2 Chronicles Chapter 7

The Dedication of the Temple

¹ When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from the sky and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifices, and Yahveh’s glory filled the Temple. ² The priests couldn’t go in because of it. ³ When the Israelites saw the fire and Yahveh’s glory come down on the Temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground in worship and praised him, “He’s truly good; his love endures forever.”

⁴ Then the king and the people sacrificed to Yahveh ⁵ 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. That’s how he and the people dedicated God’s Temple. ⁶ The priests and Levites stood at their positions with the musical instruments King David had made for praising Yahveh—“his love endures forever”—whenever he gave praise by their means, while the priests on the other side blew trumpets, and Israel stood. ⁷ Solomon consecrated the middle of the court in front of Yahveh’s Temple, because that’s where he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, and because the bronze altar he’d made couldn’t hold the burnt offering, grain offering, and fat. 2 Ch 7:1-7

⁸ Solomon and all Israel observed the festival for a week, a huge assembly from Lebo-hamath to the River of Egypt. ⁹ They observed the dedication of the altar, kept the festival, and held a solemn assembly on the eighth day. ¹⁰ The twenty-third day, seventh month, Solomon sent the people home, celebrating and happy over Yahveh’s goodness to David, Solomon, and his people.

The LORD’s Response to Solomon

¹¹Solomon finished Yahveh’s Temple, the king’s palace, and everything he’d planned to do with them. ¹² Then Yahveh appeared to him at night and said,

“I’ve heard your prayer, and I’ve chosen this place as a temple for sacrificing. ¹³ If I shut up the sky so there’s no rain, or command locusts to devour the land, or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ and they humble themselves and pray, I’ll hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and restore their land. ¹⁵ My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to prayers offered here. ¹⁶ I’ve chosen and consecrated this Temple so my name will be here permanently. ¹⁷ If you^sg conduct yourself like your father and do everything I’ve commanded you and keep my statutes and ordinances, ¹⁸ I’ll make your throne secure like I agreed with David to do, ‘You’ll always have a descendant on Israel’s throne if they follow my law like you have.’  

¹⁹ “But if you^pl leave my statutes and commandments and worship and serve other gods, ²⁰ I’ll uproot you from the country I’ve given you and throw aside this Temple I’ve consecrated to myself. I’ll make it something mocked, a byword the world over. ²¹ Everybody that goes by will be amazed at this Temple that had been so highly praised, ‘Why has Yahveh done such a thing to this country and this Temple?’ ²² People will answer, ‘They abandoned Yahveh God who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They adopted other gods, worshiped and served them.’”                                  2 Ch 7:8-22