2Chronicles 6

Solomon Praises the Lord

6Then Solomon prayed, "O LORD, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness.H559H8010H3068H559H7931H62052Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!"H1129H1004H2073H4349H3427H57693Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him and gave this blessing.H4428H5437H6440H1288H6951H3478H6951H3478H59754"Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father,H559H1288H3068H430H3478H3027H4390H1696H6310H1H1732H5595'From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel.H3117H3318H5971H776H4714H977H5892H7626H3478H1129H1004H8034H977H376H5057H5971H34786But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for my name to be honored, and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.'"H977H3389H8034H977H1732H5971H34787Then Solomon said, "My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.H3824H1732H1H1129H1004H8034H3068H430H34788But the LORD told him, 'You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name. Your intention is good,H3068H559H1732H1H3824H1129H1004H8034H2895H38249but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me.'H7535H1129H1004H1121H3318H2504H1129H1004H803410"And now the LORD has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father's place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.H3068H6965H1697H1696H6965H1732H1H3427H3678H3478H3068H1696H1129H1004H8034H3068H430H347811There I have placed the Ark, which contains the covenant that the LORD made with the people of Israel."H8033H7760H727H1285H3068H3772H1121H3478

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

12Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the entire community of Israel, and he lifted his hands in prayer.H5975H6440H4196H3068H6951H3478H6566H370913Now Solomon had made a bronze platform 7 1/2 feet long, 7 1/2 feet wide, and 4 1/2 feet high

and had placed it at the center of the Temple's outer courtyard. He stood on the platform, and then he knelt in front of the entire community of Israel and lifted his hands toward heaven.H8010H6213H5178H3595H2568H520H753H2568H520H7341H7969H520H6967H5414H8432H5835H5975H1288H1290H6951H3478H6566H3709H806414He prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.H559H3068H430H3478H430H8064H776H8104H1285H2617H5650H1980H6440H382015You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today.H8104H5650H1732H1H1696H1696H6310H4390H3027H311716"And now, O LORD, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, 'If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.'H3068H430H3478H8104H5650H1732H1H1696H559H3772H376H6440H3427H3678H3478H7535H1121H8104H1870H3212H8451H1980H644017Now, O LORD, God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David.H3068H430H3478H1697H539H1696H5650H173218"But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!H430H552H3427H120H776H8064H8064H8064H3557H1004H112919Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you.H6437H8605H5650H8467H3068H430H8085H7440H8605H5650H6419H644020May you watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have said you would put your name. May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place.H5869H6605H1004H3119H3915H4725H559H7760H8034H8085H8605H5650H6419H472521May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.H8085H8469H5650H5971H3478H6419H4725H8085H3427H4725H8064H8085H554522"If someone wrongs another person and is required to take an oath of innocence in front of your altar at this Temple,H376H2398H7453H423H5375H422H423H935H6440H4196H100423then hear from heaven and judge between your servants—the accuser and the accused. Pay back the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence.H8085H8064H6213H8199H5650H7725H7563H5414H1870H7218H6663H6662H5414H666624"If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn back and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple,H5971H3478H5062H6440H341H2398H7725H3034H8034H6419H2603H6440H100425then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave to them and to their ancestors.H8085H8064H5545H2403H5971H3478H7725H127H5414H126"If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them,H8064H6113H4306H2398H6419H4725H3034H8034H7725H2403H603127then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them to follow the right path, and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as their special possession.H8085H8064H5545H2403H5650H5971H3478H3384H2896H1870H3212H5414H4306H776H5414H5971H515928If there is a famine in the land or a plague or crop disease or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people's enemies are in the land besieging their towns—whatever disaster or disease there is—H7458H776H1698H7711H3420H697H2625H341H6887H8179H776H5061H424529and if your people Israel pray about their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple,H8605H8467H120H5971H3478H376H3045H5061H4341H6566H3709H100430then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart.H8085H8064H3427H4349H5545H5414H376H1870H3824H3045H3045H3824H1121H12031Then they will fear you and walk in your ways as long as they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.H3372H3212H1870H3117H2416H6440H127H5414H132"In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple,H5237H5971H3478H935H7350H776H1419H8034H2389H3027H5186H2220H935H6419H100433then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.H8085H8064H3427H4349H6213H5237H7121H5971H776H3045H8034H3372H5971H3478H3045H1004H1129H7121H803434"If your people go out where you send them to fight their enemies, and if they pray to you by turning toward this city you have chosen and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name,H5971H3318H4421H341H1870H7971H6419H1870H5892H977H1004H1129H803435then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.H8085H8064H8605H8467H6213H494136"If they sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to a foreign land far away or near.H2398H120H2398H599H5414H6440H341H7617H7617H776H7350H713837But in that land of exile, they might turn to you in repentance and pray, 'We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.'H7725H3824H776H7617H7725H2603H776H7628H559H2398H5753H756138If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their captivity and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors—toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name—H7725H3820H5315H776H7628H7617H6419H1870H776H5414H1H5892H977H1004H1129H803439then hear their prayers and their petitions from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause. Forgive your people who have sinned against you.H8085H8064H3427H4349H8605H8467H6213H4941H5545H5971H239840"O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place.H430H5869H6605H241H7183H8605H472541"And now arise, O LORD God, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation; may your loyal servants rejoice in your goodness.H6965H3068H430H5118H727H5797H3548H3068H430H3847H8668H2623H8055H289642O LORD God, do not reject the king you have anointed. Remember your unfailing love for your servant David."H3068H430H7725H6440H4899H2142H2617H1732H5650