8. 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 enjoyed themselves for seven days.
9. On the eighth day, they had a holy meeting because they had celebrated for seven days. They made the altar holy and it was to be used only for worshiping the Lord. And they celebrated the festival for seven days.
10. On the 23rd day of the seventh month, 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.
11. So Solomon finished building the Lord’S Temple and the king’s palace. Solomon did everything that he had planned to do in building a house for the Lord and for himself.
12. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “Solomon, I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself to be a house for sacrifices.
13. When I close the sky so that there is no rain, or command the locusts to destroy the land, or send sicknesses to my people