外国人があなたのすばらしさを聞き、遠い地からはるばる礼拝に来て、この神殿に向かって祈るなら、 43天で彼らの祈りを聞き、願いをかなえてください。そうすれば、世界中の人が、あなたの民イスラエルと同じようにあなたの御名を知り、信じてお従いするようになるでしょう。こうして全世界は、これがあなたの神殿であることを知るでしょう。
44イスラエルの民があなたの命で戦いに遣わされるとき、あなたがお選びになった町エルサレム、私があなたのために建てたこの神殿に向かって祈るなら、 45天で彼らの祈りを聞き、彼らを助けてください。
46罪を犯さない人間などいませんから、あなたに罪を犯し、あなたのお怒りをこうむって、外国に捕虜として連れて行かれることもあるでしょう。 47そのようなとき、『私たちが悪かった』と反省して、 48心からあなたに立ち返り、あなたが先祖にお与えになった地、あなたがお選びになったエルサレムの町、私が御名のために建てたこの神殿に向かって祈るなら、 49お住まいである天で彼らの祈りと願いとを聞き、助けの手を差し伸べてください。
50あなたの民の悪事をみな赦し、彼らを捕らえた者にあわれみの心を起こさせてください。 51彼らは、あなたがエジプトから連れ出された大切な民だからです。 52どうか、御目を開き、御耳を傾けて、彼らの願いを聞き届けてください。ああ主よ。彼らが祈り求める時、いつも願い事をかなえてください。 53あなたが私たちの先祖をエジプトから連れ出された時、しもべモーセにお告げになったとおり、全世界の民の中からイスラエルを選び出し、特別な民としてくださったからです。」
54-55ソロモンは両手を天に伸ばしたまま、ひざまずいて祈っていました。祈り終えると、祭壇の前から立ち上がり、全会衆を大声で祝福しました。 56「イスラエルの主をほめたたえます。主は約束どおり、ご自分の民イスラエルに安息をお与えになりました。しもべモーセによって示された、すばらしい約束のすべてが、一つもたがわず実現したのです。 57どうか、主が先祖たちとともにおられたように、私たちをも見捨てず、共にいてくださいますように。 58私たちがすべてのことで主をお喜ばせし、先祖たちにお与えになった教えをみな守ろうという願いを起こさせてください。 59この祈りを、いつも覚えていてください。こうして、毎日、何かあるたびに、私とイスラエルの全国民を助けてくださいますように。 60世界中の国々が、あなたのほかに神はいないことを知るためです。 61私の民よ。あなたがたは主の前で、正しく、きよい生活を送らなければなりません。今日のように、いつも主の教えを守らなければなりません。」
62-63それから王と民は、主の前にいけにえをささげました。この時ささげた和解のいけにえは、なんと牛二万二千頭、羊とやぎ十二万頭にものぼりました。 64その日、臨時の計らいとして、王は神殿の前の庭をきよめ、そこで焼き尽くすいけにえと、穀物の供え物、それに和解のいけにえの脂肪をささげました。青銅の祭壇は、おびただしいいけにえを載せるには小さすぎたからです。 65こうして、祝典は十四日間続き、イスラエル中から人々が集まりました。 66祭りのあと、王は人々を家に帰しました。民はみな、主がしもべダビデとその民イスラエルにお示しになった多くの恵みを喜び、王に祝福のことばを述べて、それぞれの天幕に帰って行きました。
