And he said unto am, Solomon thy son - he, shall build my house, and my courts, - for I have made choice of him that he may be my son, and that, I, may be his father.

And, with all my might, have I made preparation for the house of my God, the gold for the gold, and the silver for the silver, and the bronze for the bronze, the iron for the iron, and the wood for the wood, - and beryl stones and settings, stones coloured and particoloured, and all manner of precious stones and stones of white marble, in abundance.

And yet further, because of my delighting in the house of my God, having a treasure of mine own in gold and silver, I have given for the house of my God, above and beyond all that I have prepared for the holy house:

And yet, who am, I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer willingly like this? for, from thee, is the whole, and, out of thine own hand, have we given unto thee;

O Yahweh our God, all this abundance which we have prepared, to build thee a house for thy holy Name, out of thine own hand, it is, and, thine, is the whole.

But I know, O my God, that, thou, art proving the heart, and, with uprightness, wilt thou be pleased, - I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things, now, therefore, thy people who are found here, have I seen with joy, offering willingly unto thee.

Also, unto Solomon my son, give thou an undivided heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, - to do the whole, and to build the palace for which I have prepared.

And God said unto Solomon, Because this was near thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, or the life of them that hate thee, nor even, many days, hast thou asked, - but hast asked for thyself, wisdom and knowledge, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king,

And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and came to have a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, - and he settled them in chariot cities, and with the king, in Jerusalem.

And lo! for the hewers that cut the timbers, have I given wheat as food for thy servants, twenty thousand measures, and barley, twenty thousand measures, and wine, twenty thousand baths, and oil, twenty thousand baths.

Now, therefore, have I sent a wise man, skilled in understanding, pertaining to Huram my father:

And they drew out the staves, and the heads of the staves could be seen out of the ark, in front of the shrine, although they could not be seen on the outside, - and it came to pass that they have remained there - unto this day.

But, I, have built a house as a home for thee, - A settled place for thee to abide in, for ages.

nevertheless I have made choice of Jerusalem, that my Name might be there, - and I have made choice of David, that he might be over my people Israel.

So then Yahweh hath established his word, which he spake, - and I have been raised up instead of David my father, and have taken my seat upon the throne of Israel, as spake Yahweh, and have built the house to the Name of Yahweh, God of Israel;

and have put there, the ark, - wherein is the covenant of Yahweh, - which he solemnised with the sons of Israel.

But, in very deed, will God dwell with man on the earth? Lo! the heavens, even the leaven of heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built!

Or, if thy people Israel be smitten before an enemy, because they have been sinning against thee, - and they turn, and confess thy Name, and pray and make supplication before thee, in this house,

When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have been sinning against thee, - and they shall pray towards this place, and shall confess thy Name, from their sin, shall return, because thou hast been afflicting them,

whatsoever prayer, whatsoever supplication, which any son of earth may have, or any of thy people Israel, - when any man shall come to know his plague, or his pain, and so he shall spread abroad his hands towards this house -

then wilt, thou thyself, hear out of the heavens, out of the settled place of thine abode, and do according to all for which the stranger shall cry unto thee, - to the end that all the peoples of the earth may know thy Name, so as to revere thee like thy people Israel, and know that, thy Name, hath been given unto this house, which I have built?

When thy people shall go forth to war against their enemies, whithersoever thou mayest send them, - and shall pray unto thee in the direction of this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy Name,

and they come back to their right mind, in the land whither they have been taken captive, - and so turn and make supplication unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and been lawless; -

and so turn unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captive, - and shall pray in the direction of their own land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and the city which thou hast chosen, and unto the house which I have built for thy Name,

Then appeared Yahweh unto Solomon by night, - and said to him, I have heard thy prayer, and have made choice of this place for myself, as a house of sacrifice: -

Now, therefore, have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my Name may be there, unto times age-abiding, - and mine eyes and my heart shall he there, all the days.

