1 Kings 8:1–21

¹Then doth Solomon assemble the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, princes of the fathers of the sons of Israel, unto king Solomon, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah from the city of David—it is Zion; ²and all the men of Israel are assembled unto king Solomon, in the month of Ethanim, in the festival—is the seventh month. ³And all the elders of Israel come in, and the priests lift up the ark, ⁴and bring up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that are in the tent, yea, the priests and the Levites bring them up. ⁵And king Solomon and all the company of Israel who are met unto him are with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that are not counted nor numbered for multitude. ⁶And the priests bring in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, unto the oracle of the house, unto the holy of holies, unto the place of the wings of the cherubs; ⁷for the cherubs are spreading forth two wings unto the place of the ark, and the cherubs cover over the ark, and over its staves from above; ⁸and they lengthen the staves, and the heads of the staves are seen from the holy place on the front of the oracle, and are not seen without, and they are there unto this day. ⁹There is nothing in the ark, only the two tables of stone which Moses put there in Horeb, when Jehovah covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And it cometh to pass, in the going out of the priests from the holy place, that the cloud hath filled the house of Jehovah, ¹¹and the priests have not been able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house of Jehovah.

¹²Then said Solomon, ‘Jehovah hath said to dwell in thick darkness; ¹³I have surely built a house of habitation for Thee; a fixed place for Thine abiding to the ages.’ ¹⁴And the king turneth round his face, and blesseth the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel is standing. ¹⁵And he saith, ‘Blessed is Jehovah, God of Israel, who spake by His mouth with David my father, and by His hand hath fulfilled it, saying, ¹⁶From the day that I brought out My people, even Israel, from Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of all the tribes of Israel, to build a house for My name being there; and I fix on David to be over My people Israel.

¹⁷‘And it is with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah, God of Israel, ¹⁸and Jehovah saith unto David my father, Because that it hath been with thy heart to build a house for My name, thou hast done well that it hath been with thy heart; ¹⁹only, thou dost not build the house, but thy son who is coming out from thy loins, he doth build the house for My name.

²⁰‘And Jehovah doth establish His word which He spake, and I am risen up instead of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah spake, and build the house for the name of Jehovah, God of Israel, ²¹and set there a place for the ark, where is the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers in His bringing them out from the land of Egypt.’