I Kings 8 · מלכים א

Then Shelomo assembled the elders of Yisra᾽el, and all the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers of the children of Yisra᾽el, to king Shelomo in Yerushalayim, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Żiyyon.

And all the men of Yisra᾽el assembled themselves to king Shelomo at the feast in the month of Etanim, which is the seventh month.

And all the elders of Yisra᾽el came, and the priests took up the ark.

And they brought up the ark of the Lord, and the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

And king Shelomo, and all the congregation of Yisra᾽el, that were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the keruvim.

For the keruvim spread out their two wings over the place of the ark, and the keruvim covered the ark and its poles above.

And they drew out the poles, so that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place, before the sanctuary, though they were not seen outside: and there they are to this day.

There was nothing in the ark save the two tablets of stone, which Moshe put there at Ḥorev, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Yisra᾽el, when they came out of the land of Miżrayim.

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

Then spoke Shelomo, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

I have surely built Thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for Thee to abide in for ever.

And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Yisra᾽el: (and all the congregation of Yisra᾽el stood:)

and he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, who spoke with his mouth to David my father, and has with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

Since the day that I brought forth my people Yisra᾽el out of Miżrayim, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Yisra᾽el to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Yisra᾽el.

And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Yisra᾽el.

And the Lord said to David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house to my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart.

Yet thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house to my name.

And the Lord has performed his word that he spoke, and I am risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Yisra᾽el, as the Lord promised, and have built a house for the name of the Lord God of Yisra᾽el.

And I have set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Miżrayim.

And Shelomo stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Yisra᾽el and spread out his hands towards heaven:

and he said, Lord God of Yisra᾽el, there is no God like Thee, in the heaven above, or on the earth beneath, who keepest covenant and troth with Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart:

who hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him: Thou didst also with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand, as it is this day.

Therefore now, Lord God of Yisra᾽el, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Yisra᾽el; provided that thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

And now, O God of Yisra᾽el, let Thy word, I pray Thee, be verified, which Thou didst speak to Thy servant David my father.

For will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built?

Have consideration therefore to the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken to the cry and to the prayer, which Thy servant prays before Thee to day:

that Thy eyes may be open towards this house night and day, towards the place of which Thou hast said, My name shall be there: that Thou mayst hearken to the prayer which Thy servant shall make toward this place.

And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Yisra᾽el, when they shall pray towards this place: and hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place: and when Thou hearest, forgive.

If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before Thy altar in this house:

then hear Thou in heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

When Thy people Yisra᾽el are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against Thee, and shall turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name, and pray, and make supplication to Thee in this house:

then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Yisra᾽el, and bring them back to the land which Thou didst give to their fathers.

When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against Thee; if they pray towards this place, and confess Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict them:

then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy people Yisra᾽el, that Thou teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast given to Thy people for an inheritance.

If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be:

Whatever prayer and whatever supplication is made by any man, or by all Thy people Yisra᾽el, (who shall know every man the plague of his own heart) and he spread forth his hands towards this house:

then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart Thou knowst; (for Thou, Thou only, knowst the hearts of all the children of men;)

that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou didst give to our fathers.

Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of Thy people Yisra᾽el, but comes out of a far country for Thy name’s sake:

(for they shall hear of Thy great name, and of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray towards this house;

hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to Thee for: that all people of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Yisra᾽el; and that they may know that this house, which I have built is called by Thy name.

If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever Thou shalt send them, and shall pray to the Lord towards the city which Thou hast chosen, and towards the house that I have built for Thy name:

then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

If they sin against Thee, (for there is no man who does not sin) and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives to the land of the enemy, far or near;

yet if they take thought in the land where they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication to Thee in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

and so they return to Thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, who led them away captive, and pray to Thee towards their land, which Thou didst give to their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name:

then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,

and forgive Thy people that have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against Thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

for they are Thy people, and Thy inheritance, whom Thou didst bring out of Miżrayim, out of the midst of the iron furnace:

that Thy eyes may be open to the supplication of Thy servant, and to the supplication of Thy people Yisra᾽el, to hearken to them in all that they call for to Thee.

For Thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be Thy inheritance, as Thou didst speak by the hand of Moshe Thy servant, when Thou didst bring our fathers out of Miżrayim, O Lord God.

And it was so, that when Shelomo had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Yisra᾽el with a loud voice, saying,

Blessed is the Lord that has given rest to his people Yisra᾽el, according to all that he promised: there has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moshe his servant.

The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:

that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

And let these my words, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Yisra᾽el at all times, as each day may require,

that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is no other.

Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

And the king, and all Yisra᾽el with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.

And Shelomo offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Yisra᾽el dedicated the house of the Lord.

On the same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the altar of brass that was before the Lord was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

And at that time Shelomo held a feast, and all Yisra᾽el with him, a great congregation, from the entrance of Ḥamath to the wadi of Miżrayim, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven days, namely fourteen days.

On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Yisra᾽el his people.