Thou, therefore, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded thee, - and, my statutes and regulations, thou wilt observe,

But, if, ye yourselves, shall turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, - and shall go and serve other gods, and bow down to them,

then will I root you out from off the soil, which I have given to you, and, this house, which I have hallowed for my Name, will I cast off from before my face, - and will appoint it for a by-word and a mockery, among all the peoples;

And he said unto them, What do, ye, counsel that we should return as answer, unto this people, - who have spoken unto me saying, Lighten thou somewhat the yoke, which thy father put upon us?

Then spake with him the young men who had grown up with him, saying, Thus, shalt thou speak unto the people who have spoken unto thee saying, Thy father, made our yoke heavy, Thou, therefore, lighten somewhat our yoke, - Thus, shalt thou say unto them, My little finger, is thicker than my father's loins;

And, when, all Israel, saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying - What portion have, we, in David, or inheritance in the son of Jesse? Every man, to your homes, O Israel! Now, see to thine own house, O David! And all Israel departed to their homes.

And, Shemaiah the prophet, came unto Rehoboam, and the rulers of Judah, who had gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem because of Shishak, - and said unto them, Thus, saith Yahweh, Ye, have left, me, Therefore, I also, have left, you, in the hands of Shishak.

And, when Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came unto Shemaiah, saying - They have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them, - but will grant them, in a little while, to escape, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem, by the hand of Shishak.

Have ye not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, - and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of the countries? Whosoever cometh to install himself with a young bullock, and seven rams, then becometh he a priest unto the, no-gods.

But, as for us, Yahweh, is our God, and we have not forsaken him, - and, the priests who are waiting upon Yahweh, are sons of Aaron, with Levites in the work;

and they are making a perfume unto Yahweh, with ascending-sacrifices morning by morning, and evening by evening and an incense of sweet spices, and are putting in order bread upon the pure table, and the lampstand of gold with the lamps thereof, for lighting up evening by evening, for, observant, are we of the charge of Yahweh our God, - whereas, ye, have forsaken him.

Therefore said he to Judah, Let us build these cities, and let us surround them with walls and towers, doors and bars, while the land is yet before us, for we have sought Yahweh our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built, and prospered.

Then Asa cried out unto Yahweh his God, and said, O Yahweh, it is, nothing with thee, to help whether with many or with such as have no strength. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for, on thee, do we lean, and, in thy name, have we come against this multitude, - O Yahweh! our God, thou art, let not, weak man, have power against thee.

Let there be a covenant, between me and thee, as between my father and thy father. - Lo! I have sent thee silver and gold, go break thy covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may go up from me.

Therefore did Yahweh establish the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah gave a present unto Jehoshaphat, - and he came to have riches and honour, in abundance.

So he said, I saw all Israel, scattered upon the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd,-and Yahweh said, No masters, have these! let them return every man unto his own house, in peace.

and they have dwelt therein, - and have built for thee therein, a sanctuary for thy Name, saying:

And, the spirit of God, clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he took his stand above the people, - and said unto them, Thus, saith God, Wherefore are, ye, transgressing the commandments of Yahweh, so that ye cannot prosper, because ye have forsaken Yahweh, therefore hath he forsaken you.

And Amaziah said unto the man of God, What then shall be done as to the hundred talents, which I have given to the company of Israel? Then said the man of God, Yahweh is able to give thee much more than this.

And it came to pass, as he spake unto him, that he said to him, To be, counselor to the king, have we appointed thee? forbear thou, wherefore should they smite thee? So the prophet forbare, and said - I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

But, in that place, was a prophet unto Yahweh, Oded his name, so he went out to meet the host that was coming unto Samaria, and said unto them, Lo! in the wrath of Yahweh, God of your fathers, against Judah, hath he delivered them into your hand, - and ye have slain them in a rage, until, to the heavens, it hath reached.

Now, therefore, hearken unto me, and restore the captives whom ye have taken captive from among your brethren, - for, the glow of the anger of Yahweh, is over you.

and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither, for, with guilt against Yahweh already upon us, ye, are thinking to add unto our sins, and unto our guilt, - for great is the guilt we have, and fierce is the anger over Israel.

