1 Kings 8
1 Thanne alle the gretter men in birthe in Israel, with the princes of lynagis, and the duykis of meynees of the sones of Israel, weren gaderid to kyng Salomon, in to Jerusalem, that thei schulden bere the arke of boond of pees of the Lord fro the citee of Dauid, that is, fro Syon.
Then Solomon summoned before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel, including all the heads of the tribes and the family leaders of the Israelites. He instructed them to bring up with them the Ark of the Lord's Agreement from Zion, the City of David.
2 And al Israel cam to gidere in the moneth Bethanym, in the solempne dai; thilke is the seuenthe moneth.
All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the festival which is held in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.
3 And alle the elde men of Israel camen; and the preestis token the arke,
When all the elders of Israel had gathered, the priests picked up the Ark and brought the Ark of the Lord and the Tent of Meeting with all its holy items.
4 and baren the arke of the Lord, and the tabernacle of boond of pees, and alle vessels of the seyntuarye, that weren in the tabernacle; and the preestis and dekenes baren tho.
The priests and Levites carried them up.
5 Sotheli kyng Salomon, and al the multitude of Israel, that camen togidere to hym, yede with hym bifor the arke; and thei offriden scheep and oxis, with out gessyng and noumbre.
In front of the Ark, King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had gathered there with him sacrificed many, many sheep and bulls—so numerous they couldn't be counted!
6 And prestis brouyten the arke of boond of pees of the Lord in to his place, in to Goddis answerynge place of the temple, in to the hooli of hooli thingis, vndur the wengis of cherubyns.
Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord's Agreement to its place in the inner sanctuary of the Temple, the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.
7 Forsothe cherubyns spredden forth wengis ouer the place of the arke; and hiliden the arke, and the barris therof aboue.
The cherubim spread their wings over the place where the Ark was, covering the Ark and its carrying poles.
8 And whanne the barris stoden forth, and the hiynesse of tho apperiden with out the seyntuarye, bifor `Goddis answerynge place, tho apperyden no ferther with outforth; whiche barris also weren there `til in to present day.
The poles were so long that the ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside. They are there to this day.
9 Forsothe in the arke is noon other thing, no but twei tablis of stoon, whiche tablis Moyses in Oreb hadde put in the ark, whanne the Lord made boond of pees with the sones of Israel, whanne thei yeden out of the loond of Egipt.
There was nothing in the Ark apart from the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord had made an agreement with the Israelites after they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 Forsothe it was doon whanne the preestis hadden go out of the seyntuarie, a cloude fillide the hows of the Lord;
When the priests left the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.
11 and the preestis myyten not stonde and mynystre, for the cloude; for whi the glorye of the Lord hadde fillid the hows of the Lord.
Due to the cloud, the priests could not stay there to carry out their service, for the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's Temple.
12 Thanne Salomon seide, The Lord seide, that he wolde dwelle in a cloude.
Then Solomon said: “Lord, you said that you would live in the thick cloud.
13 Y bildynge haue bildid an hows in to thi dwelling place, in to thi moost stidefast trone with outen ende.
Now I have built for you a majestic Temple, a place where you may live for ever.”
14 And the kyng turnede his face, and blesside al the chirche in Israel; for al the chirche of Israel stood.
The king turned around to the whole assembly of Israel who were standing there, and blessed them,
15 And Salomon seide, Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, that spak with his mouth to Dauid, my fadir, and performyde in hise hondis, and seide,
saying, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who by his own power has fulfilled the promise he made to my father David when he said,
16 Fro the dai in which Y ledde my puple Israel out of Egipt, Y chees not a citee of alle the lynagis of Israel, that an hows schulde be bildid, and my name schulde be there; but Y chees Dauid, that he schulde be ouer my puple Israel.
‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt I have not chosen any town of the tribes of Israel as the place to build a Temple to honor me. But I have chosen David as king over my people Israel.’
17 And Dauid, my fadir, wolde bilde an hows to the name of the Lord God of Israel.
My father David really wanted to build a Temple to honor the Lord, the God of Israel.
18 And the Lord seide to Dauid, my fadir, That thou thouytist in thin herte to bilde an hows to my name, thou didist wel, tretynge this same thing in soule;
But the Lord told my father David, ‘You had the desire to build a Temple to honor me, and it was good that you really wanted to do this.
19 netheles thou schalt not bilde an hows to me, but thi sone, that schal go out of thi reynes, he schal bilde an hows to my name.
But it won't be you who will build this Temple, but your son who is to be born to you—he will build the Temple to honor me.'
