SOLOMON’S DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE

8 At that time Solomon assembled the eldersl of Israel,m all the tribal headsn and the ancestral leaders of the Israelites before him at Jerusalem in order to bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David,o that is Zion.p 2 So all the men of Israel were assembled in the presence of King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month,B at the festival.q

3 All the eldersr of Israel came, and the priestss picked up the ark.t 4 The priests and the Levites brought the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting,u and the holy utensils that were in the tent.v 5 King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel, who had gathered around him and were with him in front of the ark, were sacrificing sheep, goats, and cattle that could not be counted or numbered, because there were so many.w 6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy placex beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim were spreading their wings overC the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles from above.y 8 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside the sanctuary; they are still there today.z 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb,D,aa where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.ab

10 When the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the Lord’s temple,ac 11 and because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the gloryad of the Lord filled the temple.

12 Then Solomon said:

The Lord said that he would dwell in total darkness.ae

13 I have indeed built an exalted templeaf for you,

a place for your dwelling forever.ag

14 The king turned around and blessedah the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing. 15 He said:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!

He spoke directly to my father David,

and he has fulfilled the promiseai by his power.

He said,

16 “Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,aj

I have not chosen a city to build a temple in

among any of the tribes of Israel,

so that my nameak would be there.

But I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.”al

17 My father David had his heart set

on building a temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.am

18 But the Lord said to my father David,

“Since your heart was set on building a temple for my name,

you have done well to have this desire.E,an

19 Yet you are not the one to build it;

instead, your son, your own offspring,

will build it for my name.”ao

20 The Lord has fulfilled what he promised.

I have taken the place of my father David,a

and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised.b

I have built the temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

21 I have provided a place there for the ark,

where the Lord’s covenant is

that he made with our ancestors

when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.c