2 Chronicles 6

1 Then Solomon said, O Lord, to the sun you have given the heaven for a living-place, but your living-place was not seen by men,

Thanne Salomon seide, The Lord bihiyte, that he wolde dwelle in derknesse;

2 So I have made for you a living-place, a house in which you may be for ever present.

forsothe I haue bilde an hows to his name, that he schulde dwelle there with outen ende.

3 Then, turning his face about, the king gave a blessing to all the men of Israel; and they were all on their feet together.

And Salomon turnede his face, and blesside al the multitude of Israel; for al the cumpeny stood ententif; and he seide,

4 And he said, Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who himself gave his word to my father David, and with his strong hand has made his word come true, saying,

Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, for he fillide in werk that thing, that he spak to Dauid, my fadir, and seide,

5 From the day when I took my people out of the land of Egypt, no town in all the tribes of Israel has been marked out by me for the building of a house for the resting-place of my name; and I took no man to be a ruler over my people Israel;

Fro the dai in which Y ledde my puple out of the lond of Egipt, Y chees not a citee of alle the lynagis of Israel, that an hows schulde be bildid therynne to my name, nether Y chees ony other man, that he schulde be duyk on my puple Israel;

6 But now I have made selection of Jerusalem, that my name might be there, and of David, to be over my people Israel.

but Y chees Jerusalem, that my name be therynne, and Y chees Dauid, to ordeyne hym on my puple Israel.

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

And whanne it was of the wille of Dauid, my fadir, to bilde an hows to the name of the Lord God of Israel,

8 But the Lord said to David my father, You did well to have in your heart the desire to make a house for my name:

the Lord seide to hym, For this was thi wille, `that thou woldist bilde an hows to my name, sotheli thou didist wel,

9 But you yourself will not be the builder of the house; but your son, the offspring of your body, he it is who will put up a house for my name.

hauynge suche a wil, but thou schalt not bilde an hows to me; netheles the sone, that schal go out of thi leendis, he schal bilde an hows to my name.

10 And the Lord has kept his word; for I have taken my father David's place on the seat of the kingdom of Israel, as the Lord gave his word; and I have made the house for the name of the Lord the God of Israel.

Therfor the Lord hath fillid his word, which he spak; and Y roos for Dauid, my fader, and Y sat on the trone of Israel, as the Lord spak, and Y bildide an hous to the name of the Lord God of Israel;

11 And there I have put the ark, in which is the agreement of the Lord, which he made with the people of Israel.

and I haue put therynne the arke, in which is the couenaunt of the Lord, which he `couenauntide with the sones of Israel.

12 Then he took his place in front of the altar of the Lord, all the men of Israel being present,

Therfor Salomon stood bifor the auter of the Lord euene ayens al the multitude of Israel, and stretchide forth his hondis.

13 (For Solomon had made a brass stage, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had put it in the middle of the open space; on this he took his place and went down on his knees before all the meeting of Israel, stretching out his hands to heaven.)

For Salomon hadde maad a brasun foundement, and hadde set it in the myddis of the greet hows, and it hadde fyue cubitis of lengthe, and fyue of breede, and thre cubitis of heiythe, and he stood theron; and fro that tyme he knelide ayens al the multitude of Israel, and reiside the hondis in to heuene,

14 And he said, O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth; keeping faith and mercy unchanging for your servants, while they go in your ways with all their hearts;

and seide, Lord God of Israel, noon is lijk thee; `thou art God in heuene and in erthe, which kepist couenaunt and mercy with thi seruauntis, that goon bifor thee in al her herte;

15 For you have kept the word which you gave to your servant David, my father; with your mouth you said it and with your hand you have made it come true this day.

which hast youe to Dauid thi seruaunt, my fadir, what euer thingis thou hast spoke to hym, and thow hast fillid in werk tho thingis, whiche thou bihiytist bi mouth, as also present tyme preueth.

16 So now, O Lord, the God of Israel, let your word to your servant David, my father, come true, when you said, You will never be without a man to take his place before me on the seat of the kingdom of Israel; if only your children give attention to their ways, walking in my law, as you have done before me.

Now therfor, Lord God of Israel, fille thou to thi seruaunt my fadir Dauid, what euer thingis thou hast spoke, seiynge, A man of thee schal not faile bifor me, that schal sitte on the trone of Israel; so netheles if thi sones kepen my weies, and goon in my lawe, as and thou hast go bifor me.

