The Dedication Ceremonies1When Solomon finished praying,a fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,b and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. 3All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord:
4The king and all the people were offering sacrifices in the Lord’s presence.a 5King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep and goats. In this manner the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple. 6The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of the Lord, which King David had made to give thanks to the Lord — “for his faithful love endures forever” — when he offered praise with them.a Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing. 7Since the bronze altar that Solomon had madea could not accommodate the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, Solomon first consecrated the middle of the courtyardb that was in front of the Lord’s temple and then offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings there.c 8So Solomon and all Israel with him — a very great assembly, from the entrance to HamathA to the Brook of Egypt — observed the festival at that time for seven days. 9On the eighth dayA they held a solemn assembly,a for the dedication of the altar lasted seven days and the festival seven days. 10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people home,A rejoicing and with happy hearts for the goodness the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for his people Israel. 11So Solomon finished the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. Everything that had entered Solomon’s heart to do for the Lord’s temple and for his own palace succeeded.a The Lord’s Response12Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. Bible Hub |