1 And when Salomon had made an ende of praying, fire came downe from heauen, and consumed the burnt offring and the sacrifices: and the glory of the Lord filled the house, 2 So that the Priestes could not euter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lordes house. 3 And when all the children of Israel saw the fire, and the glory of the Lord come downe vpon the house, they bowed themselues with their faces to the earth vpon the pauement, and worshipped and praysed the Lord, saying, For he is good, because his mercy lasteth for euer. 4 Then the King and all the people offred sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Salomon offered a sacrifice of two and twentie thousand bullockes, and an hundreth and twentie thousand sheepe. so the King and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 And the Priests waited on their offices, and the Leuites with the instruments of musicke of the Lord, which King Dauid had made to praise the Lord, Because his mercy lasteth for euer: whe Dauid praysed God by them, the Priestes also blewe trumpets ouer against them: and all they of Israel stoode by. 7 Moreouer Salomon halowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there hee had prepared burnt offerings, and the fatte of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Salomon had made, was not able to receiue the burnt offering, and the meate offring, and the fat. 8 And Salomon made a feast at that time of seuen dayes, and all Israel with him, a very great Congregation, from the entring in of Hamath, vnto the riuer of Egypt. 9 And in the eight day they made a solemne assemblie: for they had made the dedication of the altar seuen daies, and the feast seuen dayes. 10 And the three and twentieth day of the seuenth moneth, he sent the people away into their tentes, ioyous and with glad heart, because of the goodnesse that the Lord had done for Dauid and for Salomon, and for Israel his people. 11 So Salomon finished the house of the Lord, and the Kings house, and all that came into Salomons heart to make in the house of the Lord: and he prospered in his house. 12 And the Lord appeared to Salomon by night and said to him, I haue heard thy prayer, and haue chosen this place for my selfe to be an house of sacrifice. 13 If I shut the heauen that there be no raine, or if I commaund the grashopper to deuoure the lande, or if I sende pestilence among my people, 14 If my people, among whome my Name is called vpon, doe humble them selues, and praye, and seeke my presence, and turne from their wicked wayes, then will I heare in heauen, and be mercifull to their sinne, and wil heale their land: 15 Then mine eies shalbe open and mine eares attent vnto the prayer made in this place. 16 For I haue nowe chosen and sanctified this house, that my Name may be there for euer: and mine eyes and mine heart shalbe there perpetually. 17 And if thou wilt walke before me, as Dauid thy father walked, to doe according vnto all that I haue commanded thee, and shalt obserue my statutes and my iudgements, 18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdome, according as I made the couenant with Dauid thy father, saying, Thou shalt not want a man to be ruler in Israel. 19 But if ye turne away, and forsake my statutes and my commandements which I haue set before you, and shall goe and serue other gods, and worshippe them, 20 Then will I plucke them vp out of my lande, which I haue giuen them, and this house which I haue sanctified for my Name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a prouerbe and a common talke among all people. 21 And this house which is most hie, shall be an astonishment to euery one that passeth by it, so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus to this lande, and to this house? 22 And they shall answere, Because they forsooke the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the lande of Egypt, and haue taken holde on other gods, and haue worshipped them, and serued them, therefore hath he brought all this euill vpon them.
The Dedication of the Temple
(1 Kings 8.62-66)1 When King Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and burned up the sacrifices that had been offered, and the dazzling light of the Lord's presence filled the Temple. 2 Because the Temple was full of the dazzling light, the priests could not enter it. 3 When the people of Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the light fill the Temple, they fell face downward on the pavement, worshiping God and praising him for his goodness and his eternal love. 4 Then Solomon and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. 5 He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so he and all the people dedicated the Temple. 6 The priests stood in the places that were assigned to them, and facing them stood the Levites, praising the Lord with the musical instruments that King David had provided and singing the hymn, “His Love Is Eternal!” as they had been commissioned by David. The priests blew trumpets while all the people stood.
7 Solomon consecrated the central part of the courtyard, the area in front of the Temple, and then offered there the sacrifices burned whole, the grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings. He did this because the bronze altar which he had made was too small for all these offerings.
8 Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters for seven days. There was a huge crowd of people from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the Egyptian border in the south. 9 They had spent seven days for the dedication of the altar and then seven more days for the festival. On the last day they had a closing celebration, 10 and on the following day, the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They were happy about all the blessings that the Lord had given to his people Israel, to David, and to Solomon.
God Appears to Solomon Again
(1 Kings 9.1-9)11 After King Solomon had finished the Temple and the palace, successfully completing all his plans for them, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I accept this Temple as the place where sacrifices are to be offered to me. 13 Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people, 14 if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again. 15 I will watch over this Temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here, 16 because I have chosen it and consecrated it as the place where I will be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time. 17 If you serve me faithfully as your father David did, obeying my laws and doing everything I have commanded you, 18 I will keep the promise I made to your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by his descendants. 19 But if you and your people ever disobey the laws and commands I have given you and worship other gods, 20 then I will remove you from the land that I gave you, and I will abandon this Temple that I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule it and treat it with contempt.
21 “The Temple is now greatly honored, but then everyone who passes by it will be amazed and will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this Temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why the Lord has brought this disaster on them.’”