Solomon Dedicates the Temple
(1 Kings 8.62-66)1 As soon as Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burned up the offerings. The Lord's dazzling glory then filled the temple, 2 and the priests could not go in.
3 When the crowd of people saw the fire and the Lord's glory, they knelt down and worshiped the Lord. They prayed:
“The Lord is good,
and his love never ends.”
4-5 Solomon and the people dedicated the temple to the Lord by sacrificing 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. 6 Everybody stood up during the ceremony. The priests were in their assigned places, blowing their trumpets. And the Levites faced them, playing the musical instruments that David had made for them to use when they praised the Lord for his never-ending love.
7 On that same day, Solomon dedicated the courtyard in front of the temple and got it ready to be used for worship. The bronze altar he had made was too small, so he used the courtyard to offer sacrifices to please the Lord and grain sacrifices, and also to send up in smoke the fat from the other offerings.
8 For 7 days, Solomon and the crowd celebrated the Festival of Shelters, and people came from as far away as the Egyptian Gorge in the south and Lebo-Hamath in the north. 9 Then on the next day, everyone came together for worship. They had celebrated a total of 14 days, 7 days for the dedication of the altar and 7 more days for the festival. 10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent everyone home. They left very happy because of all the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon, and for his people Israel.
The Lord Appears to Solomon Again
(1 Kings 9.1-9)11 The Lord's temple and Solomon's palace were now finished. In fact, everything Solomon had planned to do was completed.
12 Some time later, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said:
I heard your prayer, and I have chosen this temple as the place where sacrifices will be offered to me.
13 Suppose I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat the crops or make my people suffer with deadly diseases. 14 If my own people will humbly pray and turn back to me and stop sinning, then I will answer them from heaven. I will forgive them and make their land fertile once again. 15 I will hear the prayers made in this temple, 16 because it belongs to me, and this is where I will be worshiped forever. I will never stop watching over it.
17 Your father David obeyed me, and now, Solomon, you must do the same. Obey my laws and teachings, 18 and I will keep my solemn promise to him that someone from your family will always be king of Israel.
19 But if you or any of the people of Israel disobey my laws or start worshiping foreign gods, 20 I will pull you out of this land I gave you. I will desert this temple where I said I would be worshiped, so that people everywhere will think it is only a joke and will make fun of it. 21 This temple is now magnificent. But when these things happen, everyone who walks by it will be shocked and will ask, “Why did the Lord do such a terrible thing to his people and to this temple?” 22 Then they will answer, “It was because the people of Israel rejected the Lord their God, who rescued their ancestors from Egypt, and they started worshiping other gods.”
Tempļa iesvētīšanai pienestie upuri
(1Ķēn 8:62–66)1 Kad Sālamans beidza lūgt, no debesīm krita uguns un aprija sadedzināmo upuri. Tad Kunga godība piepildīja namu, 2 un priesteri nespēja ieiet Kunga namā, jo to piepildīja Kunga godība! 3 Visi Israēla dēli redzēja krītošo uguni un Kunga godību, kas apņēma namu, un viņi noliecās ar seju pie zemes uz akmens grīdas, un tie slavēja Kungu un viņam pateicās: “Viņš ir labs, viņa žēlastība ir mūžīga!” 4 Gan ķēniņš, gan visi ļaudis Kunga priekšā upurēja kaujamos upurus.
5 Ķēniņš Sālamans upurēja divdesmit divus tūkstošus liellopu un simts divdesmit tūkstošus sīklopu. Ķēniņš un visi ļaudis iesvētīja Dieva namu. 6 Savās vietās stāvēja priesteri un levīti ar mūzikas instrumentiem, ko bija darinājis ķēniņš Dāvids, lai pateiktos Kungam ar Dāvida slavas vārdiem: viņa žēlastība ir mūžīga! Priesteri ar taurēm stāvēja iepretī – tur stāvēja viss Israēls.
7 Sālamans iesvētīja iekšējo pagalmu, kas Kunga nama priekšā, – viņš tur pienesa sadedzināmo upuri un miera upura taukus, jo Sālamana darinātais vara altāris bija par mazu sadedzināmajam upurim, labības dāvanai un upura taukiem. 8 Toreiz Sālamans rīkoja svētkus septiņas dienas, un viss Israēls no Hamātas līdz Ēģiptes upei bija kopā ar viņu, varen liela sapulce! 9 Astotajā dienā viņiem bija sapulce. Septiņas dienas viņi iesvētīja altāri, un septiņas dienas bija svētki. 10 Septītā mēneša divdesmit trešajā dienā viņš ļaudis atlaida mājās – tie bija līksmi un priecīgi par visu labo, ko Kungs darījis Dāvidam, Sālamanam un savai Israēla tautai!
Dievs otrreiz parādās Sālamanam
(1Ķēn 9:1–9)11 Sālamans pabeidza celt Kunga namu un ķēniņa namu – viņš sekmīgi pabeidza visu, kas Sālamanam bija jādara Kunga namā un savā namā.
12 Tad naktī Kungs parādījās Sālamanam un sacīja: “Es dzirdēju tavu lūgšanu un izvēlējos šo vietu par upura namu! 13 Kad es aizvēršu debesis un nebūs lietus vai pavēlēšu siseņiem aprīt to, kas uz zemes, vai uzsūtīšu ļaudīm mēri 14 un mana tauta, kas saukta manā vārdā, zemosies un lūgs – meklēs mani un atgriezīsies no sava ļaunā ceļa –, tad es no debesīm uzklausīšu tos, piedošu viņu grēkus un dziedēšu viņu zemi! 15 Tātad pār šo vietu manas acis būs nomodā un manas ausis pievērstas lūgšanām. 16 Es esmu izvēlējies šo namu, lai mans vārds tur mājotu mūžīgi, – manas acis un sirds būs tur vienmēr! 17 Bet tu, ja tu rīkosies tāpat kā tavs tēvs Dāvids un darīsi visu, kā es tev pavēlēju, un turēsi manus likumus un tiesas, 18 tad es nostiprināšu tavu ķēniņa troni, kā apsolīju tavam tēvam Dāvidam, sacīdams: tev netrūks, kas valda Israēlā!
19 Bet, ja jūs novērsīsieties un atmetīsiet manus likumus un baušļus, kurus es jums devu, sekosiet un kalposiet citiem dieviem, tiem zemodamies, 20 tad es tos izraušu no savas zemes, kuru tiem devu, un atmetīšu šo namu, kuru svētīju savam vārdam, un tas kļūs par parunu un izsmieklu visām tautām! 21 Par šo augsto namu visi garāmgājēji šausmināsies un sacīs: kāpēc Kungs tā darīja šai zemei un šim namam? 22 Tad tiem atbildēs: tāpēc, ka tie atmetuši Kungu, savu Dievu, kurš viņus izveda no Ēģiptes zemes, un stipri pieķērušies citiem dieviem, zemojušies un kalpojuši tiem, – tāpēc viņš lika, lai pār tiem nāk viss šis ļaunums!”
