51In this way all the work that King Solomon did for the House of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the House of the Lord.
Solomon Brings the Ark Into the Temple
81Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of tribes, and the leading fathers of the people of Israel to appear before him in Jerusalem, in order to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the City of David, that is, from Zion. 2All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon in the month of Ethanim,[] during the festival.[] It was the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests lifted up the ark. 4They brought up the Ark of the Lord, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels which were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5King Solomon, along with the whole congregation of Israel who had gathered with him in front of the ark, was sacrificing sheep and cattle, too many to be counted.
6The priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim, 7for the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place for the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles with their wings. 8The poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day.
9There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets, which Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10When the priests came out from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the House of the Lord. 11The priests were not able to take their positions to minister in the presence of the cloud, because the Glory of the Lord had filled the House of the Lord.
King Solomon's Prayer
12Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he dwells in thick darkness. 13I have truly built a majestic house for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”
14Then the king turned and blessed the whole congregation of Israel, while the whole congregation of Israel was standing there. 15Then Solomon said:
Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel. What he said with his mouth to my father David, he has fulfilled with his hand.
The Lord said, 16“From the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house for my Name to be there, ˻nor did I choose any man to be a leader over my people Israel; but now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there,˼[] and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.” 17It was on my father David's heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
18However, the Lord said to my father David, “It was on your heart to build a house for my Name. That was a good thing to desire. 19But you will not build the house. Your son, who will come from your own body, will build the house for my Name.”
20So the Lord kept his word which he had spoken, and I arose in the place of my father David. I am seated on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord said. I have built this house for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21I have established a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
