2 Chronicles Chapter 6
Showing all 42 verses for 2 Chronicles Chapter 6.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. "
"Solomon said, "The LORD has said he would live in thick darkness.""
I don't need you to have every answer or see everything clearly before you trust that something greater is with you. Let the mystery be part of the journey rather than a wall you must break through.
"But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever. "
""But I have built you a house to live in, a place for you to dwell forever.""
Build something solid and lasting for the things you value most, even knowing no structure can hold the whole of what matters. Effort and permanence still count, even when what's contained is always bigger than the container.
"And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. "
"The king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, and the entire assembly stood."
Turn and face the people in front of you; give them your attention, not just your performance of duty. Genuine leadership faces people, not only tasks.
"And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth to my father David, saying, "
"He said, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has done with his own hands what he promised my father David with his own mouth.""
When something good happens in your life, look back and notice the seeds someone planted long before you could see the fruit. Gratitude for the long arc of things keeps you grounded rather than self-congratulating.
"Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: "
""From the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I didn't choose any city among Israel's tribes to build a house in, and I didn't choose anyone to rule my people.""
Some things in life aren't meant to be decided quickly. Trust that a slow unfolding towards a fixed place - a home, a purpose, a calling - is worth the wait rather than a sign of neglect.
"But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. "
""But I have chosen Jerusalem, for my name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.""
When a clear direction finally arrives after a long wait, receive it as something worth building your life around, not something to second-guess.
"Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. "
""It was in my father David's heart to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.""
An intention you carry but never finish still counts for something; someone else may complete what you began. Don't measure your worth only by finished projects.
"But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart: "
""But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well to have that desire.'""
If your heart was in the right place but circumstances stopped you finishing something, that intention is still seen and valued. Don't let an unfinished dream curdle into shame.
"Notwithstanding thou shalt not build the house; but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. "
""But you will not build the house - your own son, your own child, will build the house for my name.""
Your job might be to prepare the ground for someone who comes after you, not to see the finished result yourself. That isn't failure - it's often how good things get built.
"The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. "
""So the LORD has kept the promise he made - I have risen up in my father David's place, I sit on the throne of Israel just as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.""
When a long-held hope finally comes true, take a moment to actually notice it rather than rushing straight past it. Recognising fulfilment is part of real gratitude.
"And in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel. "
""And in it I have placed the ark, which contains the covenant the LORD made with the people of Israel.""
Whatever structure you build in your life - a home, a career, a routine - ask what's actually inside it, what agreement or values it's meant to protect. The container only matters because of what it holds.
"And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands: "
"Solomon stood in front of the LORD's altar, in front of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands."
Let your body match your sincerity - open hands, open posture. Being visibly humble in front of others isn't weakness; it can give people permission to be honest too.
"For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, "
"Solomon had built a bronze platform about 2.3 metres long, 2.3 metres wide, and 1.4 metres high, and placed it in the middle of the courtyard; he stood on it, then knelt down on his knees in front of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread his hands out towards the sky."
Don't be embarrassed to make your vulnerability visible when it might help others. Sometimes leading well means letting people watch you kneel.
"And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: "
"He said: "LORD, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth - you keep your covenant and show faithful love to your servants who walk before you wholeheartedly.""
Give your whole heart rather than a divided, cautious, half-committed one - that's what real relationship, human or otherwise, is built on. I'm not asking for flawless behaviour, just honesty and full presence.
"Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. "
""You have kept what you promised to your servant David my father - you spoke it with your mouth and you have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today.""
Let your actions catch up with your words. Anyone can promise something; what builds trust is doing the thing you said you would, even years later.
"Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me. "
""So now, LORD God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant David my father, that he would never fail to have a descendant sitting before you on the throne of Israel - as long as his children are careful to live by my law, walking as you have walked before me.""
Inherited blessings - family, position, reputation - still require you to live up to them through your own choices. Don't assume good standing is automatic just because it was earned by someone before you.
"Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David. "
""So now, LORD God of Israel, let your word that you spoke to your servant David come true.""
It's fine to ask plainly for what you hope will come true, rather than pretending you're not invested in the outcome. Honest asking is not weakness.
"But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! "
""But will God really live with people on earth? Look - the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you, so how much less this house that I have built!""
Don't mistake the symbol for the thing itself - a building, a ritual, an object can point you towards something real without ever holding the whole of it. Stay humble about what any human structure can actually capture.
"Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: "
""Even so, pay attention to your servant's prayer and his plea, LORD my God - listen to the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in front of you.""
You don't need the 'right' building or ritual for your voice to be heard - what matters is showing up honestly and asking. Sincerity outweighs location.
"That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. "
""May your eyes be open towards this house day and night - towards this place where you said you would put your name - so that you listen to the prayer your servant prays towards this place.""
You deserve to be truly seen, not just occasionally noticed. Trust that real attention doesn't come and go - it can be constant, even when you can't feel it in the moment.
"Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive. "
""So listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray towards this place - hear from where you live, from heaven, and when you hear, forgive.""
When you're genuinely sorry and you say so honestly, expect forgiveness rather than approaching it with dread. Forgiveness isn't a reluctant favour; it's freely available to those who actually ask.
"If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; "
""If someone sins against their neighbour, and they're required to swear an oath, and that oath is brought before your altar in this house...""