17 So now, O Lord, the God of Israel, make your word come true which you said to your servant David.

And now, Lord God of Israel, thi word be maad stidefast, which thou spakist to thi seruaunt Dauid.

18 But is it truly possible that God may be housed with men on earth? see, heaven and the heaven of heavens are not wide enough to be your resting-place: how much less this house which I have made:

Therfor whether it is leueful, that the Lord dwelle with men on erthe? If heuene and the heuenes of heuenes `taken not thee, how myche more this hows, which Y haue bildid?

19 Still, let your heart be turned to the prayer of your servant and to his prayer for grace, O Lord my God, and give ear to the cry and the prayer which your servant makes before you;

But herto oneli it is maad, that thou, my Lord God, biholde the preier of thi seruaunt, and the bisechyng of hym, and that thou here the preieris, whiche thi seruaunt schedith bifor thee;

20 That your eyes may be open to this house day and night, to this place of which you have said that you would put your name there; to give ear to the prayer which your servant may make, turning to this place.

that thou opyne thin iyen on this hows bi dayes and nyytis, on the place in which thou bihiytist, that thi name schulde be clepid,

21 And give ear to the prayers of your servant and of your people Israel, when they make their prayers, turning to this place; give ear from heaven your living-place; and hearing have mercy.

and that thou woldist here the preier, which thi seruaunt preieth therynne. Here thou the preieris of thi seruaunt, and of thi puple Israel; who euer preieth in this place, here thou fro thi dwellyng place, that is, fro heuenes, and do thou merci.

22 If a man does wrong to his neighbour and has to take an oath, and comes before your altar to take his oath in this house:

If ony man synneth ayens his neiybore, and cometh redi to swere ayens him, and byndith hym silf with cursyng bifor the auter in this hows,

23 Then let your ear be open in heaven, and be the judge of your servants, giving punishment to the wrongdoer, so that his sin may come on his head; and, by your decision, keeping from evil him who has done no wrong.

thou schalt here fro heuene, and schalt do the doom of thi seruauntis; so that thou yelde to the wickid man his weie in to his owne heed, and that thou venge the iust man, and yelde to hym after his riytfulnesse.

24 And if your people Israel are overcome in war, because of their sin against you; if they are turned to you again, honouring your name, making prayers and requesting your grace in this house:

If thi puple Israel is ouercomen of enemyes, for thei schulen do synne ayens thee, and if thei conuertid doen penaunce, and bisechen thi name, and preien in this place,

25 Then give ear from heaven, and let the sin of your people Israel have forgiveness, and take them back again to the land which you gave to them and to their fathers.

thou schalt here fro heuene, and do thou mercy to the synne of thi puple Israel, and brynge hem ayen `in to the lond, which thou hast youe to hem, and to `the fadris of hem.

26 When heaven is shut up and there is no rain, because of their sin against you: if they make prayers with their faces turned to this place, honouring your name and turning away from their sin when you send trouble on them:

If whanne heuene is closid, reyn come not doun for the synne of thi puple, and thei bisechen thee in this place, and knowlechen to thi name, and ben turned fro her synnes, whanne thou hast turmentid hem,

27 Then give ear from heaven, so that the sin of your servants and the sin of your people Israel may have forgiveness, when you make clear to them the good way in which they are to go; and send rain on your land which you have given to your people for their heritage.

here thou, Lord, fro heuene, and foryyue thou synnes to thi seruauntis, and to thi puple Israel, and teche thou hem a good weie, bi which thei schulen entre, and yyue thou reyn to the lond, which thou hast youe to thi puple to haue in possessioun.

28 If there is no food in the land, if there is disease, if the fruits of the earth are damaged by heat or water, locust or worm; if their towns are shut in by their attackers: whatever trouble or whatever disease there may be:

If hungur risith in the lond, and pestilence, and rust, and wynd distriynge cornes, and a locuste, and bruke cometh, and if enemyes bisegen the yatis of the citee, aftir that the cuntreis ben distried, and al veniaunce and sikenesse oppressith;

29 Whatever prayer or request for your grace is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, whatever his trouble may be, whose hands are stretched out to this house:

if ony of thi puple Israel bisechith, and knowith his veniaunce and sikenesse, and if he spredith abrood hise hondis in this hows,

