II Chronicles 7

¹Now when Solomon's prayers were ended, fire came down from heaven, burning up all the offerings; and the house was full of the glory of the Lord.

²And the priests were not able to go into the house of the Lord, for the Lord's house was full of the glory of the Lord.

³And all the children of Israel were looking on when the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord was on the house; and they went down on their knees, with their faces to the earth, worshipping and praising the Lord, and saying, He is good; for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

⁴Then the king and all the people made offerings before the Lord.

⁵King Solomon made an offering of twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people kept the feast of the opening of the house of God.

⁶And the priests were in their places, and the Levites with their instruments of music for the Lord's song, which David the king had made for the praise of the Lord whose mercy is unchanging for ever, when David gave praise by their hand; and the priests were sounding horns before them; and all Israel were on their feet.

⁷Then Solomon made holy the middle of the open square in front of the house of the Lord, offering the burned offerings there, and the fat of the peace-offerings; for there was not room on the brass altar which Solomon had made for all the burned offerings and the meal offerings and the fat.

⁸So Solomon kept the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great meeting, for the people had come together from the way into Hamath and from as far as the river of Egypt.

⁹And on the eighth day they had a holy meeting; the offerings for making the altar holy went on for seven days, and the feast for seven days.

¹⁰And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their tents, full of joy and glad in their hearts, because of all the good which the Lord had done to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

¹¹So Solomon came to the end of building the house of the Lord and the king's house; and everything which it was in his mind to make in the house of the Lord and for himself had been well done.

¹²Now the Lord came to Solomon in a vision by night, and said to him, I have given ear to your prayer, and have taken this place for myself as a house where offerings are to be made.

¹³If, at my word, heaven is shut up, so that there is no rain, or if I send locusts on the land for its destruction, or if I send disease on my people;

¹⁴If my people, on whom my name is named, make themselves low and come to me in prayer, searching for me and turning from their evil ways; then I will give ear from heaven, overlooking their sin, and will give life again to their land.

¹⁵Now my eyes will be open and my ears awake to the prayers made in this place.

¹⁶For I have taken this house for myself and made it holy, so that my name may be there for ever; and my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.

¹⁷And as for you, if you will go on your way before me as David your father did, doing whatever I have given you orders to do and keeping my laws and my decisions:

¹⁸Then I will make strong the seat of your kingdom, as I gave my word to David your father, saying, You will never be without a man to be ruler in Israel.

¹⁹But if you are turned away from me, and do not keep my orders and my laws which I have put before you, but go and make yourselves servants to other gods, giving them worship:

²⁰Then I will have this people uprooted out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, I will put away from before my eyes, and make it an example and a word of shame among all peoples.

²¹And this house will become a mass of broken walls, and everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder, and will say, Why has the Lord done so to this land and to this house?

²²And their answer will be, Because they were turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, who took them out of the land of Egypt, and took for themselves other gods and gave them worship and became their servants: that is why he has sent all this evil on them.

II Chronicles 7

¹Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

²The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house.

³All the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord was on the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped, and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, "For he is good; for his loving kindness endures for ever."

⁴Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord.

⁵King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated God's house.

⁶The priests stood, according to their positions; the Levites also with instruments of music of the Lord, which David the king had made to give thanks to the Lord, when David praised by their ministry, saying "For his loving kindness endures for ever." The priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood.

⁷Moreover Solomon made the middle of the court holy that was before the house of the Lord; for there he offered the burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offering, and the meal offering, and the fat.

⁸So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt.

⁹On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

¹⁰On the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.

¹¹Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king's house: and he successfully completed all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house.

¹²The Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.

¹³"If I shut up the sky so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

¹⁴if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

¹⁵Now my eyes shall be open, and my ears attentive, to the prayer that is made in this place.

¹⁶For now have I chosen and made this house holy, that my name may be there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

¹⁷"As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances;

¹⁸then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, according as I covenanted with David your father, saying, 'There shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel.'

¹⁹But if you turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

²⁰then I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

²¹This house, which is so high, everyone who passes by it shall be astonished, and shall say, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house?'

²²They shall answer, 'Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and took other gods, worshiped them, and served them. Therefore he has brought all these disasters on them.'"