Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

Wycliffe's Bible (Modern Spelling)

1Ki 8:22–53

22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the sight of the church of Israel; and he held forth his hands against heaven,
23 and said, Lord God of Israel, no God in heaven above, neither on earth beneath, is like thee, which keepest covenant and mercy to thy servants, that go before thee in all their heart;
24 and thou keepest to David, my father, thy servant, those things which thou hast spoken to him; by mouth thou hast spoken it, and by hands thou hast fulfilled it, as this day proveth.
25 Now therefore, Lord God of Israel, keep thou to thy servant David, my father, those things which thou spakest to him, and saidest, A man of thee shall not be taken away from before me, which man shall sit on the throne of Israel, so nevertheless if thy sons keep thy way, that they go before me, as thou wentest in my sight.
26 And now, Lord God of Israel, thy words be made steadfast, which thou spakest to thy servant David, my father.
27 Therefore whether it is to guess, that God dwelleth verily on earth; for if heaven, and heaven of heavens be not able to take thee, how much more this house, that I have builded to thee.
28 But, my Lord God, behold thou to the prayer of thy servant, and to the beseechings of him; hear thou the hymn, either praising, and the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee today;
29 that thine eyes be opened on this house by night and day, on the house of which thou saidest, My name shall be there; that thou hear the prayer, which thy servant prayeth to thee in this place;
30 that thou hear the beseeching of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, whatever thing he prayeth in this place, and hear thou in the place of thy dwelling in heaven; and when thou hast heard, thou shalt be merciful.
31 If a man sinneth against a man, and hath any oath, by which he is holden bound, and cometh for the oath into thine house, before thine altar,
32 thou shalt hear in heaven, and thou shalt do, and thou shalt deem thy servants; and thou shalt condemn the wicked man, and shalt yield his way on his head, and thou shalt justify the just or rightwise man, and shalt yield to him after his rightfulness or rightwiseness.
33 If thy people Israel fleeth his enemies, for he shall do sin to thee, and they do penance, or repent their sin, and acknowledge to thy great name, and come, and worship, and beseech thee in this house,
34 hear thou in heaven, and forgive thou the sin of thy people Israel; and thou shalt lead them again into the land, which thou hast given to the fathers of them.
35 If heaven is closed, and it raineth not for the sins of them, and they pray in this place, and do penance to thy name, and be converted, or altogether turned, from their sins for their torment,
36 hear thou them in heaven, and forgive thou the sins of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, and show thou to them a good way, by which they shall go, and give thou rain to them upon the land, which thou hast given to them into possession.
37 If hunger riseth in the land, either pestilence is, either corrupt air is, either rust, either locust, either mildew, and if his enemy tormenteth him, and besiegeth the gates of him, and bringeth in all wound, all sickness,
38 all cursing, and all wishing of evil, that befalleth to each man of thy people Israel, if any man knoweth the wound of his heart, and holdeth forth his hands in this house,
39 thou shalt hear in heaven, in the place of thy dwelling, and thou shalt do mercy, and thou shalt do that thou give to each man after all his ways, as thou seest his heart; for thou alone knowest the heart of all the sons of men,
40 that they dread thee in all days in which they live on the face of the land, which thou hast given to our fathers.
41 Furthermore and when an alien, that is not of thy people Israel, cometh from a far land for thy name;
42 for thy great name, and thy strong hand, and thine arm stretched out, shall be heard everywhere; therefore when he cometh, and prayeth in this place,
43 thou shalt hear in heaven, in the firmament of thy dwelling place, and thou shalt do all things, for which the alien calleth thee; that all peoples of lands learn to dread thy name, as thy people Israel doeth, and prove they, that thy name is called on this house, which I have builded.
44 If thy people goeth out to battle against his enemies, by the way whither ever thou sendest them, they shall pray thee against the way of the city which thou hast chosen, and over against the house that I have builded to thy name,
45 and thou shalt hear in heaven the prayers of them, and the beseechings of them, and thou shalt make the doom of them.
46 That if they sin to thee, for no man is that sinneth not, and thou art wroth, and betakest them to their enemies, and they be led prisoners into the land of enemies, far either nigh,
47 and they do penance in their heart in the place of their imprisoning, and be converted, or altogether turned, and beseech in their imprisoning, and say, We have sinned, we have done wickedly, we have done unfaithfully;
48 and they turn again to thee in all their heart, and in all their soul, in the land of their enemies, to which they be led prisoners, and they pray thee over against the way of their land, which thou hast given to their fathers, and of the city which thou hast chosen, and of the temple which I have builded to thy name,
49 thou shalt hear in heaven, in the firmament of thy seat, the prayers of them, and the beseechings of them, and thou shalt make the doom of them;
50 and thou shalt be merciful to thy people, that have sinned to thee, and to all the wickednesses, by which they have trespassed against thee; and thou shalt do mercy before those men, that had them prisoners, that those men do mercy to them.
51 For it is thy people, and thine heritage, which thou leddest out of the land of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace;
52 that thine eyes be open to the beseeching of thy servant, and of thy people Israel; and thou shalt hear them in all things, for which they call thee.
53 For thou hast separated them to thee into thine heritage from all the peoples of the earth, as thou spakest by Moses, thy servant, when thou, Lord God, leddest our fathers out of Egypt.

2Ch 6:12–42

12 Therefore Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord even against all the multitude of Israel, and stretched forth his hands.
13 For Solomon had made a brazen foundament, and had set or put 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,
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;
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.
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, 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?
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.
21 Hear thou the prayers of thy servant, and of thy people Israel; who-ever 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,
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 avenge the just or rightwise man, and yield to him after his rightwiseness.
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,
25 thou shalt hear from heaven, and do thou mercy to 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,
27 hear thou, Lord, from heaven, and forgive thou the sins to thy servants, and to 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 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; and if in any manner vengeance and sickness oppresseth thy people;
29 if any of thy people Israel beseech-eth, and knoweth his vengeance, that is, his sin wherefore he hath deserved 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;
31 that they dread 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;
33 and thou shalt do all things, for which that pilgrim inwardly calleth thee, that all the people of earth know thy name, and dread thee, as thy people Israel doeth; and that they know, that thy name is called on this house, which I have builded to 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,
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 enemies lead them 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;
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;
40 for thou art my God; I beseech thee, be thine eyes 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, and thy holy men be glad in good things.
42 Lord God, turn thou not away the face of thy christ or thine anointed; have thou mind on the mercies of David thy servant.