2 Chronicles, 6

1. Then Solomon said: Yahweh has chosen to dwell in thick cloud,

1. Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.

2. and I have built you a princely dwelling, a residence for you for ever.

2. I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in for ever."

3. Then the king turned round and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while the whole assembly of Israel stood.

3. Then the king faced about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.

4. He said, 'Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who has carried out by his hand what he promised verbally to my father David, when he said,

4. And he said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying,

5. "From the day I brought my people out of Egypt I chose no city, in any of the tribes of Israel, to have a temple built where my name should be, nor did I choose anyone to be prince of my people Israel;

5. `Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city in all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel;

6. but I did choose Jerusalem for my name to be there, and I did choose David to rule my people Israel."

6. but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

7. My father David had set his heart on building a temple for the name of Yahweh, God of Israel,

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

8. but Yahweh said to my father David, "You have set your heart on building a temple for my name, and in this you have done well;

8. But the LORD said to David my father, `Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart;

9. and yet, you are not the man to build the temple; but your son, yet to be born to you, will be the one to build the temple for my name."

9. nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.'

10. Yahweh has kept the promise which he made: I have succeeded my father David and am seated on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised; I have built the temple for the name of Yahweh, God of Israel,

10. Now the LORD has fulfilled his promise which he made; for I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

11. and I have placed in it the ark containing the covenant of Yahweh, which he made with the Israelites.'

11. And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which he made with the people of Israel."

12. Then in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, he stood facing the altar of Yahweh and stretched out his hands-

12. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands.

13. for Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and five cubits high, which he had placed in the middle of the court and on which he was standing; he knelt down in front of the whole assembly of Israel, stretched out his hands to heaven-

13. Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court; and he stood upon it. Then he knelt upon his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

14. and said, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth, you who are loyal to the covenant and show faithful love to your servants as long as they walk wholeheartedly in your way.

14. and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to thy servants who walk before thee with all their heart;

15. You have kept it with your servant, my father David, as you promised him you would. What you promised verbally today you have carried out by your hand.

15. who hast kept with thy servant David my father what thou didst declare to him; yea, thou didst speak with thy mouth, and with thy hand hast fulfilled it this day.

16. And now, Yahweh, God of Israel, keep the promise which you made to your servant David when you said, "You will never lack for a man to sit in my presence before me on the throne of Israel, provided that your sons are careful how they behave, following my law as you yourself have done."

16. Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father what thou hast promised him, saying, `There shall never fail you a man before me to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.'

17. So now, God of Israel, let the words come true which you spoke to your servant, my father David.

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

18. Yet will God really live with the people on earth? Why, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain you! How much less this temple built by me!

18. "But will God dwell indeed with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

19. Even so, listen favourably to the prayer and entreaty of your servant, Yahweh my God; listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant makes to you:

19. Yet have regard to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, hearkening to the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee;

20. Day and night, may your eyes watch over this temple, over this place in which you have promised to put your name. Listen to the prayer which your servant offers in this place.

20. that thy eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where thou hast promised to set thy name, that thou mayest hearken to the prayer which thy servant offers toward this place.

21. 'Listen to the entreaties of your servant and of your people Israel; whenever they pray in this place, listen from the place where you reside in heaven; and when you hear, forgive.

21. And hearken thou to the supplications of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; yea, hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

22. 'If someone has wronged his neighbour and a curse is laid on him to make him swear here before your altar in this Temple,

22. "If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and comes and swears his oath before thy altar in this house,

23. then listen from heaven and do justice between your servants, paying back the guilty one by making him suffer for his conduct, and acquitting the upright by rewarding him as his uprightness deserves.

23. then hear thou from heaven, and act, and judge thy servants, requiting the guilty by bringing his conduct upon his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

24. 'If your people Israel are defeated by the enemy because they have sinned against you, but then return to you and acknowledge your name, and pray and seek your favour in this temple,

24. "If thy people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against thee, when they turn again and acknowledge thy name, and pray and make supplication to thee in this house,

25. then listen from heaven; forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the country which you gave to them and their ancestors.

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

26. 'When the heavens are shut and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray in this place and praise your name and, having been humbled by you, desist from their sin,

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

27. then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servant and of your people Israel -- for you are constantly showing them the good way which they must follow -- and send rain on your country, which you have given to your people as their heritage.

27. then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, thy people Israel, when thou dost teach them the good way in which they should walk; and grant rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people as an inheritance.

28. 'Should there be famine in the country, or pestilence, wind-blast or mildew, locust or caterpillar; should their enemy lay siege to their territory; should there be any plague or any disease;

28. "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in any of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is;

29. whatever be the prayer or entreaty of any individual, or of all your people Israel, each being aware of his own affliction and pain; when he stretches out his hands towards this Temple,

29. whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by any man or by all thy people Israel, each knowing his own affliction, and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house;

30. then listen from heaven where you reside; forgive and, since you know what is in his heart, deal with each as his conduct deserves -- for you alone know what is in the human heart-

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

31. so that they may revere you by following your directions, which you gave to our ancestors, throughout their lives on earth.

31. that they may fear thee and walk in thy ways all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest to our fathers.

32. 'Even the foreigner, not belonging to your people Israel but coming from a distant country, attracted by your great name, your mighty hand and outstretched arm, if he comes and prays in this Temple,

32. "Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of thy people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of thy great name, and thy mighty hand, and thy outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house,

33. then listen from heaven where you reside, and grant all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may acknowledge your name and, like your people Israel, revere you, and know that this Temple, which I have built, bears your name.

33. hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to thee; in order that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name and fear thee, as do thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.

34. 'If your people go out to war against their enemies, on whatever mission you send them, and they pray to you, turning towards this city which you have chosen and towards the Temple which I have built for your name,

34. "If thy people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way 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,

35. then listen from heaven to their prayer and their entreaty, and uphold their cause.

35. then hear thou from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

36. 'When they sin against you -- for there is no one who does not sin -- and you are angry with them and abandon them to the enemy, and their captors carry them off to a country be it far away or near,

36. "If they sin against thee -- for there is no man who does not sin -- and thou art angry with them, and dost give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near;

37. if they come to their senses in the country to which they have been taken as captives and pray to you once again in the country of their captivity, saying, "We have sinned, we have acted wrongly and wickedly,"

37. yet if they lay it to heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to thee in the land of their captivity, saying, `We have sinned, and have acted perversely and wickedly';

38. and turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the country of their captivity to which they have been carried away as captives, and pray, turning towards the country which you gave to their ancestors, towards the city you have chosen, and towards the Temple which I have built for your name,

38. if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity, to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest to their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name,

39. then listen from heaven where you reside, hear their prayer and entreaties, uphold their cause and forgive your people for having sinned against you.

39. then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee.

40. 'Now, O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to prayer offered in this place.

40. Now, O my God, let thy eyes be open and thy ears attentive to a prayer of this place.

41. And now Yahweh God, go up to your resting-place, you and your fortress, the Ark! Let your priests, Yahweh God, be robed in salvation, let your faithful rejoice in what is good!

41. "And now arise, O LORD God, and go to thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy might. Let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in thy goodness.

42. Yahweh God, do not rebuff your Anointed -- remember the faithful love of your servant David!'

42. O LORD God, do not turn away the face of thy anointed one! Remember thy steadfast love for David thy servant."