20 The Lord hath confermyd his word, which he spak; and Y stood for Dauid, my fadir, and Y sat on the trone of Israel, as the Lord spak; and Y haue bildid an hows to the name of the Lord God of Israel.
Now the Lord has kept his promise that he made. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised. I have built the Temple to honor the Lord, the God of Israel.
21 And Y haue ordeyned there a place of the arke, in which arke the boond of pees of the Lord is, which he smoot with oure fadris, whanne thei yeden out of the lond of Egipt.
I have provided a place there for the Ark, which contains the agreement of the Lord that he made with our forefathers when he led them out of the land of Egypt.”
22 Forsothe Salomon stood bifoor the auter of the Lord, in the siyt of the chirch of Israel; and he helde forth hise hondis ayens heuene,
Then Solomon stood in front of the altar of the Lord before the whole assembly of Israel and held out his hands toward heaven.
23 and seide, Lord God of Israel, no God in heuene aboue, nether on erthe bynethe, is lijk thee, which kepist couenaunt and mercy to thi seruauntis, that goon bifor thee in al her herte;
He said, “Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep you agreement of trustworthy love with your servants, those who are totally committed to following you.
24 and thou kepist to Dauid, my fadir, thi seruaunt, tho thingis whiche thou hast spoke to him; bi mouth thou hast spoke, and bi hondis thou hast fillid, as this day preueth.
You have kept the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You yourself promised, and by your own power you have fulfilled it today.
25 Now therfor, Lord God of Israel, kepe thou to thi seruaunt Dauid, my fadir, tho thingis whiche thou spakist to hym, and seidist, A man of thee schal not be taken awei bifor me, which man schal sitte on the trone of Israel, so netheles if thi sones kepen thi weye, that thei go bifor me, as thou yedist in my siyt.
So now, Lord, God of Israel, please also keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said: ‘You will never fail to have a descendant sit in my presence on the throne of Israel, as long as they make sure to follow me as you have done.’
26 And now, Lord God of Israel, thi wordis be maad stidfast, whiche thou spakist to thi seruaunt Dauid, my fadir.
Now, God of Israel, please keep the promise you made to our servant, my father David.
27 Therfor whether it is to gesse, that God dwellith verily on erthe; for if heuene, and heuene of heuenes moun not take thee, how myche more this hows, which Y bildid to thee, `mai not take thee.
But will God really live here on earth? The heavens, even highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this Temple I have built!
28 But, my Lord God, biholde thou to the preiere of thi seruaunt, and to the bisechyngis of hym; here thou the `ympne, ether preysing, and preiere, which thi seruaunt preieth bifor thee to day;
Please hear the prayer of your servant and his request, Lord my God. Please hear the appeals and the prayers that your servant is presenting before you today.
29 that thin iyen be openyd on this hows bi niyt and dai, on the hows, of which thou seidist, My name schal be there; that thou here the preier, which thi seruaunt preieth to thee in this place; that thou here the bisechyng of thi seruaunt,
May you watch over this Temple day and night, caring for the place where you said you would be honored. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place,
30 and of thi puple Israel, what euer thing he preieth in this place, and here thou in the place of thi dwellyng in heuene; and whanne thou hast herd, thou schalt be mercyful.
and may you hear the request of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Please hear from heaven where you live. May you hear and forgive.
31 If a man synneth ayens a man, and hath ony ooth, bi which he is holdun boundun, and cometh for the ooth in to thin hows, bifor thin auter, thou schalt here in heuene,
When someone sins against another and is required to take an oath before your altar in this Temple,
32 and thou schalt do, and thou schalt deme thi seruauntis; and thou schalt condempne the wickid man, and schalt yelde his weie on his heed, and thou schalt iustifie the iust man, and schalt yelde to hym vp his riytfulnesse.
listen from heaven—act and judge your servants. Pay back the guilty; vindicate and reward those who do right.
33 If thi puple Israel fleeth hise enemyes, for he schal do synne to thee, and thei doen penaunce, and knoulechen to thi greet name, and comen, and worschipen, and bisechen thee in this hows,
When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they come back in repentance to you, praying for forgiveness in this Temple,
34 here thou in heuene, and foryyue thou the synne of thi puple; and thou schalt lede hem ayen in to the lond, which thou hast youe to the fadris of hem.
then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their forefathers.
