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Prayer of Jesus Son of Sirach ^*

51I give you thanks, O Lord and King,
   and praise you, O God my Saviour.
I give thanks to your name,
²   for you have been my protector and helper
and have delivered me from destruction
   and from the trap laid by a slanderous tongue,
   from lips that fabricate lies.
In the face of my adversaries
   you have been my helper ³and delivered me,
   in the greatness of your mercy and of your name,
from grinding teeth about to devour me,
   from the hand of those seeking my life,
   from the many troubles I endured,
⁴ from choking fire on every side,
   and from the midst of fire that I had not kindled,
⁵ from the deep belly of Hades,
   from an unclean tongue and lying words—
⁶   the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king.
My soul drew near to death,
   and my life was on the brink of Hades below.
⁷ They surrounded me on every side,
   and there was no one to help me;
I looked for human assistance,
   and there was none.
⁸ Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord,
   and your kindness^* from of old,
for you rescue those who wait for you
   and save them from the hand of their enemies.
⁹ And I sent up my prayer from the earth,
   and begged for rescue from death.
¹⁰ I cried out, ‘Lord, you are my Father;^*
   do not forsake me in the days of trouble,
   when there is no help against the proud.
¹¹ I will praise your name continually,
   and will sing hymns of thanksgiving.’
My prayer was heard,
¹²   for you saved me from destruction
   and rescued me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank you and praise you,
   and I bless the name of the Lord.

Hebrew adds:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the God of praises,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the guardian of Israel,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to him who formed all things,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to him who rebuilt his city and his sanctuary,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to him who makes a horn to sprout for the house of David,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to him who has chosen the sons of Zadok to be priests,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the shield of Abraham,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the rock of Isaac,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the mighty one of Jacob,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to him who has chosen Zion,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

Give thanks to the King of the kings of kings,
   for his mercy endures for ever;

He has raised up a horn for his people,
   praise for all his loyal ones.

For the children of Israel, the people close to him.
   Praise the Lord!

Dedication of the Temple

6Then Solomon said, ‘The Lord has said that he would reside in thick darkness. ²I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to reside in for ever.’

3 Then the king turned round and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. ⁴And he said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David, saying, ⁵“Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any of the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, so that my name might be there, and I chose no one as ruler over my people Israel; ⁶but I have chosen Jerusalem in order that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.” ⁷My father David had it in mind to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸But the Lord said to my father David, “You did well to consider building a house for my name; ⁹nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.” ¹⁰Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made; for I have succeeded my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹There I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.’

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

12 Then Solomon^* stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands. ¹³Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court; and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands towards heaven. ¹⁴He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant in steadfast love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart— ¹⁵you who have kept for your servant, my father David, what you promised to him. Indeed, you promised with your mouth and this day have fulfilled with your hand. ¹⁶Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant, my father David, that which you promised him, saying, “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children keep to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.” ¹⁷Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant David.

18 ‘But will God indeed reside with mortals on earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! ¹⁹Have regard to your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you. ²⁰May your eyes be open day and night towards this house, the place where you promised to set your name, and may you heed the prayer that your servant prays towards this place. ²¹And hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray towards this place; may you hear from heaven your dwelling-place; hear and forgive.