Then rose up the men who have been expressed by name - and took the captives, and, all who were naked among them, clothed they out of the spoil, and arrayed them and sandalled them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and conducted them with asses for every one that was exhausted, and brought them to Jericho the city of palm-trees, near unto their brethren, - and then returned to Samaria.

For our fathers have acted unfaithfully and done the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh our God, and have forsaken him,-and have turned round their faces from the habitation of Yahweh, and have offered their backs.

Moreover they have shut up the doors of the porch, and have quenched the lamps, and, incense, have they not burned,-and, ascending-sacrifice, have they not caused to go up in the holy place, unto the God of Israel.

And lo! our fathers have fallen by the sword, and, our sons and our daughters and our wives, are in captivity for this.

Then came they in unto Hezekiah the king, and said, We have purified all the house of Yahweh, - the altar of ascending-sacrifice, and all the utensils thereof, and the table for setting in array, and all the utensils thereof.

And, all the utensils which King Ahaz in his reign rejected when he acted unfaithfully, have we made ready and hallowed, - and, there they are, before the altar of Yahweh.

Then responded Hezekiah and said - Now, have ye consecrated yourselves unto Yahweh. Draw near, and bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings unto the house of Yahweh,-So the convocation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings, and, everyone of a willing heart, brought ascending-sacrifices.

Will ye not take note, what I have done, I and my fathers, to all the peoples of the countries? Have the gods of the nations of the countries been, at all able, to deliver their country, out of my hand?

and he set a resemblance-image which he had made, - in the house of God, as to which God had said unto David, and unto Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my Name, unto times age-abiding.

So will I not again remove the foot of Israel away from the soil which I appointed for their fathers. Only they must observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the regulations, by the hand of Moses.

Then spake up Hilkiah, and said unto Shaphan the scribe, The Book of the Law, have I found, in the house of Yahweh, - and Hilkiah gave the book unto Shaphan.

and they have poured out the silver, that was found in the house of Yahweh, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the doers of the work.

Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me bringing in calamity upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof,-even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:

Because they have forsaken me, and burned incense unto other gods, so as to provoke me to anger, with all the works of their hands, therefore hath my wrath been poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

Because tender was thy heart, and thou didst humble thyself before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, and didst humble thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes and weep before me, therefore, I also, have heard, is the declaration of Yahweh.

But he sent unto him messengers, saying - What have I to do with thee, O king of Judah? not against thee, have I come this day, but against the house wherewith I have war, and, God, hath given word to speed me, - cease thou from provoking God who is with me, lest he destroy thee.

And Jeremiah chanted a dirge over Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women in their dirges have spoken concerning Josiah, until this day, and they appointed them by statute for Israel, - and, there they are, written among the dirges.

then drew they near unto Zerubbabel, and unto the ancestral chiefs, and said unto them, Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God, and, unto him, have, we, been sacrificing since the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

Be it known unto the king, - that, the Jews who came up from thee unto us, are come to Jerusalem, - the rebellious and wicked city, are they building, and, the walls, have they finished, and, the foundations, will they repair.

Now, because the salt of the palace we have eaten, the impoverishment of the king, it is not meet for us to see, - therefore have we sent, and certified the king;

so that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers, so shalt thou find out in the book of records - and shalt ascertain, that, this city, is a rebellious city, and one that causeth damage unto kings and provinces, and that, rebellion, have they been wont to cause in the midst thereof since the days of age-past time, - for this cause, was this city laid waste.

We do certify the king that, if, this city, be built, and, the walls thereof, finished, for that very reason, portion Beyond the River, shalt thou have none.

And, from me, went forth an edict, and they have made search and found, that, this city, since the days of age-past time, against kings, hath lifted herself up, - and, sedition and rebellion, have been made therein;

and, mighty kings, have there been over Jerusalem, and bearing rule everywhere Beyond the River, - and, tribute, excise, and toll, have been given to them.

and, the God who hath caused his Name to dwell there, destroy any king or people, who shall put forth their hand to alter to destroy this house of God, which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued an edict, forthwith, let it be done.

and to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, who, in Jerusalem, hath his habitation;

and, unto me, hath extended lovingkindness, before the king and his counselors, yea all the valiant captains of the king, - I, therefore have emboldened myself, according to the hand of Yahweh my God upon me, and gathered out of Israel, chief men, to go up with me.