30 Then give ear from heaven your living-place, answering with forgiveness, and give to every man, whose secret heart is open to you, the reward of all his ways; (for you, and you only, have knowledge of the hearts of the children of men; )

thou schalt here fro heuene, that is, fro thin hiye dwellyng place, and do thou mercy, and yelde thou to ech man aftir hise weies, whiche thou knowist, that he hath in his herte; for thou aloone knowist the hertis of the sones of men;

31 So that they may give you worship, walking in your ways, as long as they are living in the land which you gave to our fathers.

that thei drede thee, and go in thi weies in alle daies, in which thei lyuen on the face of erthe, which thou hast youe to oure fadris.

32 And as for the man from a strange land, who is not of your people Israel but comes from a far country because of the glory of your name and your strong hand and your outstretched arm; when he comes to make his prayer, turning to this house:

Also thou schalt here fro heuene, thi moost stidfast dwellyng place, a straunger, which is not of thi puple Israel, if he cometh fro a fer lond for thi greet name, and for thi stronge hond, and arm holdun forth, `and preye in this place;

33 Then give ear from heaven your living-place, and give him his desire, whatever it may be; so that all the peoples of the earth may have knowledge of your name, worshipping you as do your people Israel, and may see that this house which I have made is truly named by your name.

and thou schalt do alle thingis, for which thilke pilgrym `inwardli clepith thee, that alle the puplis of erthe knowe thi name, and drede thee, as thi puple Israel doith; and that thei knowe, that thi name is clepid on this hows, which Y haue bildid to thi name.

34 If your people go out to war against their attackers, by whatever way you may send them, if they make their prayers to you turning their faces to this town of yours and to this house which I have put up for your name:

If thi puple goith out to batel ayens hise aduersaries, bi the weie in which thou sendist hem, thei schulen worschipe thee ayens the weie in which this citee is, which thou hast chose, and the hows which Y bildide to thi name,

35 Then give ear from heaven to their prayer and their cry for grace, and see right done to them.

that thou here fro heuene her preieris and bisechyng, and do veniaunce.

36 If they do wrong against you, (for no man is without sin, ) and you are angry with them, and give them up into the power of those who are fighting against them, so that they take them away prisoners to a land far off or near;

Forsothe if thei synnen ayens thee, for no man is that synneth not, and if thou art wrooth to hem, and bitakist hem to enemyes; and enemyes leden hem prisoneris in to a fer lond, ether certis which lond is nyy;

37 And if they take thought, in the land where they are prisoners, turning again to you, crying out in prayer to you in that land, and saying, We are sinners, we have done wrong, we have done evil;

and if thei ben conuertid in her herte in the lond, to which thei ben led prisoneris, and thei don penaunce, and bisechen thee in the lond of her caitifte, and seien, We han synned, we han do wickidly, we diden vniustli;

38 If with all their heart and soul they are turned again to you, in the land where they are prisoners, the land where they have been taken, and make their prayers, turning their eyes to their land which you gave to their fathers, and to the town which you took for yourself, and the house which I have made for your name:

and if thei turnen ayen to thee in al her herte, and in al her soule, in the lond of her caitifte, to which thei ben led, thei schulen worschipe thee ayens the weie of her lond, which thou hast youe to the fadris of hem, and of the citee which thou hast chose, and of the hows which Y bildide to thi name; that thou here fro heuene,

39 Then give ear from heaven your living-place to their prayer and their cry, and see right done to them, answering with forgiveness your people who have done wrong against you.

that is, fro thi stidefast dwellyng place, the preieris of hem, and that thou make dom, and foryyue to thi puple, thouy `it be synful; for thou art my God;

40 Now, O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears awake to the prayers made in this place.

Y biseche, be thin iyen openyd, and thin eeris be ententif to the preier which is maad in this place.

41 Up! now, O Lord God, come back to your resting-place, you and the ark of your strength: let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints be glad in what is good.

Now therfor, Lord God, rise in to thi reste, thou and the arke of thi strengthe; Lord God, thi preestis be clothid with helthe, and thi hooli men be glad in goodis.

42 O Lord God, let him whom you have taken for yourself never be given up by you: keep in mind your mercies to David your servant.

Lord God, turne thou not a weie the face of thi crist; haue thou mynde on the mercyes of Dauid thi seruaunt.