1 Kings 8:1-21 ▼

1 Then Solomon assembles the elderly of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, princes of the fathers of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon, to Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH from the City of David—it [is] Zion;

2 and all the men of Israel are assembled to King Solomon, in the month of Ethanim, in the festival (the seventh month).

3 And all [the] elderly of Israel come in, and the priests lift up the Ark,

4 and bring up the Ark of YHWH, and the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that [are] in the tent, indeed, the priests and the Levites bring them up.

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who are assembled to him [are] with him before the Ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that are not counted nor numbered for multitude.

6 And the priests bring in the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH to its place, to the oracle of the house, to the Holy of Holies, to the place of the wings of the cherubim;

7 for the cherubim are spreading forth two wings to the place of the Ark, and the cherubim cover over the Ark, and over its poles from above;

8 and they lengthen the poles, and the heads of the poles are seen from the holy [place] on the front of the oracle, and are not seen outside, and they are there to this day.

9 There is nothing in the Ark, only the two tablets of stone which Moses put there in Horeb when YHWH covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out of the land of Egypt.

10 And it comes to pass, in the going out of the priests from the holy [place], that the cloud has filled the house of YHWH,

11 and the priests have not been able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of YHWH has filled the house of YHWH.

12 Then Solomon said, “YHWH has said [He is] to dwell in thick darkness;

13 I have surely built a house of habitation for You; a fixed place for Your abiding for all ages.”

14 And the king turns his face around, and blesses the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel is standing.

15 And he says, “Blessed [is] YHWH, God of Israel, who spoke by His mouth with my father David, and by His hand has fulfilled [it], saying,

16 From the day that I brought out My people, even Israel, from Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of all the tribes of Israel, to build a house for My Name being there; and I fix on David to be over My people Israel.

17 And it is with the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of YHWH, God of Israel,

18 and YHWH says to my father David, Because that it has been with your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well that it has been with your heart;

19 only, you do not build the house, but your son who is coming out from your loins, he builds the house for My Name.

20 And YHWH establishes His word which He spoke, and I am risen up instead of my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as YHWH spoke, and build the house for the Name of YHWH, God of Israel,

21 and I set a place for the Ark there, where the covenant of YHWH [is], which He made with our fathers in His bringing them out from the land of Egypt.”