7When 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.H8010H3615H6419H784H3381H8064H398H5930H2077H3519H3068H4390H10042Because the Temple was full of the dazzling light, the priests could not enter it.H3548H3201H935H1004H3068H3519H3068H4390H3068H10043When 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.H1121H3478H7200H784H3381H3519H3068H1004H3766H639H776H7531H7812H3034H3068H2896H2617H57694Then Solomon and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD.H4428H5971H2076H2077H6440H30685He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so he and all the people dedicated the Temple.H4428H8010H2076H2077H6242H8147H505H1241H3967H6242H505H6629H4428H5971H2596H1004H4306The 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.H3548H5975H4931H3881H3627H7892H3068H1732H4428H6213H3034H3068H2617H5769H1732H1984H3027H3548H2690H2690H3478H59757Solomon 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.H8010H6942H8432H2691H6440H1004H3068H6213H5930H2459H8002H5178H4196H8010H6213H3201H3557H5930H4503H24598Solomon 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.H6256H8010H6213H2282H7651H3117H3478H3966H1419H6951H935H2574H5158H47149They 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,H8066H3117H6213H6116H6213H2598H4196H7651H3117H2282H7651H311710and 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.H7969H6242H3117H7637H2320H7971H5971H7971H168H8056H2896H3820H2896H3068H6213H1732H8010H3478H5971
God Appears to Solomon Again
11After King Solomon had finished the Temple and the palace, successfully completing all his plans for them,H8010H3615H1004H3068H4428H1004H935H8010H3820H6213H1004H3068H1004H674312the 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.H3068H7200H8010H3915H559H8085H8605H977H4725H1004H207713Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people,H2005H6113H8064H4306H6680H2284H398H776H7971H1698H597114if 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.H5971H7121H8034H3665H6419H1245H6440H7725H7451H1870H8085H8064H5545H2403H7495H77615I will watch over this Temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here,H5869H6605H241H7183H8605H472516because 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.H977H6942H1004H8034H5704H5769H5869H3820H311717If you serve me faithfully as your father David did, obeying my laws and doing everything I have commanded you,H3212H6440H1732H1H1980H6213H6680H8104H2706H494118I will keep the promise I made to your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by his descendants.H6965H3678H4438H3772H1732H1H559H3772H376H4910H347819But if you and your people ever disobey the laws and commands I have given you and worship other gods,H7725H5800H2708H4687H5414H6440H1980H5647H312H430H781220then 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.H5428H127H5414H1004H6942H8034H7993H6440H5414H4912H8148H597121"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?'H1004H5945H8074H5674H559H3068H6213H776H100422People 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.' "H559H5800H3068H430H1H3318H776H4714H2388H312H430H7812H5647H935H7451
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