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.
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.
2 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
3 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
4 tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
5 tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
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.
7 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
8 tn Heb “fear.”
9 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”