2 Chronicles 6

1 Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Then, said Solomon, —Yahweh, said, that he would make his habitation in thick gloom;

2 But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.

But, I, have built a house as a home for thee, —A settled place for thee to abide in, for ages.

3 And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.

And the king turned about his face, and blessed all the convocation of Israel, —while, all the convocation of Israel, was standing;

4 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spoke with his mouth to my father David, saying,

and he said, Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who spake with his mouth, unto David my father, -and, with his hand, hath fulfilled, saying:

5 Since the day that I brought forth my people from the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:

From the day I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I made choice of no city, out of all the tribes of Israel, for building a house, where my Name might be, —neither made I choice of any man, to be chief ruler over my people Israel:

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

nevertheless I have made choice of Jerusalem, that my Name might be there, —and I have made choice of David, that he might be over my people Israel.

7 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

And so it came to pass, that it was near the heart of David my father, —to build a house, to the Name of Yahweh, God of Israel.

8 But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thy heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thy heart:

Then said Yahweh unto David my father, Because it was near thy heart to build a house for my Name, thou didst well that it was near thy heart:

9 However thou shalt not build the house; but thy son who shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name.

Only, thou thyself, must not build the house, —but, thine own son, that proceedeth out of thy loins—he, shall build the house for my Name.

10 The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am raised up in the stead of David my father, and am seated on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

So then Yahweh hath established his word, which he spake, —and I have been raised up instead of David my father, and have taken my seat upon the throne of Israel, as spake Yahweh, and have built the house to the Name of Yahweh, God of Israel;

11 And in it have I put the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel.

and have put there, the ark, —wherein is the covenant of Yahweh, —which he solemnised with the sons of Israel.

12 And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands:

Then stood he before the altar of Yahweh, in the presence of all the convocation of Israel, —and spread forth his hands;

13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,

for Solomon had made a platform of bronze, and had set it in the midst of the enclosure, five cubits, the length thereof, and, five cubits, the breadth thereof, and, three cubits, the height thereof, -and he stood thereon, and knelt upon his knees, in the presence of all the convocation of Israel, and spread forth his hands, heavenward;

14 And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor on the earth; who keepest covenant, and showest mercy to thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:

and said, O Yahweh! God of Israel, Not like unto thee, is there a god, in the heavens, or throughout the earth, —who keepest Covenant and Lovingkindness for thy servants who are walking before thee with all their heart:

15 Thou who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and hast spoken with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day.

who hast kept, for thy servant David my father, that which thou didst promise him, —in that thou didst promise with thy mouth, and, with thy hand, hast fulfilled, as [it is] this day.

16 Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; provided thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.

Now, therefore, O Yahweh—God of Israel, keep thou, for thy servant David my father, that which thou didst promise him, saying, There shall not be cut off to thee a man, from before me, to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only, thy sons take heed to their way, to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.

17 Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken to thy servant David.

Now, therefore, O Yahweh, God of Israel, -verified be thy promise, which thou didst make unto thy servant David.

18 But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

But, in very deed, will God dwell with man on the earth? Lo! the heavens, even the leaven of heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built!

19 Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken to the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:

Wilt thou then turn unto the prayer of thy servant and unto his supplication, O Yahweh my God, —to hearken unto the cry and unto the prayer, wherewith thy servant is praying before thee:

20 That thy eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place of which thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken to the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.

that thine eyes may be open toward this house, day and night, toward the place of which thou hast said thou wouldst set thy Name there, —to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant may pray towards this place:

21 Hearken therefore to the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.

wilt thou therefore hearken unto the supplications of thy servant, and thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place, —yea wilt, thou thyself, hear, out of thine own dwelling-place, out of the heavens, and, when thou hearest, then wilt thou forgive?

22 If a man shall sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath shall come before thy altar in this house;

If a man shall sin against his neighbour, and there shall be laid upon him an oath, to put him on oath, —and an oath shall come before thine altar in this house,

23 Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by punishing the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.

then wilt, thou thyself, hear out of the heavens, and act, and judge thy servants, bringing back unto the lawless, to set his way upon his own head, —and justifying the righteous, by giving to him, according to his righteousness?

