"... His entreaties which are hearkened/hearkened unto by God"

Question

The verb to hearken is an archaic verb which I need to use for my translation into KJV Bible style of English.
I see it used with the prepositions to and unto in the KJV, but never in this structure:

His entreaties, (which are) hearkened by God, would always prevail.

This was my first version, but while elaborating the text with an English colleague, she pointed out to me the need of the preposition unto after hearkened. So the sentence would look like this:

His entreaties, (which are) hearkened unto by God, would always prevail.

I know this is how verbs with prepositions are used in such cases, she is most probably right, but I still prefer the feel of sentence 1. Sentence 2 seems heavier and less successful, perhaps because of the juxtaposition of two prepositions (unto by).
The Dictionaries on the web are rather "stingy" on this verb (OxfordL, Cambridge, M-W).
The American Heritage gives a bit more information but the examples do not help with my question:

Usage Note: Traditionally, hearken means "to listen." The word has an
archaic and formal air today, in part stemming from its extensive use
in the King James Bible (as in Mark 7:14 "Hearken unto me, every one
of you") and in traditional storytelling. In contemporary usage,
hearken is more often used where one might expect hark, no doubt
because of sound similarity: The movie hearkens back to the sci-fi
films of the 1950s. The Usage Panel has mixed feelings about this. In
our 2009 survey, just 48 percent accepted this example.

Is sentence 2 the only correct one? Is my colleague correct in saying that sentence 1 is incomplete?

DW256 · Accepted Answer

Hearken is usually a prepositional verb in that it most frequently appears (appeared) in a construction with an oblique object (one contained in a prepositional phrase) when there was an object present.
The HANSARD corpus (British Parliament) has three examples in the passive.

I can only hope that the words of the Foreign Secretary will be
hearkened to by nations beyond the seas (1936)
Members might ask themselves how that plea has been hearkened to by
the Tories of Northern Ireland who comprise about two-thirds of the
people there (1920)
I hope that my plea will be hearkened to by the noble Lords opposite,
and that nothing will be done this afternoon to delay getting this
Bill on to the Statute Book (1966)

COHA (Corpus of Historical American English) yielded one example in the passive:

he was scarcely hearkened to at all by his contemporaries, who looked
upon him as merely an ingenious sort of madman (The Works of Edgar
Allan Poe — Volume 4, 1855)

The EEBO corpus (Early English Books Online) has quite a few uses in the passive with unto or to. A sample:

Wherfore that you may as a fresh be put in minde hereof, and the
exhortations of the apostles hearkened unto by you, i thinke fit in
this place to set before you some of them (Proctor, Thomas, fl. 1621.)
it were too presumptuous a thought in me to expect, that any advise of
mine should be hearkened unto by you who have so many learned and
renowned doctors to consult upon all occasions (Gatford, Lionel, d.
1665.)
their advice scarse at all hearkened unto by the king, but other
counsels of unknowne persons preferred before them (May, Thomas,
1595-1650.)
a meer forgery, yet gladly hearkened unto by those that desired to be
rid of them (Spottiswood, John, 1565-1639. | Duppa, Brian, 1588-1662.)
a motion had been made a little before, for appointing a commissioner
or Deputie in the Kingdome, which was hearkened unto by the king as
that which would ease him of many vexations (Spottiswood, John,
1565-1639. | Duppa, Brian, 1588-1662.)
that their arguments are not hearkened vnto but by people of a weake
braine (1629, Sarpi, Paolo, 1552-1623. | Brent, Nathaniel, Sir, 1573?-1652.)

let it be seriously hearkened to by all the ministers of christ
(Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.)
this motion was not hearkened to by men grown fierce (Clarke, Samuel,
1599-1682. Gun-powder treason. 1671)
the affairs of the league seemed not to be hearkened to by him with
the same inclination wherewith his predecessors had imbraced them
(1678, Davila, Arrigo Caterino, 1576-1631. | Aylesbury, William,
1615-1656. | Cotterell, Charles, Sir, d. 1701. | L'Estrange, Roger,
Sir, 1616-1704.)
about two years before this there appear'd in cromwel's time a
prophetess, much fam'd for her dreams and visions, and hearkened to by
many (Behemoth, or, An epitome of the civil wars of England, from 1640
to 1660 by Thomas Hobbes)

Thereunto was apparently also a choice:

it hath had this blissing to thousands and ten thousand thousands that
haue hearkened thereunto (Babington, Gervase, 1550-1610.)
the Bishoppe promised his best diligence, and accordingly after his
returne, laboured therein with king henry, who most gladly hearkened
thereunto (Speed, John, 1552?-1629.)
who hath considered of his word, and hearkened thereunto? (1638)

A few examples exist with hearken taking an object, but I couldn't find any examples in the passive without a preposition.

moses excuseth himselfe unto the lord, saying, they would not beleave
him nor hearken him, alledging, that the lord had not appeared unto
him (Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.)
he shall crie to Iesus christ at his last daie, and scarcely woll he
hearken him (1687)
sim sure: let vs hearken them ( Udall, Nicholas, 1505-1556.)
i see now from afarre what thou purposest, algates i desire yet to
hearken it of thee more plainly (1687)
thou shalt holly with all thy wit Doe thine entent to hearken it: yes
sir (1687)

So in answer to your question, it seems that both the use with and without a preposition are (were) possible, the prepositional version being apparently the more common.

user405662 · Answer

This is a simple case of distinguishing between transitive and intransitive verbs.
Used transitively, hearken warrants a direct object, and that's how your first version reads (in the passive voice, of course.)
Here's how M-W defines hearken transitively:

archaic : to give heed to : HEAR

The active voice version would read:

His entreaties, which God hearkens, would always prevail.

But the verb hearken (like most other verbs) could be used intransitively as well, and that's where the fancy-sounding preposition unto (which is actually a stylized version of the modest to) comes into play— because intransitive verbs, by definition, don't take a direct object.
And that's why the active voice of your second version would read:

His entreaties, which God hearkens unto/to, would always prevail.

But as you have mentioned in the question itself— and as AHD concurs— this latter version has a rather formal and archaic air.
And as regards who is "more" correct— you or your friend— the answer is neither, because it is simply a case of using a verb in its two different avatars.
Sentence 2 seems heavier and less successful, perhaps because of the juxtaposition of two prepositions (unto by).
I take this misgiving with a pinch of salt: it is par for the course in English to see such constructions. A phrasal verb (Verb+Preposition combo), for instance, when passivized would almost always take after it another preposition.

"... His entreaties which are hearkened/hearkened unto by God"

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