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.’ ”
圣殿奉献礼
1所罗门祷告完毕，就有火从天上降下，烧尽了燔祭和其他祭物。殿里充满了耶和华的荣光， 2以致祭司不能进耶和华的殿。 3全体以色列人看见有火降下，又看见耶和华的荣光停在殿上，便俯伏在铺石地上敬拜，称谢耶和华说：
“耶和华是美善的，
祂的慈爱永远长存。”
4所罗门王和全体民众一同向耶和华献祭。 5所罗门王献上两万二千头牛和十二万只羊，王和全体民众为上帝的殿举行奉献典礼。 6祭司在自己的岗位上侍立，利未人奏着大卫王为颂赞耶和华而为他们制造的乐器，歌颂说：“祂的慈爱永远长存。”他们对面的祭司也吹响号角，全体以色列人都肃立。
7因所造的铜坛太小，容不下燔祭、素祭和脂肪，所罗门就把耶和华殿前院子中间分别出来作圣洁之地，在那里献上燔祭和平安祭祭牲的脂肪。
8所罗门和从哈马口直至埃及小河而来的全体以色列人聚成一大群会众，一起守节期七天。 9第八天举行庄严的聚会，又举行七天献坛礼。之后，他们又欢庆七天。 10七月二十三日，所罗门王让民众各回本乡。他们看见耶和华向大卫、所罗门和祂的以色列子民所施的恩惠，就满心欢喜地回家去了。
耶和华向所罗门显现
11所罗门建完了耶和华的殿和他自己的王宫，他按计划完成了耶和华殿里和他自己宫里的一切工作。 12耶和华在夜间向所罗门显现，对他说：“我听了你的祷告，也已选择这殿作为给我献祭的地方。 13若我使天不下雨，使蝗虫吞吃地上的出产，或叫瘟疫在我民中流行， 14而这些被称为我名下的子民若谦卑下来，祈祷、寻求我的面，离开恶道，我必从天上垂听，赦免他们的罪，医治他们的土地。 15现在，我会睁眼看、留心听在这殿里献上的祷告。 16我已选择这殿，使之圣洁，让我的名永在其中，我必一直眷顾和心系这殿。 17如果你像你父亲大卫一样事奉我，遵行我的一切吩咐，谨守我的律例和典章， 18我必使你的王位稳固，正如我曾与你父亲大卫立约，说，‘你的子孙必永远统治以色列。’
19“然而，如果你们背弃我指示你们的律例和诫命，去供奉、祭拜其他神明， 20我必把你们从我赐给你们的土地上铲除，并离弃我为自己的名而使之圣洁的这殿，使它在万民中成为笑柄、被人嘲讽。 21这殿虽然宏伟，但将来经过的人必惊讶地问，‘耶和华为什么这样对待这地方和这殿呢？’ 22人们会回答，‘因为他们背弃曾领他们祖先离开埃及的他们的上帝耶和华，去追随、祭拜、供奉其他神明，所以耶和华把这一切灾祸降在他们身上。’”
