8. Solomon and all the Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days. There were many people, and they came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the brook of Egypt.
9. For seven days they celebrated giving the altar for the worship of God. Then they celebrated the festival for seven days. On the eighth day they had a meeting.
10. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month Solomon sent the people home, full of joy. They were happy because the Lord had been so good to David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
11. Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord and his royal palace. He had success in doing everything he planned in the Temple of the Lord and his own palace.
12. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself to be a Temple for sacrifices.
13. “I may stop the sky from sending rain. I may command the locusts to destroy the land. I may send sicknesses to my people.
14. Then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.
15. Now I will see them, and I will listen to the prayers prayed in this place.
16. I have chosen this Temple and made it holy. So I will be worshiped there forever. Yes, I will always watch over it and love it.
17. “But you must serve me as your father David did. You must obey all I have commanded and keep my laws and rules.
18. If you do, I will make your kingdom strong. This is the agreement I made with your father David, saying, ‘Someone from your family will always rule in Israel.’