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2 Chronicles 7
New English Translation

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven[a] and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord’s splendor filled the temple. 2 The priests were unable to enter the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s splendor filled the Lord’s temple. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s splendor over the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,[b] “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!”

4 The king and all the people were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 5 King Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple. 6 The priests stood in their assigned spots, along with the Levites who had the musical instruments used for praising the Lord.[c] (These were the ones King David made for giving thanks to the Lord and which were used by David when he offered praise, saying, “Certainly his loyal love endures.”)[d] Opposite the Levites,[e] the priests were blowing the trumpets, while all Israel stood there. 7 Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered burnt sacrifices, grain offerings,[f] and the fat from the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar that Solomon had made was too small to hold all these offerings.[g] 8 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival for seven days. This great assembly included people from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Stream of Egypt in the south.[h] 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had dedicated the altar for seven days and celebrated the festival for seven more days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon[i] sent the people home. They left[j] happy and contented[k] because of the good the Lord had done for David, Solomon, and his people Israel.

The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning

11 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and accomplished all his plans for the Lord’s temple and his royal palace,[l] 12 the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered[m] your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made.[n] 13 When[o] I close up the sky[p] so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to devour the land’s vegetation,[q] or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who belong to me,[r] humble themselves, pray, seek to please me,[s] and repudiate their sinful practices,[t] then I will respond[u] from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.[v] 15 Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place.[w] 16 Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home;[x] I will be constantly present there.[y] 17 You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.[z] 18 Then I will establish your dynasty,[aa] just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.’[ab]

19 “But if you people[ac] ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep,[ad] and decide to serve and worship other gods,[ae] 20 then I will remove you[af] from my land I have given you,[ag] I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence,[ah] and I will make you[ai] an object of mockery and ridicule[aj] among all the nations. 21 As for this temple, which was once majestic,[ak] everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 22 Others will then answer,[al] ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors,[am] who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served.[an] That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:1 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:3 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:6 tn Heb “and the priests were standing at their posts, and the Levites with the instruments of music of the Lord.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 7:6 tn Heb “which David the king made to give thanks to the Lord, for lasting is his loyal love, when David praised by them.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 7:6 tn Heb “opposite them”; the referent (the Levites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. 2 Chronicles 7:7 tc The Hebrew text omits reference to the grain offerings at this point, but note that they are included both in the list in the second half of the verse (see note on “offerings” at the end of this verse) and in the parallel account in 1 Kgs 8:64. The construction וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָה (veʾet-hamminkhah; vav [ו] + accusative sign + noun with article; “grain offerings”) was probably omitted accidentally by homoioarcton. Note the וְאֶת (veʾet) that immediately follows.
  7. 2 Chronicles 7:7 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifice, the grain offering, and the fat portions.” Because this is redundant, the translation employs a summary phrase: “all these offerings.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 7:8 tn Heb “Solomon held the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel was with him, a very great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the wadi of Egypt.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 7:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  10. 2 Chronicles 7:10 tn The words “they left” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  11. 2 Chronicles 7:10 tn Heb “good of heart.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 7:11 tn Heb “and all that entered the heart of Solomon to do in the house of the Lord and in his house he successfully accomplished.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 7:12 tn Heb “I have heard.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 7:12 tn Heb “temple of sacrifice.” This means the Lord designated the temple as the place for making sacrifices, and this has been clarified in the translation.
  15. 2 Chronicles 7:13 tn Or “if.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 7:13 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  17. 2 Chronicles 7:13 tn Heb “the land,” which stands here by metonymy for the vegetation growing in it.
  18. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “over whom my name is called.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
  19. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “seek my face,” where “my face” is figurative for God’s presence and acceptance.
  20. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “and turn from their sinful ways.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “hear.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 7:14 sn Here the phrase heal their land means restore the damage done by the drought, locusts and plague mentioned in v. 13.
  23. 2 Chronicles 7:15 tn Heb “my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place.” Note Solomon’s request in 6:40.
  24. 2 Chronicles 7:16 tn Heb “for my name to be there perpetually [or perhaps, “forever”].”
  25. 2 Chronicles 7:16 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 7:17 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.”sn Verse 17 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 18.
  27. 2 Chronicles 7:18 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 7:18 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man ruling over Israel.”
  29. 2 Chronicles 7:19 tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, suggesting that Solomon and all Israel (or perhaps Solomon and his successors) are in view. To convey this to the English reader, the translation “you people” has been employed.
  30. 2 Chronicles 7:19 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
  31. 2 Chronicles 7:19 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “them.” The switch from the second to the third person pronoun is rhetorically effective, for it mirrors God’s rejection of his people—he has stopped addressing them as “you” and begun addressing them as “them.” However, the switch is awkward and confusing in English, so the translation maintains the direct address style.
  33. 2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “them.” See the note on “you” earlier in this verse.
  34. 2 Chronicles 7:20 tc Instead of “I will throw away,” the parallel text in 1 Kgs 9:7 has “I will send away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.tn Heb “and this temple which I consecrated for my name I will throw away from before my face.”
  35. 2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “him,” which appears in context to refer to Israel (i.e., “you” in direct address). Many translations understand the direct object of the verb “make” to be the temple (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “it”).
  36. 2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “and I will make him [i.e., Israel] a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
  37. 2 Chronicles 7:21 tn Heb “and this house which was high/elevated.” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
  38. 2 Chronicles 7:22 tn Heb “and they will say.”
  39. 2 Chronicles 7:22 tn Heb “fathers.”
  40. 2 Chronicles 7:22 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
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2 Chronicles 7
New International Version

The Dedication of the Temple(A)

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire(B) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled(C) the temple.(D) 2 The priests could not enter(E) the temple of the Lord because the glory(F) of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(G)

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites(H) with the Lord’s musical instruments,(I) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

7 Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat(J) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

8 So Solomon observed the festival(K) at that time for seven days, and all Israel(L) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(M) to the Wadi of Egypt.(N) 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated(O) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival(P) for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(Q)

11 When Solomon had finished(R) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared(S) to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(T) this place for myself(U) as a temple for sacrifices.

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(V) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(W) will humble(X) themselves and pray and seek my face(Y) and turn(Z) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(AA) from heaven, and I will forgive(AB) their sin and will heal(AC) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(AD) 16 I have chosen(AE) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(AF) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(AG) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(AH) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(AI) to rule over Israel.’(AJ)

19 “But if you[a] turn away(AK) and forsake(AL) the decrees and commands I have given you[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(AM) Israel from my land,(AN) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(AO) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[c] who pass by will be appalled(AP) and say,(AQ) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(AR)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all
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2 Chronicles 7
King James Version

7 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.

3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord.

5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

6 And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the Lord, which David the king had made to praise the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.

7 Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.

8 Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.

9 And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

10 And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

12 And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;

18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

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