35 If heuene is closid, and reyneth not for the synnes of hem, and thei preyen in this place, and doen penaunce to thi name, and ben conuertid fro her synnes for her turment,
If the skies are closed shut and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and if they come back in repentance to you, turning away from their sin because you have punished them,
36 here thou hem in heuene, and foryyue thou the synnes of thi seruauntis, and of thi puple Israel, and schewe thou to hem good weie, bi which thei schulen go, and yyue thou reyn to hem on the lond, which thou hast youe to hem in to possessioun.
then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the good way so that they can walk on it, and send rain on the earth that you have given to your people as their possession.
37 If hungur risith in the lond, ether pestilence is, ether corrupt eyr is, ether rust, ether locuste, ether myldew, and his enemy turmentith hym, and bisegith the yatis, al wounde, al sikenesse, al cursyng,
If there is famine in the land, or disease, or blight or mildew on the crops, or if there are locusts or caterpillars, or if an enemy comes to lay siege to the towns in the land—it can be whatever kind of plague or whatever kind of disease—
38 and wichyng of yuel, that bifallith to ech man of thi puple Israel, if ony man knowith the wounde of his herte, and holdith forth hise hondis in this hows,
then whatever kind of prayer or whatever kind of appeal is made by anyone or all your people Israel, in fact anyone who, knowing their problems and pains, prays toward this Temple,
39 thou schalt here in heuene, in the place of thi dwellyng, and thou schalt do mercy, and thou schalt do that thou yyue to ech man vpe alle hise weies, as thou seest his herte; for thou aloone knowist the herte of alle the sones of men,
then hear from heaven, the place where you live, and forgive. Give according to the way they live their lives, for you know what people are really like inside, and you alone know the true character of people.
40 that thei drede thee in alle daies in whiche thei lyuen on the face of the lond, which thou hast youe to oure fadrys.
Then they will respect you and follow your ways all the time they live in the land you gave to our forefathers.
41 Ferthermore and whanne an alien, which is not of thi puple Israel, cometh fro a fer lond for thi name; for thi grete name, and thi strong hond,
As for the foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel but who come from a distant land,
42 and thin arm `holdun forth schal be herd euery where; therfor whanne he cometh, and preieth in this place,
having heard of your great nature and power and ability to help, when they come and pray toward this Temple,
43 thou schalt here in heuene, in the firmament of thi dwellyng place, and thou schalt do alle thingis, for whiche the alien clepith thee, that alle puplis of londis lerne to drede thi name, as thi puple Israel doith, and preue, that thi name is clepid on this hows, which Y bildide.
then hear from heaven, the place where you live, and give them what they're asking. That way, everyone on earth will come to know and respect you, just as your own people Israel do. They will also know that this Temple I have built is dedicated to you.
44 If thi puple goith out to batel ayens hise enemyes, bi the weie whidir euer thou sendist hem, thei schulen preye thee ayens the weie of the citee which thou hast chose, and ayens the hows which Y bildide to thi name,
When your people go to fight against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you towards the city you have chosen and the house I have built to honor you,
45 and thou schalt here in heuene the preyeris of hem, and the bisechyngis of hem, and thou schalt make the doom of hem.
then hear from heaven what they are praying and asking for, and support their cause.
46 That if thei synnen to thee, for no man is that synneth not, and thou art wrooth, and bitakist hem to her enemyes, and thei ben led prisoneris in to the lond of enemyes,
If they sin against you—and there is nobody who does not sin—you may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy who takes them away as prisoners to a foreign land, near or far away.
47 fer ether nyy, and thei doon penaunce in her herte in the place of prisonyng, and ben conuertid, and bisechen in her prisonyng, and seien, We han synned, we han do wickidli, we han do vnfeithfuli;
But if they think again in their land of captivity and repent and plead for mercy from you, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly,’
48 and thei turnen ayen to thee in al her herte and al her soule, in the lond of her enemyes, to which thei ben led prisoneris, and thei preyen thee ayens the weie of her lond which thou hast youe to her fadris, and of the citee which thou hast chose, and of the temple which Y bildide to thi name, thou schalt here in heuene,
and they come back to you with complete sincerity in their thoughts and attitudes there in their land of captivity; and they pray towards the land you gave their forefathers, the city you chose, and the Temple I have built to honor you,
49 in the firmament of thi seete, the preiers of hem, and the bisechingis of hem, and thou shalt make the doom of hem;
then hear from heaven, the place where you live, respond and support their cause.
50 and thou schalt be merciful to thi puple, that synnede to thee, and to alle the wickidnessis, bi whiche thei trespassiden ayens thee; and thou schalt do merci bifor tho men, that hadden hem prisoneris, that tho men do mercy to hem.
Forgive your people who have sinned against you, all the rebellious acts they have committed against you. Please make those who have captured them show mercy to them.
