12Then Solomon said, “The LORD said that He would dwell in the thick darkness. 13I have surely built You a house to dwell in, a settled place for You to abide in forever”.

14And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel that was standing there. 15And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who spoke with His mouth to David, my father, and has with His Own hand fulfilled what He said, 16’Since the day that I brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, where My name might be; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17And it was in the heart of David, my father, to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18And the LORD said to David, my father, ‘You did well that it was in your heart to build a house unto My name. 19Nevertheless, you shall not build the house; but your son who shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house unto My name.’ 20And the LORD has performed His word that He spoke, and I am risen in place of David, my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21And I have set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt”.

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven. 23And he said, “LORD God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, Who keeps covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart: 24Who have kept with Your servant David, my father, that which You promised him; You did speak also with Your mouth, and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with Your servant David, my father, that which You promised him, saying, ‘There shall not fail you a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that your children take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ 26And now, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray You, be verified, which You did speak to Your servant David, my father.

27But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built? 28Yet have You respect unto the prayer of Your servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken to the cry and to the prayer, which Your servant prays before You today; 29That Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which You have said, “My name shall be there”; that You may hearken to the prayer which Your servant shall make toward this place. 30And hearken You to the supplication of Your servant, and of Your people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place; and hear You in heaven, Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

31If any man trespasses against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before Your altar in this house, 32Then hear You in heaven, and do, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

33When Your people, Israel, are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against You, and shall turn again to You, and confess Your name, and pray, and make supplication to You in this house, 34Then hear You in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which You gave to their fathers.

35When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You; if they pray toward this place, and confess Your name, and turn from their sin, when You afflict them, 36Then hear You in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, that You teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

37If there is in the land famine, or there is pestilence, blighting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is; 38Whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all Your people, Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house, 39Then hear You in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart You know ; (for You, even You only, know the hearts of all the children of men), 40That they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

41Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but comes out of a far country for Your name's sake 42For they shall hear of Your great name, and of Your strong hand, and of Your outstretched arm - when they shall come and pray toward this house, 43Hear You in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to You for; that all people of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have built, is called by Your name.

44If Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You shall send them, and shall pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for Your name: 45Then hear You in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. 46If they sin against You, - for there is no man who does not sin - and You are 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; 47Yet if they shall take it to their hearts in the land where they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of them who carried them captives, saying, “We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness”; 48And so return to You with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land, which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name: 49Then hear You their prayer and their supplication in heaven, Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50And forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against You, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them; 51For they are Your people, and Your inheritance, whom You brought forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron; 52That Your eyes may be open unto the supplication of Your servant, and unto the supplication of Your people, Israel, to hearken to them in all that they call for unto You. 53For You did separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be Your inheritance, as You did speak by the hand of Moses, Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O LORD God.”

54And it was so, that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 55And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56“Blessed be the LORD, Who has given rest to His people, Israel, according to all that He promised; there has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant. 57The LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; let Him not leave us, nor forsake us: 58That He may incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and His statutes, and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59And let these my words, wherewith 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, Israel, at all times, as the matter shall require; 60That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. 61Let your heart, therefore, be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

62And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the temple of the LORD. 64The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the temple of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings; because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days plus seven days, (beyond the prescribed period for the Feast of Booths), a total of fourteen days. 66On 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 Israel, His people.