24 And if thy people Israel are defeated by the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house;

Or, if thy people Israel be smitten before an enemy, because they have been sinning against thee, —and they turn, and confess thy Name, and pray and make supplication before thee, in this house,

25 Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again to the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.

then wilt, thou thyself, hear out of the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, —and bring them back unto the soil, which thou didst give to them and to their fathers?

26 When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;

When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have been sinning against thee, —and they shall pray towards this place, and shall confess thy Name, from their sin, shall return, because thou hast been afflicting them,

27 Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, in which they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

then wilt, thou thyself, hear [out of] the heavens and forgive the sin of thy servants, and thy people Israel, that thou mayest direct them into the good way, wherein they should walk, —and give rain, upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people, for an inheritance?

28 If there shall be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blighting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies shall besiege them in the cities of their land; whatever calamity or whatever sickness there be:

When there shall be, a famine, in the land, when there shall be, a pestilence, —when there shall be, blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar, —when their enemy shall besiege them in the land at their own gates-whatsoever plague or whatsoever sickness; -

29 Then whatever prayer or whatever supplication shall be made by any man, or by all the people of Israel, when every one shall know his own calamity and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:

whatsoever prayer, whatsoever supplication, which any son of earth may have, or any of thy people Israel, —when any man shall come to know his plague, or his pain, and so he shall spread abroad his hands towards this house—

30 Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render to every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men: )

then wilt, thou thyself, hear out of the heavens, the settled place of thine abode, and forgive, and grant to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou wilt know, —for, thou thyself alone, knowest the heart of the sons of men:

31 That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest to our fathers.

to the end they may revere thee, to walk in thy ways, all the days which they shall be living upon the face of the soil, —which thou gavest unto their fathers?

32 Moreover concerning the stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, but hath come from a distant country for thy great name’s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy outstretched arm; if they come and pray in this house;

Moreover also, unto the stranger who is not, of thy people Israel, but he shall come in out of a far country—for the sake of thy great Name, and of thy strong hand, and of thine outstretched arm, —and so they shall come in and pray towards this house,

33 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as do thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.

then wilt, thou thyself, hear out of the heavens, out of the settled place of thine abode, and do according to all for which the stranger shall cry unto thee, —to the end that all the peoples of the earth may know thy Name, so as to revere thee like thy people Israel, and know that, thy Name, hath been given unto this house, which I have built?

34 If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray to thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name;

When thy people shall go forth to war against their enemies, whithersoever thou mayest send them, —and shall pray unto thee in the direction of this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy Name,

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

then wilt thou hear, out of the heavens, their prayer and their supplication, —and maintain their right.

36 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man who sinneth not, ) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives to a land far off or near;

When they sin against thee—for there is no son of earth who sinneth not—and thou shalt be angry with them, and deliver them up before an enemy, —who shall carry them away as their captives into a land—far away or near;

37 Yet if they take it to their hearts in the land where they are carried captive, and turn and pray to thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;

and they come back to their right mind, in the land whither they have been taken captive, —and so turn and make supplication unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and been lawless; —

38 If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest to their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:

and so turn unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captive, —and shall pray in the direction of their own land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and the city which thou hast chosen, and unto the house which I have built for thy Name,

39 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee.

then wilt thou hear out of the heavens—out of the settled place of thine abode—their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, —and forgive thy people, that wherein they sinned against thee?

40 Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thy eyes be open, and let thy ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

Now, O my God, let—I beseech thee—thine eyes be open, and thine ears attent, —unto the prayer of this place.

41 Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.

Now, therefore, arise! O Yahweh God, unto thy rest, thou, and the ark of thy strength: Thy priests, O Yahweh God, let them be clothed with salvation, and, thy men of lovingkindness, let them rejoice in prosperity.

42 O LORD God, turn not away the face of thy anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.

O Yahweh God! do not turn away thy face from thine Anointed One, —oh remember lovingkindness unto David thy servant.