1 Kings 8

8 ¹Den Solomon gada di elders of Israel—all di tribal heads, di leaders of di ancestral houses of di children of Israel—come before King Solomon for Jerusalem, so dem go bring up di ark of di Covenant of our Papa from di city of David, wey be Zion. ²So all di men of Israel gada come meet King Solomon for di festival for Ethanim, di seventh month. ³Wen all di elders of Israel don come, di priests carry di ark up, ⁴dem bring up di ark of our Papa, di tent of meeting, and all di holy vessels wey dey inside di tent; na di priests and di Levites bring dem up. ⁵King Solomon and di whole assembly of Israel wey gada with am stand before di ark, dey sacrifice sheep and cattle wey plenty pass wetin person fit count or write down. ⁶Den di priests bring di ark of our Papa him Covenant come im place, di inner sanctuary, di Most Holy Place, under di wings of di cherubim. ⁷Di cherubim spread dem wings over di place of di ark, dey cover di ark and im poles from up. ⁸Di poles long reach so tay dem end dey show from di Holy Place before di inner room, but e no dey show from outside; and dem still dey dia till today. ⁹Nothing dey inside di ark except di two stone tablets wey Moses put dia for Horeb, wia our Papa make Covenant with di children of Israel wen dem comot from di land of Egypt. ¹⁰Wen di priests comot from di Holy Place, di cloud fill di house of our Papa, ¹¹so di priests no fit stand do dem work becos of di cloud, for di glory of our Papa fill im house.

¹²Den Solomon talk say: “Our Papa don talk say na inside thick darkness e go dey stay. ¹³I don truly build you one house wey high well well, one place wia you go dey stay forever.”

¹⁴Di king turn round bless di whole assembly of Israel, as di whole assembly of Israel stand. ¹⁵E talk say: “Make dem praise our Papa, di God of Israel, wey use im own mouth talk to my papa David and use im own hand fulfil am, wen e say, ¹⁶since di time wey I bring my people Israel comot from Egypt, I no choose any city from all di tribes of Israel to build one house for my name; but I choose David to dey over my people Israel.

¹⁷E dey inside di heart of my papa David to build one house for di name of our Papa, di God of Israel.

¹⁸But our Papa talk to my papa David say, ‘Since to build one house for my name dey your heart, you do well to put am for your heart. ¹⁹But na no be you go build di house; na your son, wey go comot from your own body, go build di house for my name.’

²⁰And our Papa don keep di word wey e talk, for I don rise up take di place of my papa David and I dey sit on di throne of Israel, just as e promise, and I don build di house for di name of our Papa, di God of Israel. ²¹Dia I make one place for di ark wey hold di Covenant of our Papa, wey e make with our papas wen e bring dem comot from Egypt.”

Solomon Prayer Before our Papa

²²Solomon stand before di altar of our Papa, for front of di whole assembly of Israel, and e spread im hands toward heaven. ²³E talk say: “Our Papa, God of Israel, no God dey like you for heaven up or for earth down, wey dey keep Covenant and love wey no dey change with your servants wey dey waka before you with dem whole heart. ²⁴You keep di promise wey you make to your servant, my papa David; wetin your mouth talk, your hand don fulfil am today.

²⁵So now, our Papa, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my papa wetin you promise am, wen you say, ‘You go never lack man to sit before me for di throne of Israel, if only your children go watch dem way, to waka before me as you don waka before me.’ ²⁶And now, our Papa, God of Israel, confirm di word wey you talk to your servant, my papa David.

²⁷But our Papa go really come stay for di earth? Look—di heavens and di highest heavens no fit contain you; talk less of dis house wey I build! ²⁸But turn to di prayer and beg of your servant, my Papa, to hear di cry and prayer wey your servant dey pray before you today.

²⁹Make your eyes dey open toward dis house night and day, di place wey you talk say, ‘My name go dey dia,’ to hear di prayer wey your servant dey pray toward dis place. ³⁰Hear di beg of your servant and of your people Israel wen dem pray toward dis place; hear from heaven, wia you dey stay, and wen you hear, forgive.

³¹If person sin against im neighbor and dem tell am make e swear oath, and e come swear before your altar for dis house, ³²den hear from heaven and do something. Judge your servants: condemn di one wey guilty, put im own doing for im own head, and clear di one wey correct-and-holy, reward am for im correct-and-holy way.

³³Wen enemy defeat your people Israel becos dem sin against you, and dem turn back come meet you, confess your name, and pray and beg you for dis house, ³⁴den hear from heaven, forgive di sin of your people Israel, and bring dem back to di land wey you give dem papas.

