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1At that time Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the tribal heads and the ancestral leaders of the Israelites before him at Jerusalem in order to bring the ark of the Lord ’s covenant from the city of David, that is Zion.[#8:1 Ex 3:16; Nm 11:16; #8:1–11 2Ch 5:2–14; #8:1 Nm 1:5–16; 7:2; #8:1 2Sm 5:7; #8:1 2Sm 6:12–15,17]
2So all the men of Israel were assembled in the presence of King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month, at the festival.[#8:2 = September–October; #8:2 Lv 23:34; Dt 16:13–15; 1Kg 8:65]
3All the elders of Israel came, and the priests picked up the ark.[#8:3 Nm 11:16; #8:3 Dt 31:9; Jos 3:3,6; #8:3 2Sm 6:12,17]
4The priests and the Levites brought the ark of the Lord , the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent.[#8:4 2Ch 1:3; #8:4 2Ch 5:4–5]
5King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel, who had gathered around him and were with him in front of the ark, were sacrificing sheep, goats, and cattle that could not be counted or numbered, because there were so many.[#8:5 2Ch 1:6; 30:24]
6The priests brought the ark of the Lord ’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place beneath the wings of the cherubim.[#8:6 1Kg 6:19]
7For the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles from above.[#8:7 LXX; MT reads towards; #8:6–7 1Kg 6:23–28]
8The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside the sanctuary; they are still there today.[#8:8 Ex 25:13–15; 37:4–5]
9Nothing was in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb, , where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.[#8:9 = Sinai; #8:9 Ex 25:21; Dt 10:5; #8:9 Ex 24:7–8; Dt 4:13]
10When the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the Lord ’s temple,[#8:10 Ex 40:34–35; 2Ch 7:1]
11and because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple.[#8:11 2Ch 7:2; Ezk 10:4,18–19; 43:4–5]
12Then Solomon said:
The Lord said that he would dwell in total darkness.
13I have indeed built an exalted temple for you,[#8:13 2Sm 7:13]
a place for your dwelling for ever.
14The king turned around and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing.[#8:14 Ex 39:43; 2Sm 6:18; 1Kg 8:55]
15He said:
22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands towards heaven.[#8:22–53 2Ch 6:12–42; #8:22 1Kg 8:54; 2Ch 6:12]
23He said:
54When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord , he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord , with his hands spread out towards heaven,[#8:54 2Ch 6:12–13]
55and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice:[#8:55 Nm 6:23–26; 2Sm 6:18]
56‘Blessed be the Lord ! He has given rest to his people Israel according to all he has said. Not one of all the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed.[#8:56 Dt 12:10; 1Ch 22:18; Heb 3:18–19; #8:56 Jos 21:45; 23:15]
57May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us[#8:57 Dt 31:6; Jos 1:5; Heb 13:5]
58so that he causes us to be devoted to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors.[#8:58 Lit causes our hearts to be inclined; #8:58 Jos 24:23; Jr 31:33; Php 2:13]
59May my words with which I have made my petition before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night. May he uphold his servant’s cause and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires.[#8:59 Pr 30:8; Mt 6:11]
60May all the peoples of the earth know that the Lord is God. There is no other![#8:60 Dt 6:4; Jos 4:24; Mk 12:32]
61Be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord our God to walk in his statutes and to keep his commands, as you are today.’[#8:61 Dt 6:5; 1Kg 9:4; 11:4]
62The king and all Israel with him were offering sacrifices in the Lord ’s presence.
63Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord : twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. In this manner the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord ’s temple.[#8:62–63 1Ch 29:21; 2Ch 7:4–5; Ezr 6:16–17; #8:63 Dt 20:5; Ezr 6:16; Neh 12:27; #8:63 2Ch 7:5]
64On the same day, the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the Lord ’s temple because that was where he offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, since the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to accommodate the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.[#8:64 Lv 6–7; #8:64 2Ch 7:7]
65Solomon and all Israel with him #– #a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath , to the Brook of Egypt #– #observed the festival at that time in the presence of the Lord our God, for seven days, and seven more days #– #fourteen days. ,[#8:65 Or from Lebo-hamath; #8:65 Nm 13:21; 34:8; #8:65 Gn 15:18; #8:65 Lv 23:36; 1Kg 8:2; #8:65 Temple dedication lasted seven days, and the Festival of Shelters lasted for seven days.; #8:65 2Ch 7:9]
66On the fifteenth day he sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went to their homes rejoicing and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.[#8:66 Lit the eighth day; #8:66 Lit tents; #8:66 2Ch 7:10]