Everyday disputes with people close to you deserve honest resolution, not avoidance. Bringing a conflict into the open, with real accountability, is healthier than letting it fester unresolved.
"Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness. "
""...then hear from heaven, and act - judge your servants by paying back the guilty for what they've done, and clearing the innocent according to their innocence.""
It's healthy to want real fairness, not just a feeling of resolution. Wanting the truth to actually come out, for yourself and others, is a legitimate and good desire.
"And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; "
""And if your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they've sinned against you, but they turn back, acknowledge your name, and pray and plead with you in this house...""
When you've brought trouble on yourself through your own choices, owning it honestly is the first real step back, not something to be ashamed to do.
"Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. "
""...then hear from heaven, forgive your people Israel's sin, and bring them back to the land you gave them and their ancestors.""
Real forgiveness, when you've made a genuine change, should open a path back to normal life, not just a private sense of being let off. Expect restoration, not permanent exile from your own life.
"When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; "
""When the sky is shut up and there's no rain, because they've sinned against you - if they then pray towards this place, acknowledge your name, and turn from their sin, once you've disciplined them...""
Hard times can be an invitation to reassess and change direction, not simply bad luck to endure. Ask what a difficult season might be trying to teach you.
"Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance. "
""...then hear from heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel - once you've taught them the right way to live - and send rain on your land, which you've given your people as their inheritance.""
When you're rescued from a hard situation, ask to actually learn from it, not just to be let off the hook. Lasting change matters more than a quick fix.
"If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: "
""If there's famine in the land, or plague, or crop blight or mildew, locusts or caterpillars; if their enemies besiege them in their own cities; whatever trouble or sickness there might be...""
Whatever specific trouble you're facing - however unusual or minor it might seem compared to others' problems - it's legitimate to bring it forward honestly rather than downplaying it.
"Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: "
""...then whatever prayer or plea is made, by any individual or by all your people Israel, each one aware of their own trouble and pain, spreading out their hands towards this house...""
Your own specific pain, even if no one else around you shares it, is worth bringing forward honestly. You don't need a crowd behind you to deserve to be heard.
"Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) "
""...then hear from heaven, where you live, and forgive - deal with each person according to everything they've done, since you alone know their heart, because only you truly know what's in the hearts of everyone.""
You don't have to convince every person around you of your real motives - some things about your heart are known fully only to you and to something greater. Let that free you from chasing everyone's approval.
"That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. "
""So that they will respect you and walk in your ways for as long as they live in the land you gave our ancestors.""
Let hard experiences change how you live afterwards, not just how you feel in the moment they're resolved. Real growth is the point of getting through something difficult.
"Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name’s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house; "
""As for the foreigner, who isn't one of your people Israel but has come from a distant country because of your great reputation, your mighty hand and outstretched arm - if they come and pray in this house...""
Let your life and character be the kind of thing that draws people in, regardless of where they come from or what they've believed before. Genuine goodness has no borders.
"Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. "
""...then hear from heaven, where you live, and do everything the foreigner asks you for, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and respect you, just as your own people Israel do, and know that this house I have built is called by your name.""
Don't build walls around who deserves welcome or answered hope. Real generosity of spirit reaches out beyond your own group to anyone genuinely searching.
"If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; "
""If your people go out to fight their enemies, wherever you send them, and they pray to you facing this city you have chosen and the house I have built for your name...""
You can reach out for support wherever you find yourself, even in the middle of a struggle far from anywhere familiar. Distance doesn't cut you off from being heard.
"Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. "
""...then hear their prayer and their plea from heaven, and uphold their cause.""
It's fine to ask for real backing in a difficult fight you believe is right, not just a listening ear. Wanting active support is a healthy, honest thing to ask for.
"If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; "
""If they sin against you - and there is no one who never sins - and you're angry with them and hand them over to their enemies, who carry them off captive to a land far or near...""
Making mistakes isn't a personal flaw that sets you apart from everyone else - it's simply what being human involves. Don't let it become a source of ongoing shame.
"Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; "
""Yet if they come to their senses in the land where they're held captive, and turn back and pray to you there, saying, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'...""
Even from your lowest point, a moment of real clarity and honesty about what went wrong can be the start of finding your way back. It's never too late to come to your senses.
"If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: "
""If they return to you with all their heart and all their soul, in the land of their captivity, and pray towards their own land which you gave their ancestors, towards the city you have chosen, and towards the house I have built for your name...""
A genuine change of heart is total, not half-measured - it's worth being honest with yourself about whether you're truly turning around or just going through the motions.
"Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee. "
""...then hear their prayer and their pleas from heaven, where you live, uphold their cause, and forgive your people who have sinned against you.""
No matter how far you feel you've drifted from where you want to be, a genuine, wholehearted turn back is never too late or too distant to be met with real forgiveness.
"Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be athent unto the prayer that is made in this place. "
""Now, my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer made in this place.""
It's fine to ask more than once for reassurance that you're truly heard. Needing to hear it again isn't a lack of trust - that's simply how real relationships work.
"Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. "
""So now, LORD God, rise up and come to your resting place, you and the ark that represents your strength; let your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.""
Invite the things that matter most into your life rather than trying to force or control them. Genuine invitation, offered humbly, tends to be met with real presence.
"O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant. "
""LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed king - remember the faithful love you showed to your servant David.""
When you're asking for something important, it helps to remember and name the history of care that got you this far, not just focus on what you want next. Gratitude and hope work well together.