The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 203

8:13. Building, I have built a house for thy dwelling, to be thy most firm throne for ever.

8:14. And the king turned his face, and blessed all the a.s.sembly of Israel: for all the a.s.sembly of Israel stood.

8:15. And Solomon said: Blessed be the Lord the G.o.d of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David, my father, and with his own hands hath accomplished it, saying:

8:16. Since the day that I brought my people Israel, out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel, for a house to be built, that my name might be there: but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

8:17. And David, my father, would have built a house to the name of the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel:

8:18. And the Lord said to David, my father: Whereas, thou hast thought in thy heart to build a house to my name, thou hast done well in having this same thing in thy mind.

8:19. Nevertheless, thou shalt not build me a house, but thy son, that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build a house to my name.

8:20. The Lord hath performed his word which he spoke. And I stand in the room of David, my father, and sit upon the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised: and have built a house to the name of the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel.

8:21. And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

8:22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the sight of the a.s.sembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven,

8:23. And said: Lord G.o.d of Israel, there is no G.o.d like thee, in heaven above, or on the earth beneath: who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that have walked before thee with all their heart:

8:24. Who hast kept with thy servant David, my father, what thou hast promised him: with thy mouth thou didst speak, and with thy hands thou hast performed, as this day proveth.

8:25. Now, therefore, O Lord G.o.d of Israel, keep with thy servant David, my father, what thou hast spoken to him, saying: There shall not be taken away of thee a man in my sight, to sit on the throne of Israel: yet so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked in my sight.

8:26. And now, Lord G.o.d of Israel, let thy words be established, which thou hast spoken to thy servant David, my father.

8:27. Is it then to be thought that G.o.d should indeed dwell upon earth?

for if heaven, and the heavens of heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built?

8:28. But have regard to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, O Lord, my G.o.d: hear the hymn and the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee this day:

8:29. That thy eyes may be open upon this house, night and day: upon the house of which thou hast said: My name shall be there: that thou mayst hearken to the prayer which thy servant prayeth, in this place to thee:

8:30. That thou mayst hearken to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, whatsoever they shall pray for in this place, and hear them in the place of thy dwelling in heaven; and when thou hearest, shew them mercy.

8:31. If any man trespa.s.s against his neighbour, and have an oath upon him, wherewith he is bound, and come, because of the oath, before thy altar, to thy house,

8:32. Then hear thou in heaven: and do and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, and bringing his way upon his own head, and justifying the just, and rewarding him according to his justice.

8:33. If thy people Israel shall fly before their enemies (because they will sin against thee) and doing penance, and confessing to thy name, shall come and pray, and make supplications to thee in this house:

8:34. Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land which thou gavest to their fathers.

8:35. If heaven shall be shut up, and there shall be no rain, because of their sins, and they, praying in this place, shall do penance to thy name, and shall be converted from their sins, by occasion of their afflictions:

8:36. Then hear thou them in heaven, and forgive the sins of thy servants, and of thy people Israel: and shew them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people in possession.

8:37. If a famine arise in the land, or a pestilence, or corrupt air, or blasting, or locust, or mildew; if their enemy afflict them, besieging the gates, whatsoever plague, whatsoever infirmity,

8:38. Whatsoever curse or imprecation shall happen to any man of thy people Israel: when a man shall know the wound of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands in this house;

8:39. Then hear thou in heaven, in the place of thy dwelling, and forgive, and do so as to give to every one according to his ways, as thou shalt see his heart (for thou only knowest the heart of all the children of men)

8:40. That they may fear thee all the days that they live upon the face of the land, which thou hast given to our fathers.

8:41. Moreover also the stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far conntry for thy name's sake, (for they shall hear every where of thy great name, and thy mighty hand,

8:42. And thy stretched out arm) so when he shall come, and shall pray in this place,

8:43. Then hear thou in heaven, in the firmament of thy dwelling place, and do all those things, for which that stranger shall call upon thee: that all the people of the earth may learn to fear thy name, as do thy people Israel, and may prove that thy name is called upon on this house, which I have built.

8:44. If thy people go out to war against their enemies, by what way soever thou shalt send them, they shall pray to thee towards the way of the city, which thou hast chosen, and towards the house, which I have built to thy name:

8:45. And then hear thou in heaven their prayers, and their supplications, and do judgment for them.

8:46. But if they sin against thee, (for there is no man who sinneth not) and thou being angry, deliver them up to their enemies, so that they be led away captives into the land of their enemies, far or near;

8:47. Then if they do penance in their heart, in the place of captivity, and being converted, make supplication to thee in their captivity, saying: We have sinned, we have done unjustly, we have committed wickedness:

8:48. And return to thee with all their heart, and all their soul, in the land of their enemies, to which they have been led captives: and pray to thee towards the way of their land, which thou gavest to their fathers, and of the city which thou hast chosen, and of the temple which I have built to thy name:

8:49. Then hear thou in heaven, in the firmament of thy throne, their prayers, and their supplications, and do judgment for them:

8:50. And forgive thy people, that have sinned against thee, and all their iniquities, by which they have transgressed against thee: and give them mercy before them that have made them captives, that they may have compa.s.sion on them.

8:51. For they are thy people, and thy inheritance, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron.

8:52. That thy eyes may be open to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, to hear them in all things for which they shall call upon thee.

8:53. For thou hast separated them to thyself for an inheritance, from amongst all the people of the earth, as thou hast spoken by Moses, thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord G.o.d.

8:54. And it came to pa.s.s, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he rose from before the altar of the Lord: for he had fixed both knees on the ground, and had spread his hands towards heaven.

8:55. And he stood, and blessed all the a.s.sembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

8:56. Blessed be the Lord, who hath given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed so much as one word of all the good things that he promised by his servant Moses.

8:57. The Lord our G.o.d be with us, as he was with our fathers, and not leave us, nor cast us off:

8:58. But may he incline our hearts to himself, that we may walk in all his ways, and keep his commandments, and his ceremonies, and all his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

8:59. And let these my words, wherewith I have prayed before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our G.o.d day and night, that he may do judgment for his servant, and for his people Israel, day by day:

8:60. That all the people of the earth may know, that the Lord he is G.o.d, and there is no other besides him.

8:61. Let our hearts also be perfect with the Lord our G.o.d, that we may walk in his statutes, and keep his commandments, as at this day.