1. Then Solomon prayed, “O lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness.
2. Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”
3. Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him and gave this blessing:
4. “Praise the lord, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father,
5. ‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel.