2 Chronicles 6

Solomon’s Dedication Prayer

1 Then Solomon said, “The Lord said He would chill in thick darkness.”

2 “But I have built You a royal crib, a place for You to live forever.”

3 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, and the whole assembly of Israel was standing.

4 He said, “Shout out to the Lord, the God of Israel, who kept His word to my daddy David with His own hands, saying?”

5 “’Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I am not chosen no city from any tribe of Israel to build a temple in so My Name could be there. And I am not chosen no man to be ruler over My people Israel.’”

6 “’But I chose Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I chose David to be over My people Israel.’”

7 “Now, it was in my daddy David’s heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.”

8 “But the Lord told my daddy David, ‘Since you had it in your heart to build a temple for My Name, you did well to have that thought.’”

9 “’However, you are not going to be the one to build the temple. It is going to be your son, who is going to come from you, he is the one who is going to build the temple for My Name.’”

10 “Now the Lord has made good on His promise He made. I have stepped up in my daddy David’s shoes and now I am sitting on the throne of Israel, just like the Lord said, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.”

11 “And I put the Ark there, where the Lord’s covenant is, the covenant He made with the Israelites.”

12 Then Solomon stood in front of the altar of the Lord, in front of the whole assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands.

13 (For Solomon had made a bronze platform, about seven and a half feet long, seven and a half feet wide, and four and a half feet high, and he put it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, then knelt on his knees in front of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven.)

14 He said, “Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You, not up in the sky, not down here on earth! You keep Your covenant and show Your loyal love to Your servants who walk straight with You with all their heart.”

15 “You kept the promise You made to Your boy David, my daddy. You said it with Your mouth, and today, You made it happen with Your own hand.”

16 “So now, Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise You made to Your boy David, my daddy, when You said, ‘You will never be short of a man sitting on the throne of Israel, as long as your kids watch their step and walk in My Law, just like you have.’”

17 “And now, God of Israel, please let Your words come true, the ones You spoke to Your boy David.”

18 “But for real, can God actually live with humans on earth, Look, even the heavens, the highest heavens, cannot contain You! How much less this temple I built?”

19 “Still, pay attention to Your servant’s prayer and plea, Lord my God. Listen to the cry and the prayer Your servant is praying before You today?”

20 “So Your eyes can be on this temple day and night, on this spot You said You would put Your Name, to hear the prayer Your servant prays toward this place.”

21 “Hear the pleas of Your servant and Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from Your spot in the heavens, Your dwelling place. And when You hear, forgive.”

22 “If someone wrongs their neighbor, and they must swear an oath and the oath is put on him to swear before Your altar in this temple?”

23 “Then You must hear from heaven and act. Judge Your servants, condemning the bad guy by bringing his own actions back on him, and clearing the innocent by giving him justice based on his righteousness."

24 “When Your people Israel get beat down by an enemy because they sinned against You, but then they turn back to You and confess Your Name and pray and plead with You in this temple?”

25 “Then You must hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land You gave to them and their ancestors.”

26 “When the sky gets locked up and there is no rain because they sinned against You, but then they pray toward this place and confess Your Name and turn away from their sin when You humble them?”

27 “Then You must hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, because You will show them the right path to walk on, and send rain on Your land that You gave to Your people as their inheritance.”

28 “If there is a famine in the land, or a plague, or blight, or mildew, or locusts, or grasshoppers; if their enemies lay siege to their cities; whatever disaster or sickness hits them;”

29 “Whatever prayer or plea is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, each person knowing their own pain and suffering, and they spread their hands toward this temple?”

30 “Then You must hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. Forgive and act, giving every person exactly what they deserve, knowing their heart, because You alone know the human heart.”

31 “So they will respect You and walk in Your ways all the days they live in the land You gave our ancestors.”

32 “Even a foreigner, someone who is not from Your people Israel, but comes from a far-off land because of Your great Name, Your powerful hand, and Your stretched-out arm, when they come and pray toward this temple?”

33 “Then You must hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. Do whatever that foreigner asks You for, so all the nations of the earth can know Your Name and respect You, just like Your people Israel do, and know that this temple I built is called by Your Name.”

34 “If Your people go out to war against their enemy, wherever You send them, and they pray to You toward this city You chose and the temple I built for Your Name?”

35 “Then hear their prayer and plea from heaven, and uphold their cause.”

36 “If they sin against You, and who does not sin, right, and You get mad at them and let their enemies take them captive to enemy territory, far or near;”

37 “And if they come to their senses in the land where they were taken captive, and they turn around and plead with You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We messed up, we did wrong, we sinned;’”

38 “And they turn back to You with all their heart and all their soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and they pray toward their land You gave their ancestors, the city You chose, and the temple I built for Your Name;”

39 “Then hear their prayer and pleas from heaven, Your dwelling place, and uphold their cause. And forgive Your people who sinned against You.”

40 “Now, my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer made in this place.”

41 “So now arise, Lord God, and come to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might! May Your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and may Your loyal ones rejoice in goodness.”

42 “Lord God, do not reject Your anointed one. Remember the loyal love promised to Your boy David!”