The Dedication of the Temple

8 At that time, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel—all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ⌊families⌋a of the ⌊Israelites⌋b—before King Solomon in Jerusalem, in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. 2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the festival in the month of Ethnaim, that is, the seventh month. 3 All the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. 4 So they brought up the ark of Yahweh and the tent of assemblyc and all of the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel who were assembling with him in the presence of the ark were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted nor numbered because of abundance. 6 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, to the ⌊most holy place⌋,d under the wings of the cherubim, 7 for the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark. The cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles from above. 8 The poles were long, and the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place ⌊in front of⌋e the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside, and they are there until this day. 9 There was not anything in the ark ⌊except⌋f the two tablets of stone which Moses had placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh ⌊made⌋g a covenant with the ⌊Israelites⌋h after they went out from the land of Egypt. 10 When the priests went out from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of Yahweh. 11 The priests were not able to stand to minister ⌊because of the presence of⌋i the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh.

Solomon’s Proclamation to the Assembly of Israel

12 Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the very thick cloud. 13 I have certainly built a lofty house for you, a place for you to live forever.”