2 Chronicles 6

Wycliffe Bible

6 Then Solomon said, The Lord promised, that he would dwell in [the] darkness;

² and I have built an house to his name, that he should dwell therein without end. (and I have built a House in honour of his name, so that he can live in it forevermore.)

³ And Solomon turned his face, and blessed all the multitude of Israel; for all the company stood attentive (for all the congregation stood attentive);

⁴ and he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath fulfilled in work that thing, that he spake to David, my father, and said,

⁵ From the day in which I led my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose not a city of all the lineages of Israel, that an house should be builded therein to my name, neither I chose any other man, that he should be duke upon my people Israel; (From the day in which I led my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel, where a House would be built in honour of my name, nor did I choose any man, who would be the leader of my people Israel;)

⁶ but (then) I chose Jerusalem, that my name (would) be therein, and I chose David, to ordain him upon my people Israel.

⁷ And when it was of the will of David, my father, to build an house to the name of the Lord God of Israel, (And when it was the desire of my father David, to build a House in honour of the name of the Lord God of Israel,)

⁸ the Lord said to him, For this was thy will, to build an house to my name, soothly thou didest well, having such a will, (the Lord said to him, For this was thy desire, to build a House in honour of my name, truly thou didest well, having such a desire,)

⁹ but yet thou shalt not build an house to me; nevertheless the son, that shall go out of thy loins, he shall build an house to my name. (but yet thou shalt not build a House for me; but the son, who shall go out of thy loins, he shall build a House in honour of my name.)

¹⁰ Therefore the Lord hath fulfilled his word, that he spake; and I rose up for David, my father, and I sat on the throne of Israel, as the Lord spake, and I have builded an house to the name of the Lord God of Israel (and I have built a House in honour of the name of the Lord God of Israel);

¹¹ and I have put therein the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which he covenanted with the sons of Israel. (and I have put the Ark in it, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which he covenanted with the Israelites.)

¹² Therefore Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord even against all the multitude of Israel, and stretched forth his hands. (And so Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of all the multitude of Israel, and stretched out his hands.)

¹³ For Solomon had made a brazen foundament, and had set it in the midst of the great house, and it had five cubits of length, and five (cubits) of breadth, and three cubits of height, and he stood there upon [it]; and from that time he kneeled against all the multitude of Israel, and he raised up his hands into heaven, (For Solomon had made a bronze foundation, or platform, and had set it in the midst of the great courtyard, and it had five cubits of length, and five cubits of breadth, and three cubits of height, and he stood upon it; and then he knelt before all the multitude of Israel, and he raised up his hands toward heaven,)

¹⁴ and said, Lord God of Israel, none is like thee; thou art God in heaven, and in earth, which keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that go before thee in all their heart; (and said, Lord God of Israel, there is no god like thee, in heaven, or on earth, who keepest covenant with thy servants, and showest them love, yea, to those who go before thee with all their heart;)

¹⁵ thou hast given to David thy servant, my father, whatever thing thou hast spoken, or promised, to him; and thou hast fulfilled in work those things, which thou promisedest by mouth, as also this present time proveth. (thou hast given to thy servant David, my father, whatever thou hast promised to him; and thou hast fulfilled in work those things, which thou promisedest with thy mouth, as this present time proveth.)

¹⁶ Now therefore, Lord God of Israel, fulfill thou to thy servant, my father David, whatever things thou hast spoken, saying, A man of thee shall not fail before me, that shall sit upon the throne of Israel; so nevertheless if thy sons keep my ways (so shall it be if thy sons keep my ways), and go in my law, as and thou hast gone before me.

¹⁷ And now, Lord God of Israel, thy word be made steadfast, which thou spakest to thy servant David.

¹⁸ Therefore whether it is believeful, that the Lord dwell with men on earth? If heaven and the heavens of heavens (may not) take, either may not hold thee, Lord, how much more this house, which I have builded? (And so is it believable, that the Lord can live with people here on earth? If heaven and the heavens of heavens cannot hold thee, Lord, how much less this House, Lord, which I have built for thee?)

¹⁹ But hereto only it is made, that thou, my Lord God, behold there the prayer of thy servant, and the beseeching of him, and that thou hear the prayers, which thy servant poureth [out] before thee;

²⁰ that thou open thine eyes upon this house by days and nights, upon the place in which thou promisedest, that thy name should be in-called, and that thou wouldest hear the prayer, which thy servant prayeth therein. (and that thou open thine eyes upon this House day and night, yea, upon the place in which thou promisedest, that thy name would be there, and that thou wouldest hear the prayer, which thy servant prayeth in it.)

²¹ Hear thou the prayers of thy servant, and of thy people Israel; whoever prayeth in this place, hear thou from thy dwelling place, that is, from heaven, and do thou mercy to him.

²² If any man sinneth against his neighbour, and cometh ready to swear against him, and bindeth himself with cursing before the altar in this house, (If any man sinneth against his neighbour, and must swear an oath, and bindeth himself with that oath before the altar in this House,)

²³ thou shalt hear from heaven, and shalt do the doom of thy servants; so that thou yield to the wicked man his way into his own head, and that thou venge the just man, and yield to him after his rightwiseness. (thou shalt hear from heaven, and shalt do justice for thy servants/and shalt make judgement for thy servants; so that thou yield to the wicked person his way upon his own head, and that thou avenge the just person, and reward him because of his righteousness.)

