OEB by section 1KI 8:1

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1 Kings 8

8 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers’ houses of the Israelites in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is in Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled about King Solomon at the feast, in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priest took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; even these did the priests and Levites bring up. 5 Then King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark sacrificing so many sheep and oxen, that they could neither be counted nor numbered. 6 So the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to its place in the inner room of the temple (in the most holy place) under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim formed a covering above the ark and its slaves. 8 And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the place before the inner room; but further out they could not be seen. And there they are to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the Israelites as they came from the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests had come from the sanctuary, the cloud filled the temple of Jehovah, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah filled the temple of Jehovah.

In the Masoretic Text, verse 12 reads, "Then Solomon said, Yhwh said he would dwell in thick darkness." 12 Then Solomon said,

Jehovah hath set the sun in the heavens,

But he hath himself determined to dwell in thick darkness.

13 So I have built thee a temple as a place of abode,

A dwelling for thee to abide in forever. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar?

14 Then the king turned about and blessed all the assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel stood up. 15 He said, ‘Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who has with his own hand fulfilled what he spoke with his mouth to David my father, saying,The Masoretic Text omits, "but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there". 16 “Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel from Egypt, I chose no {other} city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a temple, that my name might be there; but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.” 17 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a temple for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 18 But Jehovah said to David my father, “Whereas it was in thy heart to build a temple for my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart; 19 nevertheless thou shalt not build the temple; but thy son, who shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the temple for my name.” 20 Now Jehovah has fulfilled his promise that he made: for I have risen up in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and have built the temple for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 21 And there have I set a place for the ark in which is the covenant of Jehovah, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.’

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread forth his hands toward heaven, 23 and said, ‘O Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee in heaven above or on earth beneath, who keepest the covenant and showest kindness to thy servants who walk before thee with all their heart, 24 who hast kept with thy servant David my father the promise that thou didst make to him; yea, thou spakest with thy mouth and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day. 25 Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father the promise that thou hast made to him, saying, “There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me.” 26 Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou hast spoken to thy servant David my father.

The Masoretic Text omits "with men". 27 ‘But can God actually dwell with men on the earth? Indeed heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this temple that I have built! 28 Yet have respect to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O Jehovah, my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer which thy servant offereth before thee this day, 29 that thine eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, “My name shall be there.” to listen to the prayer which thy servant shall offer toward this place. 30 And hear thou the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place; yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest forgive.

31 ‘If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this temple, 32 then hear thou in heaven, and act and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring the consequences of his conduct upon his own head and justifying the righteous, to recompense him according to his righteousness.

33 ‘When thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy because they have sinned against thee, if they turn again to thee and confess thy name and pray and make supplication to thee in this temple, 34 then hear thou in heaven and forgive the sin of thy people Israel and bring them again to the land which thou gavest to their fathers. 35 When heaven is shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place and confess thy name and turn from their sin, when thou doest humble them, 36 then hear thou in heaven and forgive the sin of of they servants and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way in which they should walk, and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.Where Kent reads, "in any of their gates", the Masoretic Text reads "in the land of their cities". 37 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besiege them in any of their gates; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be, Where the Masoretic Text reads "any man", the Masoretic Text reads "by any man, by all your people Israel". 38 whatever prayer and supplication be made by any man, who knows his own personal affliction, and spreads forth his hands toward this temple, 39 then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place and forgive and act and render to every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men), 40 that they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest to our fathers.

41 ‘Also to the foreigner, who is not of thy people Israel, but comes from a far country for thy name’s sake-- 42 for they shall hear of thy great name and of thy mighty hand and of thine outstretched arm--when he shall come and pray toward this temple, 43 wilt thou listen in heaven thy dwelling place, and do all things as the foreigner request of thee, that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy place Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by thy name.

Where Kent reads "to thee", the Masoretic Text reads "to Yhwh". 44 ‘If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way thou shalt send them, and they pray to thee in the direction of the city which thou hast chosen and the temple which I have built for thy name, 45 then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication and uphold their cause.

46 ‘If they sin against thee--for there is no man that sinneth not--and thou be angry with them and deliver them to their enemy, so that they carry them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near;Where Kent reads "captivity", the Masoretic Text reads "captors". 47 yet if they shall be converted in the land to which they are carried captive and turn again and make supplication to thee in the land of their captivity, saying, “We have sinned, and have acted perversely and wickedly; 48 if they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul while yet in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to thee in the direction of their land, which thou hast chosen and the temple which I have built for thy name, 49 then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and uphold their cause, 50 and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions with which they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion with those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them-- 51 for they are thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace-- 52 that thine eyes may be open to the supplication of thy servant and to the supplication of thy people Israel, to listen to them whenever they cry to thee. 53 For thou didst separate them from all the peoples of the earth to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Jehovah.’

54 After Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to Jehovah, he arose from kneeling on his knees before the altar of Jehovah with his hands spread forth toward heaven, 55 and stood, and with a loud voice blessed all the assembly of Israel, saying, 56 ‘Blessed be Jehovah who hath given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. One word hath not failed of all his good promise, which he made by Moses his servant. 57 Jehovah our God be with us, as he was with our fathers; let him not leave us nor forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commands and his statutes and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. 59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be near to Jehovah, our God, day and night, that he uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day shall require, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah is God alone. 61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes and to keep his commandments, as at this day.’

62 Both the king and all Israel offered sacrifice before Jehovah. 63 Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered to Jehovah, twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of Jehovah. 64 The same day the king hallowed the middle of the court that was before the temple of Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offering and the cereal-offering and the fat pieces of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar that was before Jehovah was too small to receive the burnt-offering and the cereal-offering and the fat of the peace-offerings.Where Kent reads "seven days", the Masoretic Text reads "seven days and seven days: fourteen days". 65 So Solomon held the feast at that time and all Israel with him--a great assembly, from the entrance to Hamath to the brook of Egypt--before Jehovah our God, seven days.At the beginning of verse 66, the Masoretic Text omits "But". Where Kent reads "receiving a blessing from the king", the Masoretic Text has "blessing the king". 66 But on the eighth day he sent the people away; and receiving a blessing from the king, they went to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that Jehovah had showed to David his servant, and to Israel his people.

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