2 Chronicles 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.

1Solomon finished praying. Then fire came down from heaven. It burned up the animals that were offered to God. The bright glory of the LORD filled the temple, God's house.

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

2The priests, the men who served God at the temple, could not go inside. The glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house.

3And 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.

3All the people of Israel saw the fire come down. They saw the glory of the LORD over the temple. They knelt down on the stone floor with their faces to the ground. They worshipped and thanked the LORD. They said, "He is good. His faithful love lasts forever."

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

4Then the king and all the people gave gifts of animals to the LORD.

5And 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.

5King Solomon offered 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. In this way the king and all the people gave God's house to him for his use.

6And 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.

6The priests stood in their places to do their work. The Levites, who were helpers at the temple, stood with them. They played the music instruments King David had made to thank the LORD. David had used them to sing, "His faithful love lasts forever." The priests stood across from them and blew trumpets. All Israel stood up.

7Moreover 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.

7Solomon set apart the middle of the yard in front of the LORD's house. There he offered burnt offerings, grain gifts, and the fat from the peace offerings. He did this because the bronze altar he had made was too small. It could not hold all those gifts.

NoteThe KJV says "meat offerings." In old English, "meat" meant food of any kind. These were gifts of grain, not meat.

8Also 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.

8At that same time Solomon held a feast for seven days. All Israel came with him. It was a very large crowd. They came from Lebo-hamath in the north to the brook of Egypt in the south.

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

9On the eighth day they held a special meeting. They had spent seven days setting apart the altar for God. Then they had feasted for seven more days.

10And 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.

10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They were happy and glad inside. They were glad for the good things the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for his people Israel.

11Thus 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.

11So Solomon finished the LORD's house and his own palace. Everything he had wanted to build for both houses, he built well.

12And 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.

12The LORD came to Solomon at night. He said, "I have heard your prayer. I have chosen this place for myself. It will be a house where people bring me offerings.

13If 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;

13"Sometimes I close up the sky so that no rain falls. Sometimes I send locusts, bugs that eat up all the plants. Sometimes I send a sickness that spreads among my people.

14If 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.

14"My people are called by my name. If they become humble and pray, if they look for me and turn away from their wrong ways, then I will listen from heaven. I will forgive their sin. I will make their land well again.

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

15"From now on my eyes will be open. My ears will listen to the prayers said in this place.

16For 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.

16"I have chosen this house and made it holy. My name will be here forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here.

17And 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;

17"Now about you, Solomon. Live the way your father David lived. Do everything I have told you to do. Keep my rules and my laws.

18Then 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.

18"If you do, I will keep your family ruling as kings. That is the promise I made to your father David. I told him that a man from his family would always rule Israel.

19But 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;

19"But you may turn away from me. You may stop keeping the rules and commands I gave you. You may go and serve other gods and worship them.

20Then 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.

20"If you do that, I will pull Israel out of the land I gave them. It will be like pulling a plant up by its roots. I will push this house away from me, even though I made it holy for my name. All the nations will talk about it and make fun of it.

21And 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?

21"People will be shocked when they walk past this house. They will say, 'Why did the LORD do this to this land and to this house?'

NoteThe KJV says this house "is high." The Hebrew here is hard to read. Many other translations say the house will become a pile of ruins.

22And 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.

22"Others will answer, 'They left the LORD, the God of their families. He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. They took hold of other gods and worshipped and served them. That is why he brought all this trouble on them.'"