1 Kings 8:31

“When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. ¹ 

"When a man wrongs his neighbour and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple,

"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house,

"If someone wrongs another person and is required to take an oath of innocence in front of the altar at this Temple,

When someone hurts a neighbor and promises to make things right, and then comes and repeats the promise before your Altar in this Temple,

If a man does wrong to his neighbour, and has to take an oath, and comes before your altar to take his oath in this house:

"If someone sins against a neighbor and is given an oath to swear, and comes and swears before your altar in this house,

"When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple,

“When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. ¹ 

¹ tn Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30, but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31. The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence.

sn Be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. At first it appears that Solomon is asking God to forgive the guilty party. But in v. 32 Solomon asks the Lord to discern who is guilty and innocent, so v. 31 must refer to a situation where an accusation has been made, but not yet proven. The very periphrastic translation reflects this interpretation.