51 For it is thi puple, and thin erytage, whiche thou leddist out of the lond of Egipt, fro the myddis of yrone furneis;
For they are your people—they belong to you! You led them out of Egypt, out of the middle of furnace used for smelting iron.
52 that thin yyen be opyn to the bisechyng of thi seruaunt, and of thi puple Israel; and thou schalt here hem in alle thingis, for whiche thei clepen thee.
May you pay attention to the requests of your servant, and to the requests of your people Israel, and may you respond whenever they call out to you.
53 For thou hast departid hem to thee in to heritage fro alle the puplis of erthe, as thou spakist bi Moyses, thi seruaunt, whanne thou, Lord God, leddist oure fadris out of Egipt.
For you set them apart from all the nations of the world as a people who belonged to you, just as you declared through your servant Moses when you led our fathers out of Egypt.”
54 Forsothe it was don, whanne Salomon, preiynge the Lord, hadde fillid al this preier and bisechyng, he roos fro the siyt of the auter of the Lord; for he hadde set fast euer either kne to the erthe, and hadde holde forth the hondis to heuene.
After Solomon finished praying all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he stood up before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands held out toward heaven.
55 Therfor he stood, and blesside al the chirche of Israel, and seide with greet vois,
Solomon stood, and in a loud voice he blessed the whole assembly of Israel, saying,
56 Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, that yaf reste to his puple Israel, bi alle thingis whiche he spak; a word felde not doun, sotheli nether oon, of alle goodis whiche he spak bi Moises, his seruaunt.
“Praise the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel in accordance with everything he promised. Not a single word has failed among all the good promises he made through his servant Moses.
57 Oure Lord God be with vs, as he was with oure fadris, and forsake not vs, nether caste awey;
May the Lord our God be with us in the same way he was with our forefathers. May he never leave us or abandon us.
58 but bowe he oure hertis to hym silf, that we go in alle hise weies, and kepe hise comaundementis, and cerymonyes, and domes, whiche euere he comaundide to oure fadris.
May he help us to come to him, to follow all his ways and to keep the commandments, statutes, and regulations he ordered our forefathers to observe.
59 And these wordis of me, bi whiche Y preiede bifor the Lord, be neiyynge to oure Lord God bi dai and niyt, that he make doom to his seruaunt, and to his puple Israel bi alle daies;
May these words of mine I have used to make my request in the Lord's presence be before the Lord our God day and night. In that way he may support the cause of his servant and of his people Israel as is needed every day,
60 and alle the puplis of erthe wite, that the Lord hym silf is God, and noon `is ouer `with out hym.
in order that everyone on the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is no other!
61 Also oure herte be perfit with oure Lord God, that we go in hise domes, and kepe hise comaundementis, as and to dai.
So make sure you are completely committed to the Lord our God just as you are today, and be careful to follow his statutes and to keep his commandments.”
62 Therfor the kyng, and al Israel with hym, offriden sacrifices bifor the Lord.
Then the king and together with all of Israel offered sacrifices before the Lord.
63 And Salomon killide pesible sacrifices, whiche he offride to the Lord; of oxis two and twenti thousynde, and of scheep sixe score thousynde; and the king and the sones of Israel halewiden the temple of the Lord.
Solomon presented as friendship offerings to the Lord 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep. In this way the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the Lord's Temple.
64 In that dai the kyng halewide the myddil of the greet street, that was bifor the hows of the Lord; for he made there brent sacrifice, and sacrifice, and the innere fatnesse of pesible thingis; for the brasun auter that was bifor the Lord, was to litil, and myyte not take the brent sacrifice, and the sacrifice, and the ynnere fatnesse of pesible thingis.
On that same day, the king dedicated the center of the courtyard in front of the Lord's Temple. There he presented burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the friendship offerings, since the bronze altar in the Lord's presence was too small to hold all these offerings.
65 Therfor Salomon made in that tyme a solempne feeste, and al Israel with hym, a grete multitude, fro the entryng of Emath `til to the stronde of Egipt, bifor oure Lord God, in seuene daies and seuene daies, that is, fourtene daies.
Then Solomon together with all of Israel observed the festival before the Lord our God for seven days, and then another seven days—fourteen days in all. It was a large assembly of people, who came from as far away as Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt.
66 And in the eiythe day he delyueryde the puplis, whiche blessiden the kyng, and yeden forth in to her tabernaclis, and weren glade and of ioyful herte on alle the goodis whiche God hadde do to Dauid, his seruaunt, and to Israel, his puple.
One day later Solomon sent the people home. They blessed the king and went home, full of joy and happy for all the good things that the Lord had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.
