1 Kings 8:55-61

8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure 1  just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 2  8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, 3  so we can follow all his instructions 4  and obey 5  the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, 6  so that he might vindicate 7  his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then 8  all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 9  8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God 10  by following 11  his rules and obeying 12  his commandments, as you are presently doing.” 13 

1 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”

2 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”

3 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the Lord our God be with us.” The Hebrew term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the people’s volition and will.

4 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”

5 tn Heb “keep.”

6 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night.”

7 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”

8 tn Heb “so that.”

9 tn Heb “the Lord, he is the God, there is no other.”

10 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the Lord our God.”

11 tn Heb “walking in.”

12 tn Heb “keeping.”

13 tn Heb “as this day.”