1 Kings 8:1-21 ▼

1 THEN Solomon assembled all the tribes of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the chiefs of the fathers, to him in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast in the month of the harvest, which is the seventh month.

3 And all the tribes of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

4 And they brought it up to the temple of the LORD, and brought the tabernacle of the congregation and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, and the priests and the Levites of Israel went up with them.

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled to him were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the temple, to the inner house, the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.

7 For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the holy place, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves above.

8 And the staves were so long that the ends of them were seen from the holy place before the inner house, but they were not seen outside; and there they are to this day.

9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses had put there at Horeb when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10 And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD,

11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

12 Then Solomon said, O LORD, thou hast said that thou wouldst dwell in the thick darkness.

13 And I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

14 Then the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel; and all the congregation of Israel stood;

15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David my father, and has with his hands fulfilled his promise, saying,

16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

18 But the LORD said to David my father, Whereas it was in your heart to build a house to my name, you did well that it was in your heart.

19 Nevertheless you shall not build the house to my name; but your son who shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house to my name.

20 Now the LORD has performed the word that he spoke, and I have risen up in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built a house to the name of the LORD God of Israel.

21 And I have set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.