³⁵Wen di sky lock and no rain fall becos dem sin against you, and dem pray toward dis place, confess your name, and turn from dem sin becos you make dem suffer, ³⁶den hear from heaven and forgive di sin of your servants, your people Israel, wen you teach dem di good way wey dem suppose waka; and send rain on your land, wey you give your people as inheritance.

³⁷If hunger, plague, blight, mildew, locust, or grasshopper come attack di land; if enemy surround dem for dem gates—wetin ever plague or sickness come, ³⁸wetin ever prayer or beg any person among all your people Israel make, each one wey sabi di suffer of im own heart, dey spread im hands toward dis house, ³⁹den hear from heaven, wia you dey stay, and forgive, and do something, and give each person according to all im ways, since you sabi im heart—na you alone sabi di heart of every human being, ⁴⁰so dem go fear you as long as dem dey live on di land wey you give our papas.

⁴¹Also di stranger, wey no be from your people Israel but come from far land becos of your name, ⁴²for dem go hear about your great name, your mighty hand and your arm wey you stretch out—wen e come and pray toward dis house, ⁴³hear from heaven, wia you dey live, and do all wetin di stranger ask, so all di peoples of di earth go sabi your name and fear you, as your people Israel dey do, and go sabi say na your name dey on dis house wey I build.

⁴⁴Wen your people go out to fight dem enemy, by wetin ever way you send dem, and dem pray to our Papa toward di city wey you choose and di house wey I build for your name, ⁴⁵den hear from heaven dem prayer and dem beg, and stand for dem case.

⁴⁶Wen dem sin against you—for no person dey wey no dey sin—and you vex and hand dem to enemy wey capture dem to di enemy land, whether e far or e near,

⁴⁷but if dem take am put for dem heart for di land wey dem dey hold dem captive, and dem turn back and beg you for di land of di people wey capture dem, wen dem say, ‘We don sin, we don do wrong, we don do wickedness,’ ⁴⁸and if for di land of di people wey capture dem, dem turn back to you with dem whole heart and dem whole soul, and pray to you toward dem land wey you give dem papas, di city wey you choose, and di house wey I build for your name, ⁴⁹den hear from heaven, wia you dey stay, dem prayer and dem beg, and stand for dem case. ⁵⁰Forgive your people wey sin against you, all dem wrong wey dem do against you, and give dem tender mercy wey dey pain belle before di people wey capture dem, so dat di people wey capture dem go show dem tender mercy wey dey pain belle, ⁵¹for na your people and your inheritance dem be, wey you bring comot from Egypt, from di iron furnace. ⁵²Make your eyes dey open to di beg of your servant and di beg of your people Israel, and hear dem any time wey dem call you. ⁵³For you set dem apart from all di peoples of di earth as your inheritance, just as you talk through Moses your servant wen you bring our papas comot from Egypt, O Sovereign Papa.”

Solomon Bless di Assembly

⁵⁴Wen Solomon finish dis whole prayer and beg to our Papa, e rise up from before di altar of our Papa, wia e bin kneel down with im hands spread toward heaven. ⁵⁵E stand and bless di whole assembly of Israel with loud voice, e say:

⁵⁶“Make dem bless our Papa, wey don give rest to im people Israel, just as e promise. No one word fall for ground out of all di good wey e promise through im servant Moses. ⁵⁷Make our Papa dey with us as e dey with our papas; make e no ever leave us or abandon us, ⁵⁸make e turn our hearts to am, to waka for all im ways and keep im commandments, im laws, and im judgments, wey e command our papas. ⁵⁹And make dis my words, wey I beg before our Papa, dey near am day and night, so dat e go stand for di case of im servant and of im people Israel, as each day need am, ⁶⁰so all di peoples of di earth go sabi say na our Papa be God, and no other one dey.

⁶¹So make your heart dey fully give to our Papa, to waka for im laws and keep im commandments, as e dey today.”

Dem Dedicate di House to our Papa

⁶²Den di king and all Israel with am offer sacrifice before our Papa. ⁶³Solomon offer to our Papa peace offerings of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So di king and all di children of Israel dedicate di house of our Papa. ⁶⁴For dat same day di king dedicate di middle of di courtyard wey dey before di house of our Papa, for na dia e offer di burnt offering, di grain offering, and di fat of di peace offerings, becos di bronze altar wey dey before our Papa too small to hold di burnt offering, di grain offering, and di fat of di peace offerings.

⁶⁵Den Solomon hold di festival, all Israel with am—one huge assembly wey come from Lebo-hamath reach di Brook of Egypt—before our Papa seven days, den seven more: fourteen days altogether. ^a a v65 Lebo-hamath for di far north and di Brook of Egypt for di far south mark di whole length of di land, so people come from every corner of Israel. ⁶⁶For di eighth day e send di people go house. Dem bless di king and go dem tents, with joy and glad heart becos of all di good wey our Papa don show im servant David and im people Israel.