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1 Kings

Starts with King Solomon's reign, his wisdom, and building the temple, then the kingdom dividing into Israel and Judah.

Chapter 8

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1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

*Then King Solomon gathered the older leaders of Israel and all the important people from the tribes. They came to help him move the special box of God's agreement from the city called Zion, which was also David's city.

2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

*All the Israelite men gathered for King Solomon's feast in the seventh month, called Ethanim.

3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

*All the older people from Israel arrived, and the priests carried the special box.

4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

*They carried the Lord's ark, the meeting tent, and all the sacred items inside the tent. The priests and Levites did this.

5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

*King Solomon and all the people of Israel gathered around him were offering many sheep and cows, so many that it was impossible to count them all.

6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.

*The priests carried the special box called the Ark of the Covenant into its place, inside a special room in the temple, to the very holy area, right under the large angel-like creatures called cherubims.

7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

*The angels spread their wings over the ark's spot, covering both the ark and its poles.

8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.

*They removed the poles, so the tips of the poles were visible inside the sacred area in front of the sacred space, and they couldn't be seen elsewhere; they have stayed there until now.

9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

*In the ark, only two stone tables were inside. Moses placed them there at Horeb when God made a promise to the Israeli people after they left Egypt.

10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

*Then, after the priests left the sacred area, the cloud filled God's house.

11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

*So the priests couldn't stay to do their job because of the thick cloud: God's greatness had filled the temple.

12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

*Then Solomon said, God says he will live in deep darkness.

13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

*I have definitely made you a home where you can stay forever.

14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)

*The king looked around and blessed everyone from Israel (and everyone from Israel stood still).

15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

*He said, "Praised is the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with his hand, as he promised."

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 an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

*Since I took my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn't pick any city from their tribes to build a house for my name. Instead, I chose David to lead my people Israel.

17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

*David, my father, wanted to build a house honoring the name of God, the Lord of Israel.

18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.

*And God told David, my dad, "It was good that you wanted to build a place for me, but you will have someone else do it."

19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

*However, you won't be the one to construct the building. Instead, your son who will be born from you will later build it for my name's sake.

20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

*The Lord fulfilled His promise and I now rule in place of my father David. I sit on Israel's throne just as the Lord said He would happen. Also, I constructed a house honoring the Lord God of Israel.

21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

*I have created a space for the ark containing God's agreement with our ancestors, made when he took them from Egypt.

22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

*Solomon stood before God's altar with all the people of Israel watching, and raised his hands towards the sky.

23 And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:

*He said, "Lord God of Israel, there isn't any other god like you in the sky or on Earth. You keep your promises and kindness for those who follow you wholeheartedly."

24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

*You have kept your promise to my father, David, just as you said you would. You spoke about it and then made it happen, just like today.

25 Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

*So now, Lord God of Israel, please keep your promise to David, my father, by making sure there's always someone from his line to sit on the throne of Israel. This will help his children learn to follow your ways, just like you have followed them.

26 And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.

*And now, God of Israel, please make true the words you said to your servant David, my father.

27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

*But can God really live on Earth? Look, even the sky and the heavens above can't hold you. So, how could this little house I built possibly contain you?

28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:

*Please respect the prayer of your servant, and listen to their request, dear Lord God. Pay attention to their cry and prayer as they pray to you today.

29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

*May you always see our home, day and night, as a special place where your name lives. Please listen to the prayers we say here.

30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.

*And listen to the request of your servant and the people of Israel when they pray here. And in heaven, where you live, hear their prayer and forgive them.

31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:

*If someone does wrong to their neighbor and must take an oath at your altar in your home,

32 Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

*Then, God, listen in heaven and act. Punish the evil people for their actions, and reward the good people based on their goodness.

33 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:

*When your people Israel are defeated by their enemies due to their sins against you, and then return to you, confessing your name, praying, and asking for forgiveness in this place.

34 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.

*Then, listen in heaven and forgive your people Israel's wrongdoings. Bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

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 afflictest them:

*When the sky doesn't let rain fall due to people's sins against you, if they pray to you at this place, admit their wrongdoings, and change their ways, while you punish them:

36 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

*Then, listen in heaven and forgive the mistake of your people, especially Israel, so you can show them the right path to follow. Also, provide rain for the land that you have given to them as a special possession.

