1 Raja-raja 8:37-40

8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust ¹  invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, ²  or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, ³  as they acknowledge their pain ⁴  and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, ⁵  and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. ⁶  (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) ⁷  8:40 Then they will obey ⁸  you throughout their lifetimes as ⁹  they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.

[8:37]  ¹ tn Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.

[8:37]  ² tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”

[8:38]  ³ tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”

[8:38]  ⁴ tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”

[8:39]  ⁵ tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.

[8:39]  ⁶ tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.

[8:39]  ⁷ tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”

[8:40]  ⁸ tn Heb “fear.”

[8:40]  ⁹ tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”