53. You have chosen them from all the peoples of the earth to be your own special people. Lord GOD, you promised to do that for us. You used your servant Moses to make that promise when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
54. When Solomon prayed this prayer to the Lord, he was on his knees in front of the Lord’S altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up.
55. Then, in a loud voice, he asked God to bless all the people of Israel. Solomon said,
56. “Praise the Lord! He promised to give rest to his people, Israel. And he has given us rest! He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them!
57. I pray that the Lord our God will be with us, as he was with our ancestors. I pray that he will never leave us.
58. I pray that we will turn to him and follow him. Then we will obey all the laws, decisions, and commands that he gave our ancestors.
59. I pray that the Lord our God will always remember this prayer and what I have asked. I pray that he will do these things for his servant, the king, and for his people, Israel. I pray that he will do this every day.
60. If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the Lord is the only true God.
61. You people must be loyal and true to the Lord our God. You must always follow and obey all of his laws and commands. You must continue to obey in the future as you do now.”
62. Then King Solomon and all the Israelites with him offered sacrifices to the Lord.
63. Solomon killed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to the Lord. In this way the king and the people showed that they had dedicated the Temple to the Lord.
64. King Solomon also dedicated the yard right in front of the Lord’S Temple. He offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were used as fellowship offerings. King Solomon made these offerings there in the yard. He did this because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small to hold them all.
65. So there at the Temple, King Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the festival. People came from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the border of Egypt in the south. This huge crowd of people ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves together with the Lord for seven days. Then they stayed for another seven days. They celebrated for a total of 14 days.
66. The next day Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said goodbye, and went home. They were happy because of all the good things that the Lord had done for David his servant and for his people Israel.