37 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;

*If there is a food shortage, if there are diseases, plant damage, mold, grasshoppers, or caterpillars; if enemies attack them in their cities; any disaster, any illness - this verse is about all these problems.

38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:

*Any prayer or request made by a person or all the people of Israel, who recognize the problems in their own hearts, and reach out their hands towards this temple, will be heard.

39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

*Then listen in heaven where you live, and forgive, act, and give to each person based on their actions, since you know their hearts; (because only you know the hearts of all people.)

40 That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

*So that they always respect you while living in the land you gave to our ancestors.

41 Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake;

*Additionally, about someone from another nation who isn't part of Israel, but comes from a distant land because of your name.

42 (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;

*They will hear about your powerful name, strong actions, and extended arm. When they come to pray at this place, they will remember you.

43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.

*Listen in heaven, where you live, and do what the outsiders ask of you. This will help everyone on Earth learn who you are and fear you, just like your people Israel do. They should also know that this building I made is named after you.

44 If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:

*If your people go fight their enemies wherever you send them, and pray to God facing the city you chose and the building I made for God's name, then...

45 Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

*Then, in heaven, listen to their prayer and their request for help, and support their situation.

46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;

*If they do wrong to you (because nobody is perfect), and you get angry with them and give them to their enemies, who take them as prisoners far or nearby in the enemy's land.

47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

*Even if they remember their actions in the land where they were taken as prisoners and feel sorry, and pray to you from that same land, saying, "We have done wrong, acted badly, and done evil things;

48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

*So go back to you with all your heart and soul in the land of your enemies, where they took you captive. There, pray towards your land given to your ancestors, the city you chose, and the house I built for your name.

49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,

*Then listen to their prayer and their request in the place where you live in heaven, and support their situation.

50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

*Forgive your people for their mistakes against you, and all the times they've gone wrong, and show mercy to them before those who captured them, so they can be merciful towards them too.

51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:

*Because they are your people and your inheritance, whom you led out of Egypt from among the intense heat of the iron furnace.

52 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.

*So that you can see what my servant and the people of Israel are praying for, and listen to everything they ask from you.

53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O LORD God.

*You chose them and set them apart from everyone else on Earth to be your special possession, just like you said through Moses, your helper, when you led our ancestors out of Egypt, Lord God.

54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of 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.

*So, when Solomon finished praying everything he wanted to say to God, he stood up from the altar. He was kneeling and reaching his hands towards the sky.

55 And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

*He stood up and loudly blessed the entire Israeli crowd, saying,

56 Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

*Praise the Lord for giving peace to the people of Israel, just as He said He would. He kept every good promise He made through Moses, His helper.

57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:

*May God be with us, like how He was with our ancestors: please don't let Him leave or abandon us.

58 That 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.

*So that he can guide our hearts towards him, for us to follow all his paths, and to obey his commands, rules, and decisions that he told our ancestors.

59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto 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:

*Let my prayers to the Lord always be with him, day and night. He should support his servant and the people of Israel whenever needed.

60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.

*So everyone on Earth can understand that the LORD is God, with no other.

61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

*So, make your heart completely devoted to God, follow his rules, and obey his commands, just like you do now.

62 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.

*And the king, along with everyone in Israel, sacrificed to God.

63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

*Solomon gave a big peace offering to God - 2,200 oxen and 120,000 sheep. He and all the people in Israel dedicated the Lord's house.

64 The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

*On the same day, the king consecrated the center of the courtyard in front of God's house. He did this because the bronze altar there was not big enough to hold all the burnt offerings, meat offerings, and fat from the peace offerings he wanted to give.

65 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.

*At that time, Solomon had a big celebration with all of Israel. People came from Hamath to the Egyptian river to join in. They celebrated for 14 days in honor of the Lord.

66 On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto 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.

*On the eighth day, he told the people to leave. They praised the king, then happily went back to their homes. They were very happy because God had been kind to David and his people, Israel.

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