1 Kings 8:1–21

¹Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. ²And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, that is, the seventh month. ³And all the elders of Israel came; and the priests took up the ark. ⁴And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent: the priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁵And king Solomon, and all the assembly of Israel that were assembled to him, who were with him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. ⁶And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to its place, into the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim; ⁷for the cherubim stretched forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves above. ⁸And the staves were long, so that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle, but they were not seen without. And there they are to this day. ⁹There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses placed there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And it came to pass when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, ¹¹and the priests could not stand to do their service because of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of Jehovah.

¹²Then said Solomon: Jehovah said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. ¹³I have indeed built a house of habitation for thee, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. ¹⁴And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel; and the whole congregation of Israel stood. ¹⁵And he said: Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, ¹⁶Since 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 in, that my name might be there; but I have chosen David to be over my people Israel. ¹⁷And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house unto the name of Jehovah the God of Israel. ¹⁸But Jehovah said to David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart; ¹⁹nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name. ²⁰And Jehovah has performed his word which he spoke; and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and I have built the house unto the name of Jehovah the God of Israel. ²¹And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.