²⁴ If thy people Israel is overcome of enemies, for they shall do sin against thee, and if they converted do penance, and beseech thy name, and pray in this place, (And if thy people Israel be overcome by enemies, for they have sinned against thee, and if they be turned and do penance, and beseech thy name, and pray in this place,)

²⁵ thou shalt hear from heaven, and do thou mercy to the sin of thy people Israel (and forgive the sin of thy people Israel), and bring them again into the land, which thou hast given to them, and to their fathers.

²⁶ If when heaven is closed, rain come not down for the sin of thy people, and they beseech thee in this place, and acknowledge to thy name, and be turned from their sins, when thou hast tormented them, (And when the heavens be closed up, and rain come not down for the sin of thy people, and they beseech thee in this place, and acknowledge, or confess, thy name, and be turned from their sins, when thou hast tormented them,)

²⁷ hear thou, Lord, from heaven, and forgive thou the sins to thy servants, and to thy people Israel (and forgive thou the sins of thy servants, and of thy people Israel), and teach thou them a good way, by which they shall enter, and give thou rain to the land, which thou hast given to thy people to have in possession.

²⁸ (And) If that hunger riseth in the land, and pestilence, and rust, and wind destroying corns, (or crops,) and if that a locust, and (a) bruchus cometh; and if enemies besiege the gates of the city, after that the countries be destroyed (after that the countryside is destroyed); and if (in) any manner vengeance and sickness oppresseth thy people;

²⁹ if any of thy people Israel beseecheth, and knoweth his vengeance, that is, his sin wherefore he hath deserved (this) vengeance, and sickness, and if he spreadeth abroad his hands in this house,

³⁰ thou shalt hear from heaven, that is, from thine high dwelling place, and do thou mercy, and yield thou to each man after his ways, which thou knowest, that he hath in his heart; for thou alone knowest the hearts of the sons of men; (thou shalt hear from heaven, that is, from thy high dwelling place, and then do thou mercy, and yield thou to each person after their ways, which thou knowest, that they have in heir heart; for thou alone knowest the hearts of people;)

³¹ that they dread thee (so that they shall fear thee/so that they shall revere thee), and go in thy ways in all days, in which they live on the face of [the] earth, which thou hast given to our fathers.

³² Also thou shalt hear from heaven, thy most steadfast dwelling place, a stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, if he cometh from a far land for thy great name, and for thy strong hand, and thine arm stretched forth, and prayeth in this place; (And thou shalt hear from heaven, thy most steadfast dwelling place, a stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, if he cometh from a far land for thy great name’s sake, and for thy strong hand, and thy out-stretched arm, and prayeth in this place;)

³³ and thou shalt do all things, for which that pilgrim inwardly calleth thee, that all the people of (the) earth know thy name, and dread thee, as thy people Israel doeth; and that they know, that thy name is called on (in) this house, which I have builded to thy name. (and thou shalt do all the things, for which that pilgrim inwardly calleth thee, so that all the people of the earth can know thy name, and fear thee/and revere thee, as thy people Israel doeth; and so that they can know, that thy name is called on in this House, which I have built in honour of thy name.)

³⁴ If thy people goeth out to battle against his adversaries, by the way in which thou sendest them, they shall worship thee against the way in which this city is set, which thou hast chosen, and the house which I [have] builded to thy name, (If thy people goeth out to battle against their adversaries, by the way in which thou sendest them, they shall worship thee toward the way in which this city is set, which thou hast chosen, and the House which I have built in honour of thy name,)

³⁵ that thou hear from heaven their prayers and their beseeching, and do thou vengeance to their adversaries.

³⁶ And if they sin against thee, for no man is alive that sinneth not, and if thou art wroth with them, and betakest them to their enemies (and deliverest them to their enemies); and (the) enemies lead them (away as) prisoners into a far land, either certainly which land is nigh;

³⁷ and if they be converted in their heart in the land, to which they be led prisoners, and they do penance, and beseech thee in the land of their captivity, and say, We have sinned, we have done wickedly, we did unjustly;

³⁸ and if they turn again to thee in all their heart, and in all their soul, in the land of their captivity, to which they be led, and if they shall worship thee against the way of their land, which thou hast given to the fathers of them, and against the way of the city which thou hast chosen, and of the house which I [have] builded to thy name; (and if they turn again to thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity to which they be led away, and if they shall worship thee toward the way of their land, which thou hast given to their fathers, and toward the way of the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the way of the House which I have built in honour of thy name;)

³⁹ that thou hear from heaven, that is, from thy steadfast dwelling place, the prayers of them, and that thou make doom, and forgive to thy people, though they be sinful; (that thou hear from heaven, that is, from thy steadfast dwelling place, their prayers, and that thou give them justice/and that thou make judgement, and forgive thy people, even though they have been sinful;)

⁴⁰ for thou art my God; I beseech thee, be thine eyes opened (let thine eyes be opened), and thine ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

⁴¹ Now therefore, Lord God, rise up into thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength; Lord God, thy priests be clothed with health (Lord God, let thy priests be clothed with salvation), and thy holy men be glad in good things.

⁴² Lord God, turn thou not away the face of thy christ; have thou mind on the mercies of David thy servant. (Lord God, turn thou not away the face of thy anointed; remember thy abiding love for thy servant David.)