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.