1 Kings 8:1-21 ▼

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David, that is, Zion.

2 So all the men of Israel assembled themselves before King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, that is, the seventh month.

3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up.

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were gathered together to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim.

7 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its carrying poles from above.

8 But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day.

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

10 And it happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the 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 filled the house of the LORD.

12 Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.

13 “I have truly built You a lofty house, A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

15 He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and fulfilled it with His hands, saying,

16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house so that My name would be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’

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

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

19 Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’

20 Now the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in place of my father David and I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

21 And there I have set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”