Now, when these things were ended, the rulers drew near unto me, saying, The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not kept themselves separate from the peoples of the lands, - in view of their abominations-even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites;

for they have taken of their daughters, for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have intermingled themselves among the peoples of the lands, - and, the hand of the rulers and the deputies, hath, in this unfaithfulness, been, foremost.

and said, O my God, I turn pale and am ashamed, to lift up, O my God, my face unto thee, - for, our iniquities, have multiplied above the head, and our guilt hath magnified itself unto the heavens.

Since the days of our fathers, we, have been in great guilt, until this day, - and, for our iniquities, have we been given up - we, our kings, our priests, - into the hand of the kings of the lands, by sword and by captivity and by spoiling and by a turning pale of face, as at this day.

But, now, what can we say, O our God, after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

which thou didst command by the hand of thy servants the prophets, saying, As for the land which, ye, are entering to possess, an impure land, it is, with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, - with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to the other, with their uncleanness.

O Yahweh, God of Israel, righteous thou art, for we have had left us a deliverance as at this day, - here we are, before thee, in our guilty deeds, for there is no standing before thee, because of this thing!

Then responded Shecaniah son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam, and said unto Ezra, We, have been faithful with our God, and have married foreign women from among the peoples of the land, - yet, now, there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

Now, therefore, let us solemnize a covenant unto our God - to put away all the women and such as have been born of them, in the counsel of my lord, and them who tremble at the commandment of our God, - and, according to the law, let it be done.

Then arose Ezra the priest, and said unto them, Ye, have acted unfaithfully, and have married foreign women, - to add unto the guilt of Israel.

Nevertheless, the people, are many, and, the season, is that of the heavy rains, and we are not able to stand outside, - and, the business, is not one for a single day, nor yet for two, for we have abundantly transgressed, in this thing.

Let, we beseech thee, our rulers take up their station for all the convocation, and, all who, throughout our cities, have married foreign women, let them come in at times appointed, and, with them, the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the glow of the anger of our God be turned from us, concerning this matter.

Let, I pray thee, thine ears be attentive and thine eyes open - to hearken unto the prayer of thy servant - -which, I, am praying before thee now, day and night, for the sons of Israel, thy servants, - -and making confession concerning the sins of the sons of Israel, which we have committed against thee, both I and the house of my father, have sinned.

We have dealt, very corruptly, against thee, - and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes nor the regulations, which thou didst command Moses thy servant.

When ye return unto me and keep my commandments and do them, though it should be that ye have been driven out unto the uttermost part of the heavens, from thence, will I gather them, and bring them into the place that I have chosen to make a habitation for my Name there.

and spake before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What are, these feeble Jews, doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they bring to life the stones out of the heaps of dust, when, they, have been burned up?

Hear, O our God, for we have become a contempt, and turn thou back their reproach upon their own head, - and give them up as a prey, in the land of captivity;

and do not cover their iniquity, and, their sin before thee, let it not be blotted out, - for they have caused vexation before them who are building.

and our adversaries have said, They shall not know, neither shall they see, until we come into their midst, and slay them, - so shall we cause the work to cease.

And there were others who were saying, We have borrowed silver, for the king's tribute, - upon our lands and our vineyards.

and I said unto them, We, have bought our brethren the Jews, who had sold themselves unto the nations, according to our ability, and will, ye, even sell your brethren, or shall they sell themselves unto us? And they were silent, and found no answer.

Restore, I pray you, unto them this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, - also the hundredth of silver and corn, new wine and oil, for which ye have been lending to them.

Moreover, from the day I was commanded to become their pasha in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year, even unto the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brethren, pasha's bread, have not eaten;

Remember unto me, O my God, for good, - all that I have done for this people.