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.’ ”
聖殿奉獻禮
1所羅門禱告完畢，就有火從天上降下，燒盡了燔祭和其他祭物。殿裡充滿了耶和華的榮光， 2以致祭司不能進耶和華的殿。 3全體以色列人看見有火降下，又看見耶和華的榮光停在殿上，便俯伏在鋪石地上敬拜，稱謝耶和華說：
「耶和華是美善的，
祂的慈愛永遠長存。」
4所羅門王和全體民眾一同向耶和華獻祭。 5所羅門王獻上兩萬二千頭牛和十二萬隻羊，王和全體民眾為上帝的殿舉行奉獻典禮。 6祭司在自己的崗位上侍立，利未人奏著大衛王為頌讚耶和華而為他們製造的樂器，歌頌說：「祂的慈愛永遠長存。」他們對面的祭司也吹響號角，全體以色列人都肅立。
7因所造的銅壇太小，容不下燔祭、素祭和脂肪，所羅門就把耶和華殿前院子中間分別出來作聖潔之地，在那裡獻上燔祭和平安祭祭牲的脂肪。
8所羅門和從哈馬口直至埃及小河而來的全體以色列人聚成一大群會眾，一起守節期七天。 9第八天舉行莊嚴的聚會，又舉行七天獻壇禮。之後，他們又歡慶七天。 10七月二十三日，所羅門王讓民眾各回本鄉。他們看見耶和華向大衛、所羅門和祂的以色列子民所施的恩惠，就滿心歡喜地回家去了。
耶和華向所羅門顯現
11所羅門建完了耶和華的殿和他自己的王宮，他按計劃完成了耶和華殿裡和他自己宮裡的一切工作。 12耶和華在夜間向所羅門顯現，對他說：「我聽了你的禱告，也已選擇這殿作為給我獻祭的地方。 13若我使天不下雨，使蝗蟲吞吃地上的出產，或叫瘟疫在我民中流行， 14而這些被稱為我名下的子民若謙卑下來，祈禱、尋求我的面，離開惡道，我必從天上垂聽，赦免他們的罪，醫治他們的土地。 15現在，我會睜眼看、留心聽在這殿裡獻上的禱告。 16我已選擇這殿，使之聖潔，讓我的名永在其中，我必一直眷顧和心繫這殿。 17如果你像你父親大衛一樣事奉我，遵行我的一切吩咐，謹守我的律例和典章， 18我必使你的王位穩固，正如我曾與你父親大衛立約，說，『你的子孫必永遠統治以色列。』
19「然而，如果你們背棄我指示你們的律例和誡命，去供奉、祭拜其他神明， 20我必把你們從我賜給你們的土地上剷除，並離棄我為自己的名而使之聖潔的這殿，使它在萬民中成為笑柄、被人嘲諷。 21這殿雖然宏偉，但將來經過的人必驚訝地問，『耶和華為什麼這樣對待這地方和這殿呢？』 22人們會回答，『因為他們背棄曾領他們祖先離開埃及的他們的上帝耶和華，去追隨、祭拜、供奉其他神明，所以耶和華把這一切災禍降在他們身上。』」
