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.
Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem all the elders of Israel, all the leaders of the tribes, and the leaders of the clans. He wanted them to join in bringing Yahweh’s Sacred Chest from Zion [Hill to the temple], where it was in the part of the city called ‘The City of David’.
2 And al Israel cam to gidere in the moneth Bethanym, in the solempne dai; thilke is the seuenthe moneth.
So all the Israeli leaders came to King Solomon during the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters, in October.
3 And alle the elde men of Israel camen; and the preestis token the arke,
When they had all arrived, the priests lifted up the Sacred Chest
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.
and brought it to the temple. The descendants of Levi [who assisted the priests] helped them to carry to the temple the Sacred Tent and all the sacred things that had been in the tent.
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.
Then King Solomon and many of the Israeli people who had gathered in front of Yahweh’s Sacred Chest sacrificed a huge amount of sheep and oxen. No one was able to count the sacrifices [because there were so many].
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.
The the priests then brought the Sacred Chest into the Very Holy Place in the temple, and they placed it under the wings of the [statues of the] winged creatures.
7 Forsothe cherubyns spredden forth wengis ouer the place of the arke; and hiliden the arke, and the barris therof aboue.
The wings of those statues spread out over the Sacred Chest and over the poles by which it was carried.
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 of the poles could be seen [by people who were standing] at the entrance to the Most Holy Place, but they could not be seen [by people standing] outside the temple. Those poles are still there.
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.
The only things that were in the Sacred Chest were the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Sinai [Mountain], where Yahweh made an agreement with the people after they left 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 came out of the temple, [suddenly] it was filled with a cloud.
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.
It was the glory/radiance of Yahweh that filled the temple, with the result that the priests were not able to continue their work.
12 Thanne Salomon seide, The Lord seide, that he wolde dwelle in a cloude.
Then Solomon prayed this: “Yahweh, you have placed the sun in the sky, but you have decided that you would live in very dark [clouds].
13 Y bildynge haue bildid an hows in to thi dwelling place, in to thi moost stidefast trone with outen ende.
I have built for you a magnificent temple, a place for you to live in forever.”
14 And the kyng turnede his face, and blesside al the chirche in Israel; for al the chirche of Israel stood.
Then, while all the people stood there, the king turned around and faced them, and he [asked God to] bless 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,
He said, “Praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis belong! By his own power he has done what he promised to give to my father David. What he promised was this:
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.
‘From the time that I brought my people out of Egypt, I have never chosen any city in Israel in which a temple should be built for my people to worship me there. But I chose you, David, to rule my people.”
17 And Dauid, my fadir, wolde bilde an hows to the name of the Lord God of Israel.
[Then Solomon said], “My father David wanted to build a temple in order that we Israeli people could worship Yahweh our God there.
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 Yahweh said to him, ‘You have wanted to build a temple for me, and what you wanted to do was good.
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.
However, you are not the one [who I want] to build it. It is one of your sons, who [I want to] build a temple for 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.
And now Yahweh has done what he promised to do. I have become the king of Israel to succeed my father, and I am ruling my people, like Yahweh promised. I have [arranged for] this temple [to be] built for us Israelis to worship Yahweh, the God, to whom we Israelis belong.
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 also provided a place [in the temple] for the Sacred Chest in which are the two stone tablets [on which are engraved the Ten Commandments of] the agreement that Yahweh made with our ancestors when he brought them out 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 which was facing the Israeli people who had gathered there. He spread out his arms 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;
and he prayed, “Yahweh, the God whom we Israeli people [belong to/worship], there is no god like you up in heaven or down here on the earth. You solemnly promised that you would faithfully love us. And that is what you have done for us who earnestly do what you want us to do.
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 done the things that you promised my father David, who served you [very well], that you would do. Truly, you promised to do these things for him, and today we see that by your power you have done them.
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, Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [belong to/worship], please do the things that you promised my father that you would do. You told him that there would always be some of his descendants who would rule Israel, if they would conduct their lives as he did.
26 And now, Lord God of Israel, thi wordis be maad stidfast, whiche thou spakist to thi seruaunt Dauid, my fadir.
So now, God of us Israeli people, cause what you promised to do for my father David, who served you [well], to happen.
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 God, you cannot really live on the earth. There is surely not enough space for you in the sky, or even in the heaven. So there is surely not enough space for you to live in this temple that my workers 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;
But Yahweh, my God, please listen to me while I am praying to you this day,
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,
Please keep protecting this temple night and day. This is the place about which you have said, ‘I will always be there.’ I request that you listen to me whenever I turn toward this temple and pray.
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.
I request that when I pray to you and your people pray to you while they turn toward this place, that in your home in heaven you will hear us and forgive us [for the sins that we have committed].
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,
If someone is accused of doing something wrong to another person, and they bring him to your altar outside this holy temple, and if he says, ‘I did not do that; may God punish me if I am not telling the truth,’
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.
then you listen from heaven, and decide who is telling the truth. Then punish the person who is guilty as he deserves to be punished, and declare that the other person is innocent.
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,
And when your Israeli people are defeated by their enemies [in a battle] because they have sinned against you, [and if they are forced to go to some distant country, ] if they turn away from their sinful behavior and turn toward this temple and admit that you [have justly punished them], and if they plead [that you will forgive them],
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.
listen to them from heaven, and forgive your Israeli people for the sins that they [have committed], and bring them back to this land that you gave to our ancestors.
