And in these days, as the disciples were multiplying in number, a murmuring of the  ¹Hellenists against the  ²Hebrews occurred, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily dispensing.

And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them and said, It is not  ¹fitting for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.

But brothers, look for seven well-attested men from among you,  ¹full of the Spirit and of  ²wisdom, whom we will appoint over this need.

But we will continue steadfastly in  ¹prayer and in the ministry of the word.

And the word pleased all the multitude; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolas, a  ¹proselyte of Antioch,

Whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they  ¹laid their hands on  ²them.

And the word of God  ¹grew, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly; and a large number of the priests obeyed the  ²faith.

And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great  ¹wonders and signs among the people.

But some of those of the  ¹synagogue which is called the synagogue of the  ²Libertines and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and Asia rose up and disputed with Stephen;

Yet they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

Then they instigated some men to say, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.

And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and led him to the  ¹Sanhedrin.

And they set up false witnesses, saying, This man does not cease speaking words against this holy  ¹place and the law,

For we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will  ¹destroy this place and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.

And all those sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw his face as though it were the  ¹face of an angel.

And the high priest said, Are these things so?

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, to Jerusalem in order to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah from the city of David, which is Zion.

And all the men of Israel assembled themselves before the king at the feast, which is in the seventh month.

And when all the elders of Israel came, the Levites took up the Ark.

And they brought up the Ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; the priests and Levites brought them up.

And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, who had assembled before him before the Ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen which could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

And the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah to its place, into the innermost sanctuary of the house, into the Holy of Holies under the wings of the cherubim.

And the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the Ark, and the cherubim covered the Ark and its poles overhead.

And the poles extended out, so that the ends of the poles could be seen coming out from the Ark before the innermost sanctuary, but they were not seen outside; and they are there to this day.

There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets, which Moses put there at Horeb when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt.

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves without regard to their divisions),

All the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brothers clothed in fine linen, with cymbals and with harps and lyres, were standing east of the altar; and one hundred twenty priests who blew the trumpets were with them.

And when the trumpeters and the singers were one to make themselves heard with one voice in praising and in giving thanks to Jehovah, and when they lifted up their voice with trumpets and with cymbals and with musical instruments in praise to Jehovah, saying, For He is good, for His lovingkindness is forever; then the house, the house of Jehovah, was filled with a cloud.

And the priests were not able to stand and minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of God.

Then Solomon said, Jehovah has said that He would dwell in deep darkness.

Yet I have built You a lofty house, even a place for You to dwell in forever.

And the king turned about and blessed all the congregation of Israel while all the congregation of Israel stood.

And he said, Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to David my father and fulfilled it with His hands, saying,

Since the day when I brought My people out from the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house for My name that it might be there; nor did I choose a man to be a ruler over My people Israel;

But I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.

And it was on David my father's heart to build a house for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel;

But Jehovah said to David my father, Because it was on your heart to build a house for My name, you have done well that it was on your heart;

However you will not build the house, but your  ¹son, who will come forth from your loins, he will build the house for My name.

And Jehovah has established His word which He spoke; for I have risen up in the place of David my father, and I sit upon the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and I have built the house for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.

And there I have set the Ark, in which is the covenant of Jehovah, which He made with the children of Israel.

Then he stood before the altar of Jehovah in front of all the congregation of Israel and spread out his hands.

Now Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high and had put it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in front of all the congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward the heavens.

And he said, O Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no god like You, in heaven or on earth, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart;

You who have kept with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him; indeed You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled with Your hand this day.

And now, O Jehovah, God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You promised him, saying, There shall not fail you a man in My sight to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your children keep their way by walking in My law as you have walked before Me.

Now therefore, O Jehovah, God of Israel, may Your word that You spoke to Your servant David be confirmed.

But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens are not able to contain You, how much less this house which I have built.

Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, and listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant is praying before You;

That You're eyes may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant will pray toward this place.

And listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear then from Your dwelling place, from the heavens; and when You hear, forgive.

If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house;

Then hear from the heavens and act and judge Your servants, repaying the wicked by bringing his way on his head and justifying the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness.

And if Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they turn and confess Your name and pray and make supplication before You in this house;

Then hear from the heavens, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and to their fathers.

When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them;

Then hear in the heavens and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel; indeed teach them the good way in which they should walk, and bring rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, swarming locust or consuming locust, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their  ¹cities, whatever plague, and whatever sickness there is;

Whatever prayer, whatever supplication, which will be made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing his own plague and his own pain, when he spreads out his hands toward this house;

Then hear from the heavens Your dwelling place, and forgive and render to each man according to all his ways, whose heart You know; for You, You alone know the hearts of the children of men;

That they may fear You to walk in Your ways all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

And also concerning the foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel but comes from a distant country for the sake of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house;

Then hear from the heavens, from Your dwelling place, and act according to all that the foreigner calls upon You for, that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and that they may fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

If Your people go out to battle against their enemies by the way which You have sent them, and they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name;

Then hear their prayer and their supplication from the heavens, and maintain their cause.

If they have sinned against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them up to the enemy, so that they are carried away captive unto a land, far away or nearby;

But if they take it to heart in the land where they were carried captive, and they repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who carried them away captive, saying, We have sinned and committed iniquity and acted wickedly;

And if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and they pray toward their land that You have given to their fathers, and the city that You have chosen, and to the house that I have built for Your name;

Then hear their prayer and their supplications from the heavens, from Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

Now, O my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

And now arise, O Jehovah God, to Your resting place,
You and the Ark of Your strength.
Let Your priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation,
And let Your saints rejoice in what is good.

O Jehovah God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed one,
Remember Your lovingkindness to David Your servant.

And when Solomon had finished praying, the fire came down from heaven and devoured the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house.

And the priests were not able to enter the house of Jehovah, for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.

And all the children of Israel, seeing the fire coming down and the glory of Jehovah upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground and worshipped and thanked Jehovah, saying, For He is good; for His lovingkindness endures forever.

And the king and all the people offered sacrifices before Jehovah.

And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

And the priests stood at their posts and the Levites with the musical instruments of Jehovah, which David the king had made for praising Jehovah (for His lovingkindness endures forever) whenever David praised with their help. And the priests sounded the trumpets opposite them, and all Israel was standing.

And Solomon sanctified the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of peace offerings because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offering and the meal offering and the fat.

And Solomon held a feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.

And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they held the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days;

And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, rejoicing and happy in heart for the goodness that Jehovah had shown to David and to Solomon and to Israel His people.