The Dedication of the Temple
(1 Kings 8.62-66)1 When King Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and burned up the sacrifices that had been offered, and the dazzling light of the Lord's presence filled the Temple. 2 Because the Temple was full of the dazzling light, the priests could not enter it. 3 When the people of Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the light fill the Temple, they fell face downward on the pavement, worshiping God and praising him for his goodness and his eternal love. 4 Then Solomon and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. 5 He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so he and all the people dedicated the Temple. 6 The priests stood in the places that were assigned to them, and facing them stood the Levites, praising the Lord with the musical instruments that King David had provided and singing the hymn, “His Love Is Eternal!” as they had been commissioned by David. The priests blew trumpets while all the people stood.
7 Solomon consecrated the central part of the courtyard, the area in front of the Temple, and then offered there the sacrifices burned whole, the grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings. He did this because the bronze altar which he had made was too small for all these offerings.
8 Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters for seven days. There was a huge crowd of people from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the Egyptian border in the south. 9 They had spent seven days for the dedication of the altar and then seven more days for the festival. On the last day they had a closing celebration, 10 and on the following day, the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They were happy about all the blessings that the Lord had given to his people Israel, to David, and to Solomon.
God Appears to Solomon Again
(1 Kings 9.1-9)11 After King Solomon had finished the Temple and the palace, successfully completing all his plans for them, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I accept this Temple as the place where sacrifices are to be offered to me. 13 Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people, 14 if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again. 15 I will watch over this Temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here, 16 because I have chosen it and consecrated it as the place where I will be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time. 17 If you serve me faithfully as your father David did, obeying my laws and doing everything I have commanded you, 18 I will keep the promise I made to your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by his descendants. 19 But if you and your people ever disobey the laws and commands I have given you and worship other gods, 20 then I will remove you from the land that I gave you, and I will abandon this Temple that I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule it and treat it with contempt.
21 “The Temple is now greatly honored, but then everyone who passes by it will be amazed and will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this Temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why the Lord has brought this disaster on them.’”
Omayapuriro wondjuwo ya Muhona.
(1Ozo 8:62-66)1 Salomo tja mana okukumba, omuriro arire tji wa rauka keyuru nau ningiririsa ozombunguhiro nḓa punguhwa, nongeṋangeṋeno ya Muhona ye urisa ondjuwo ya Muhona. 2 Novapristeri kaave sora okuhita mu yo tjinga aye urisiwa nongeṋangeṋeno ya Muhona. 3 Ovaisrael tji va munu omuriro amau zu meyuru, nongeṋangeṋeno ya Muhona aye urisa ondjuwo ya Muhona, otji va wa onḓurumika korupare amave rikotamene ku Ndjambi namave mu hivirikire ouwa norusuvero rwe orukarerere. 4 Ombara Salomo notjiwaṋa va punguhira Muhona ozombunguhiro. 5 Eye wa punguha ozongombe 22,000, nozonyanda 120,000 ze rire ozombunguhiro zohange. Komuhingo mbwi ombara nOvaisrael otji va yapurira Ndjambi ondjuwo ndji. 6 Ovapristeri va kuramene potuveze tu va pewa, nOvalevi wina va kuramene amave tara ku wo namave tanga Muhona novinangoma ombara David mbya ungurisire. Owo va imbura eimburiro nda tjangwa i David nu ndi mari tja: “Orusuvero rwe ru karerera!” Ovapristeri aave tono ozohiva, otjiwaṋa atjihe ngunda atja kurama.
7 Salomo wa yapura orupanda rwomokati korumbo ndwa ri komurungu wondjuwo ya Muhona; neye wa punguhira po ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozovikurya, nozonḓura zovinamuinyo vyozombunguhiro zohange. Eye wa tjita nai, ihi otjipunguhiro tjongoporo tja ungurire tjinga atja ri otjiṱiṱi tjinene kozombunguhiro azehe nḓa.
8 Salomo nOvaisrael avehe va tjita Omukandi wOviranda vyOmaso oure womayuva hambombari. Pa wongara otjimbumba otjinene tjovandu okuza kokure pomakapitiro wondundu Hamat keyuva kokunene, nga komukuro wa Engipte keyuva kokumuho. 9 Meyuva oritjahambondatu va tjita ombongarero onene yomapatero. Owo va tjitire omayuva hambombari okuyapura otjipunguhiro, nomayuva omakwao hambombari womukandi. 10 Meyuva oritjamirongo vivari na yetatu romueze outjahambombari Salomo otja yarura ovandu kozoyawo. Owo va kara nenyando nave yoroka kozondaya azehe Muhona nḓa yandja kotjiwaṋa tja Israel na ku David na ku Salomo.
Ndjambi me rimunikisa rukwao ku Salomo
(1Ozo 9:1-9)11 Ombara Salomo tja mana okutunga ondjuwo ya Muhona nondjuwo youhona, nu tja za nokuyenenisa omeripuriro we aehe wokutunga, 12 Muhona otje rimunikisa ku ye mouṱuku na tja: “Ami mba zuva ongumbiro yoye, nu mba yakura ondjuwo ndji i rire poṋa pu mape punguhirwa Ami ozombunguhiro. 13 Aruhe ami tji mbi hi nakurokisa ombura poo tji me hindi ozombahu okurya ovikunwa poo tji me hindi omutjise omuzeu kovandu 14 mbe ri ovandje omuini, nowo tji mave risusuparisa nave kumbu ku ami, nave ritanaura nave isa omauvi ngu va tjita, ami meve zuvire meyuru, e ve isire ourunde wawo ne ṋingaparisa ehi rawo. 15 Ami me tjevere ondjuwo ndji, nu me kara nombango okupuratena kozongumbiro azehe nḓu maze kumbirwa mba. 16 Ami mba toorora ondjuwo ndji, nu mbe i yapura okurira moṋa mu me rikotamenenwa nga aruhe. Ami me i tjevere nu me i ṱakamisa aruhe. 17 Tji mo ndji karere nouṱakame otja iho David tja tjitire, no kara nonḓuviro komatwako wandje, no tjiti avihe mbi mbe ku rakiza, 18 Ami otji me yenenisa omakwizikiro wandje ngu mba tjita ku iho David, indu tji mbe mu raera kutja Israel matji honaparerwa i ozondekurona ze aruhe. 19 Nungwari ove notjiwaṋa tjoye tji mu hi nokukara nonḓuviro komatwako na komazikamisiro ngu mbe mu pa namu rikotamene koomukuru varwe, 20 Ami otji me mu isa mo mehi ndi ndi mbe mu pa; nu me zu mo mondjuwo ndji ndji mba yapura kutja i rire moṋa mu me rikotamenenwa. Ovandu koṋa akuhe mave i nyekerere nave i nyengura.
21 “Ondjuwo ndji nambano ya yozikwa, nungwari auhe ngu ma kapita ma himwa na pura a tja: ‘Okutjavi Muhona tja tjita nai kehi na kondjuwo ndji?’ 22 Novandu mave ziri ave tja: ‘Orondu otjiwaṋa tjinga atja poka ku Muhona, Ndjambi watjo, ngwa pitisire ooihe mukururume mOengipte. Owo va hondja koomukuru vovisenginina, ave rikotamene ku wo nave ve karere. Muhona opa etera oviwonga mbi avihe ku wo!’ ”
