The Dedication of the Temple
1When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3When 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.”
4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5And 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. 6The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord’s musical instruments, 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.
7Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.
8So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. 9On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. 10On 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
11When Solomon had finished 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, 12the Lord appeared to him at night and said:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16I have chosen 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 as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’
19“But if you7:19 The Hebrew is plural. turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you7:19 The Hebrew is plural. and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uproot Israel from my land, 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 among all peoples. 21This temple will become a heap of rubble. All7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22People 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—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
Mwambo Wopereka Nyumba kwa Yehova
1Solomoni atamaliza kupemphera, moto unatsika kuchokera kumwamba ndi kutentha nsembe zopsereza ndi nsembe zina, ndipo ulemerero wa Yehova unadzaza Nyumba ya Mulunguyo. 2Ansembe sanathe kulowa mʼNyumba ya Mulungu chifukwa munadzaza ulemerero wa Yehova. 3Aisraeli onse ataona moto ukuchokera kumwamba ndi ulemerero wa Yehova pamwamba pa Nyumba ya Mulungu, anagwada poyalidwa miyalapo ndipo anagunditsa nkhope zawo pansi, ndi kulambira ndi kutamanda Yehova, ponena kuti,
“Iye ndi wabwino;
chikondi chake chikhala chikhalire”
4Tsono mfumu ndi anthu onse anapereka nsembe pamaso pa Yehova. 5Ndipo mfumu Solomoni anapereka nsembe ngʼombe 22,000, nkhosa ndi mbuzi 120,000. Kotero mfumu ndi anthu onse anachita mwambo wopereka Nyumba kwa Mulungu. 6Ansembe anayimirira mʼmalo mwawo, monganso anachitira Alevi ndi zida zoyimbira za Yehova, zimene Davide anapanga zotamandira Yehova ndipo zimagwiritsidwa ntchito pamene amatamanda, ponena kuti, “Chikondi chake chikhale chikhalire.” Moyangʼanizana ndi Alevi, ansembe amaliza malipenga, ndipo Aisraeli onse anali atayimirira.
7Solomoni anapatula malo a pakati pa bwalo kutsogolo kwa Nyumba ya Yehova ndipo pamenepo anapereka nsembe zopsereza ndi mafuta, zopereka za chiyanjano, chifukwa guwa lansembe lamkuwa limene anapanga panalibe malo woti nʼkuperekerapo nsembe zopsereza, nsembe za ufa ndi mafuta.
8Choncho nthawi imeneyi, Solomoni anachita chikondwerero kwa masiku asanu ndi awiri pamodzi ndi Aisraeli onse. Unali msonkhano waukulu, kuyambira ku Lebo Hamati mpaka ku chigwa cha ku Igupto. 9Pa tsiku lachisanu ndi chitatu panali msonkhano, pakuti anachita mwambo wopereka guwa lansembe kwa masiku asanu ndi awiri ndi masiku enanso asanu ndi awiri achikondwerero. 10Pa tsiku la 23 la mwezi wachisanu ndi chiwiri, Solomoni anawuza anthu aja kuti apite kwawo. Anthu anali achimwemwe ndi okondwa mʼmitima mwawo chifukwa cha zinthu zabwino zimene Yehova anachitira Davide ndi Solomoni ndiponso anthu ake Aisraeli.
Yehova Aonekera Solomoni
11Solomoni atatsiriza kumanga Nyumba ya Yehova ndi nyumba yaufumu ndi kukwaniritsa kuchita zonse zimene zinali mu mtima mwake pa Nyumba ya Yehova ndi nyumba yake yaufumu, 12Yehova anamuonekera usiku ndipo anati:
“Ine ndamva pemphero lako ndipo ndadzisankhira malo ano kukhala Nyumba yanga yoperekeramo nsembe.
13“Ine ndikatseka kumwamba kuti mvula isagwe, kapena kulamulira dzombe kuti liwononge dziko, kapena kutumiza mliri pakati pa anthu, 14ngati anthu anga, amene amatchedwa ndi dzina langa adzichepetsa ndi kupemphera ndi kufunafuna nkhope yanga, nasiya njira zawo zoyipa, pamenepo Ine ndidzamva kumwamba ndipo ndidzakhululuka tchimo lawo ndi kuchiritsa dziko lawo. 15Ndipo maso anga adzatsekuka ndi makutu anga adzakhala tcheru kumva mapemphero a pamalo pano. 16Ine ndasankha ndipo ndapatula Nyumba yangayi kotero kuti ndidzakhala mʼmenemo kwamuyaya. Maso ndi mtima wanga zidzakhala pano nthawi zonse.
17“Kunena za iwe, ukayenda pamaso panga mokhulupirika monga momwe anachitira abambo ako Davide, ndi kuchita zonse zimene ndakulamula, ndi kusamalitsa malangizo ndi malamulo anga, 18Ine ndidzakhazikitsa mpando wako waufumu, monga ndinachitira pangano ndi abambo ako Davide pamene ndinati, ‘Sipadzasowa munthu wolamulira Israeli.’
19“Koma ngati iwe udzapatuka ndi kutaya malangizo ndi malamulo amene ndakupatsa ndi kupita kukatumikira milungu ina ndi kuyipembedza, 20pamenepo Ine ndidzazula Aisraeli mʼdziko langa limene ndinawapatsa, ndiponso ndidzayikana Nyumba ino imene ndadzipatulira. Ndipo udzakhala ngati mwambi ndi chinthu chonyozedwa pakati pa anthu onse. 21Ndipo ngakhale kuti tsopano Nyumba ya Mulunguyi ndi yokongola kwambiri, onse amene adzadutsa pano adzadabwa kwambiri ndipo adzati, ‘Nʼchifukwa chiyani Yehova wachita chinthu chotere mʼdziko muno ndi pa Nyumba ya Mulunguyi?’ 22Anthu adzayankha kuti, ‘Nʼchifukwa chakuti asiya Yehova, Mulungu wa makolo awo, amene anawatulutsa mʼdziko la Igupto ndipo akangamira milungu ina ndi kumayipembedza ndi kuyitumikira. Choncho Iye wabweretsa zovuta zonsezi.’ ”
