tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels in the tabernacle,did the priests and the Levites bring up. 5. So the king, and all the assembled congregation of Israel, were with him sacrificing before the ark, sheep and oxen without number. 6. Thus the priests brought the ark in to its place in the oracle, the most holy place of the house, under the wings of the cherubs. 7. For they stretched out their two wings over the ark's place, and overshaded both it and its staves. 8. Now tho' the staves were longer than the ark, and visible from the inside of the oracle, they were not without it, and they are there to this day. 9. There was nothing in the ark but the two tables of stone, which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Eternal made a covenant with the Israelites after coming out of Egypt.

10. Now when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the Eternal's house, 11. So that they could not stand to minister because of it; for the Eternal's glory filled his house.

12. Then Solomon said, The Eternal said he would dwell in the thick cloud, 13. I have indeed built thee an house, a settled place of abode for thine ark to dwell in perpetually. 14. Now the king turned about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: and they all standing up,

15. He said, Blessed be the Eternal God of Israel, who hath with his hand fulfilled what his mouth spake to David my father, saying, 16. Since the day I brought Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city among all the tribes, to build a house for my name therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. 17. And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the Eternal God of Israel. 18. And the Eternal said to him, It was well that it was in thine heart to build a house to my name; 19. Yet thou shalt not build it, but thy son shall do it. 20. Now the Eternal hath performed what he

spake; for I am risen up in the room of my father, to sit on the throne of Israel, as the Eternal promised, and have built a house for the name of the Eternal God of Israel. 21. And I have assigned therein a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant which the Eternal made with our fathers, when he brought them out of Egypt.

22. Now Solomon placed himself before the Eternal's altar, in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven: 23. And said, O Eternal God of Israel, there is no god like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest thy merciful covenant with thy servants who obey thee with all their heart; 24. Who hast kept with thy servant David my father what thou promisedst to him; and hast fulfilled with thine hand what thou spakest with thy mouth,as at this day. 25. Therefore now, Eternal God of Israel, keep what thou promisedst to thy servant David my father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if thy children take heed to walk before me uprightly, as thou hast done. 26. And now, O God of Israel, let the word thou spakest to thy servant David my father, I pray thee, be verified.

27. But will God indeed dwell on earth! Behold, the heavens, the highest heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house that I have builded? 28. Yet regard the prayer of thy servant, and his supplication, O Eternal my God, hearkening to his cry before thee to-day: 29. That thine eyes may be open towards this house night and day, even towards the place whereof thou sayest, My name shall be there; so as to hearken to the prayer thy servant shall make towards this place. 30. And to the supplication of thy people Israel, when they shall pray towards this place; and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and forgive.

81. If any trespass against his neighbour, and he

is required to swear before thine altar in this house; 32. Then hear thou in heaven, and do justice to thy servants, condemning the guilty, to bring hist evit guilt on his head; and justifying the righteous, to reward him according to his righteousness.

83. When thy people Israel being smitten before the enemy, for sinning against thee, shall return to thee, and confessing thy name, shall pray and make supplication to thee towards this house; 34. Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive their sin, and bring them again to the land thou gavest their fathers.

35. When heaven is shut up, that there is no rain, for sinning against thee; if they pray toward this place, confessing thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them; 36. Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants and people Israel, and teach them the good way to walk therein, and give rain upon thy land thou gavest thy people to inherit.

37. If there be in the land famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locusts, or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege their cities, or whatever calamity or sickness there be; 38. Every prayer and supplication made by any, or by all of thy people Israel, who conscious of the plague of his own heart, spreads forth his hands toward this house; 39. Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to his ways from his heart (for thou alone knowest the hearts of all men); 40. That they may fear thee while they live in the land thou gavest our fathers.

41. As for a stranger that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh from a far country for thy name's sake; 42. When they hearing of thy great name, thy strong hand, and stretched-out arm, shall come and pray toward this house; 43. Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do all that the stranger asketh of thee; that all people of the earth may ac

knowledge thy name, to fear thee, as thy people Israel do; and that this house which I have builded is called by thy name.

44. If thy people go to fight their enemy, where ever thou sendest them, and pray to thee toward the city thou hast chosen, and the house I have built for thy name; 45. Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and supplication, and maintain their cause, 46. If they sin against thee, (for what man sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, to de liver them to the enemy, to carry them captive, far or near; 47. Yet if they reflect, and repent, and make supplication to thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, and been perverted, and acted impiously; 48. And so return to thee with all their heart, and all their soul, in their ene mies' land, and pray to thee toward the land thou gavest their fathers, the city thou hast chosen, and the house built for thy name: 49. Then hear thou their prayer and supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause. 50. And forgive thy people who sinned against thee, all their transgressions, and cause those who carried them captive, to have compassion on them: 51. For they are thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out of Egypt, from the iron furnace: 52. Thus may thine eyes and ears be open to the sup plication of thy servant, and thy people Israel, to hearken to them in all their calling to thee. 53, For thou didst separate them from all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Eternal God.

54. And when Solomon had ended praying all this prayer and supplication to the Eternal, he arose from before the Eternal's altar kneeling, with his hands spread up to heaven, 55. And stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56. Blessed be the Eternal, who hath

given rest to his people Israel, according to all his gracious promise, by Moses his servant, there hath not failed one word of it. 57. The Eternal our God be with us, as he was with our fathers; let him not leave us, nor forsake us; 58, But incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and keep his commands, and ordinances, and rules, he enjoined our fathers. 59. And let these my words, wherewith I make supplication before the Eternal our God, be remembered by him day and night, to maintain his servants cause, and that of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: 60. That all the people of the earth may know that the Eternal, and none else, is God alone. 61. Let your hearts therefore, be perfectly with the Eternal our God, to observe his ordinances, and keep his commands as at this day.

62. Now the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifices before the Eternal. 63. He now offered thank-offerings to the Eternal, of twenty-two thousand beeves, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep; thus he, with all the Israelites, dedicated the Eternal's house.

64. On that day he consecrated the whole area of the court before the Eternal's house; for there he offered burnt-offerings, and meat-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings; because the brazen altar before the Eternal's house, was too little to contain them.

65. At that time Solomon, with all Israel, being a great congregation, from the entrance in of Hamath, to the river (Sichor) of Egypt, made a festival before the Eternal our God, fourteen days.

66.On the eighth day he let the people go; who blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad in heart for all the goodness the Eternal had shewn to David his servant, and for Israel his people.