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,
And when you do not allow any rain to fall on the land because your people have sinned against you, if they turn toward this temple and admit that you [have justly punished them], if they turn away from their sinful behavior and [humbly] pray to you,
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.
listen to them from heaven, and forgive your Israeli people for the sins [that they have committed]. Teach them the right way to conduct their lives. Then send rain on this land that you have given to your people to belong to them [permanently].
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,
And when the people of this land experience famines, or if there is a plague/illness that causes many people to become sick, or if [their crops are destroyed by] very hot winds or [by] mildew or [by] locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemies surround any of their cities [in order to attack them], if any of those bad things happen to them,
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,
when your Israeli people earnestly plead with you knowing that they are suffering because they [have sinned], and if they stretch out their arms toward this temple and pray,
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,
listen to them from your home in heaven, and forgive them, and help them. You are the only one who knows what people are thinking, so act toward everyone as they deserve,
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.
in order that your people may then have an awesome respect for you, all the years that they live in this land that you gave to our ancestors.
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,
There will be some foreigners who do not belong to your Israeli people who have come here from countries far away because they have heard that you are very great and that you perform great miracles. If they come here to this temple to worship you and pray,
42 and thin arm `holdun forth schal be herd euery where; therfor whanne he cometh, and preieth in this place,
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.
in your home in heaven, listen to their prayers, and do for them what they request you to do. Do that so that all the people-groups in the world will know about you and revere you, like we your Israeli people do. And then they will know that this temple that I have [caused to be] built to honor you, is where you [should be worshiped].
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,
And if you send your people to go to fight against their enemies, if they pray to you, wherever they are, if they turn toward this city that you have chosen and toward this temple that I have caused to be built for 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.
listen in heaven to their prayers; listen to what they plead for you to do, and assist them.
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,
[It is true that] everyone sins. So, if your people sin against you, and you become angry with them, you may allow their enemies to defeat them and capture them and take them away to their enemies’ country, even to countries that are 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;
If that happens, while they are in those countries to which they were forced to go, if they sincerely repent and plead with you there saying ‘We have sinned and have done things that are very wicked,’
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,
if they very sincerely repent, and turn toward this land that you gave to our ancestors, and toward this city that you have chosen [to be the place where we should worship you], and toward this temple that I have [caused to be] built for you, and if they pray,
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 from your home in heaven listen to them while they plead [for your help], and assist them.
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 them for all the sins that they [have committed] against you, and cause their enemies to be kind 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;
Do not forget that the Israelis are your people; they are your special possession; you brought [our ancestors] out of Egypt where [they were greatly suffering as though] they were in a blazing furnace.
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.
I request that you always listen to your Israeli people and to me, their king, and heed their prayers whenever they call out to you [to help them].
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.
You chose them from all the other people-groups in the world to belong to you, which is what you told Moses to tell them when you brought our ancestors 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 had finished praying and pleading to Yahweh [for his help], he stood up in front of the altar where he had been kneeling. He lifted up his arms.
55 Therfor he stood, and blesside al the chirche of Israel, and seide with greet vois,
Then he [asked God to] bless all the Israeli people. [He prayed] loudly, 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 Yahweh, who has given us his people peace, like he promised that he would do. He has done every one of the good things that he promised to Moses, the man who served him [very well].
57 Oure Lord God be with vs, as he was with oure fadris, and forsake not vs, nether caste awey;
I pray that our God will be with us like he was with our ancestors, and that he will never 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.
I pray that he will cause us to loyally serve him, to conduct our lives as he wants us to, and to obey all his commandments and statutes and laws that he gave to our ancestors.
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;
I pray that Yahweh our God will never forget these words that I have prayed, pleading for his help; I pray that he will think about them by day and by night. I pray that he will always help [us] Israeli people and me, giving us the things that we need day by day.
60 and alle the puplis of erthe wite, that the Lord hym silf is God, and noon `is ouer `with out hym.
If he does that, all the people-groups in the world will know that he is the only one who is God, and that there is no other one who is God.
61 Also oure herte be perfit with oure Lord God, that we go in hise domes, and kepe hise comaundementis, as and to dai.
I pray that you, [his people, ] will always be fully committed to Yahweh, and that you will obey all his statutes and commands, like you are doing now.”
62 Therfor the kyng, and al Israel with hym, offriden sacrifices bifor the Lord.
Then the king and all the Israeli people who were there offered sacrifices to Yahweh.
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.
They sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. Then the king and all the people dedicated the 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 day, the king also dedicated/set apart the middle part of the courtyard that was in front of the temple. Then he offered sacrifices that would be completely burned [in the courtyard], the offerings of grain and the fat of the animals that were sacrificed to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. They sacrificed them there because the bronze altar was not big enough for all those sacrifices to be burned on it [that day].
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 and all the Israeli people celebrated the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters for seven days. There was a huge crowd of people there, some of whom had come from [distant places like] Hamath [in the far north] and the border of Egypt [in the far south].
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.
On the eighth day, Solomon sent the people to their homes. They all praised him and went home happy because of all the things that Yahweh had done to bless [King] David and his Israeli people.
