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When Solomon had finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and all the other articles) in the treasuries of God’s temple.

Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple

Then Solomon convened Israel’s elders—all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families—in Jerusalem, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David[a] (that is, Zion).[b] All the men of Israel assembled before the king during the festival[c] in the seventh month.[d] When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark. The priests and Levites carried the ark, the tent where God appeared to his people,[e] and all the holy items in the tent.[f] Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.[g]

The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its assigned[h] place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the Most Holy Place under the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim’s wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.[i] The poles were so long their ends extending out from the ark were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point.[j] They have remained there to this very day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb.[k] (It was there that[l] the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt.)

11 The priests left the Holy Place.[m] All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented.[n] 12 All the Levites who were musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, wore linen. They played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar. They were accompanied by 120 priests who blew trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians played together, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they loudly praised the Lord, singing:[o] “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!” Then a cloud filled the Lord’s temple.[p] 14 The priests could not carry out their duties[q] because of the cloud; the Lord’s splendor filled God’s temple.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 5:2 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  2. 2 Chronicles 5:2 tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David (it is Zion).”
  3. 2 Chronicles 5:3 sn This festival in the seventh month was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
  4. 2 Chronicles 5:3 sn The seventh month would be September-October in modern reckoning.
  5. 2 Chronicles 5:5 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”sn See Exod 33:7-11.
  6. 2 Chronicles 5:5 tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the Lord…. The priests and the Levites carried them.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 5:6 tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 5:7 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  9. 2 Chronicles 5:8 sn These poles were used to carry the ark. The Levites were to carry it with the poles on their shoulders. See Exod 25:13-15; 1 Chr 15:15.
  10. 2 Chronicles 5:9 tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 5:10 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (cf. Exod 3:1).
  12. 2 Chronicles 5:10 tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 5:11 tn Heb “and when the priests went from the holy place.” The syntactical relationship of this temporal clause to the following context is unclear. Perhaps the thought is completed in v. 14 after a lengthy digression.
  14. 2 Chronicles 5:11 tn Heb “Indeed [or “for”] all the priests who were found consecrated themselves without guarding divisions.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 5:13 tn Heb “like one were the trumpeters and the musicians, causing one voice to be heard, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, and while raising a voice with trumpets and with cymbals and with instruments of music, and while praising the Lord.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 5:13 tn Heb “and the house was filled with a cloud, the house of the Lord.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 5:14 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”

and so all the work was [ful]filled that Solomon made in the house of the Lord. Therefore Solomon brought in all things, that is, silver, and gold, which David, his father had avowed; and he putted all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of the Lord. (and so all the work that Solomon did for the House of the Lord was finished. And so Solomon brought in all the things which his father David had vowed; and he put all the silver, and the gold, and the vessels in the treasuries of the House of the Lord.)

After which things he gathered together all the greater men in birth of Israel, and all the princes of lineages, and the heads of families, of the sons of Israel, into Jerusalem, that they should bring the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion. (After which he gathered together all the men of great age, that is, the elders, of Israel, and all the leaders of the tribes, and the heads of the families of the Israelites, to Jerusalem, so that they could bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is called Zion.)

Therefore all [the] men of Israel came to the king, in the solemn day of the seventh month. (And so all the men of Israel came to the king, on the Feast day of the seventh month, that is, the Feast of Tabernacles.)

And when all the elder men of Israel came, the deacons bare the ark, (And when all the elders of Israel came, the Levites carried the Ark,)

and they brought it, and all the array of the tabernacle, into the temple. And the priests with the deacons bare the vessels of the saintuary, that were in the tabernacle. (and they brought it, and all the array of the Tabernacle, into the Temple. And the priests, and the Levites, carried the vessels of the sanctuary, that had been in the Tabernacle, into the Temple.)

And king Solomon, and all the companies of Israel, and all that were gathered together, offered before the ark wethers and oxen without number; for the multitude of slain sacrifices was so great that it might not be numbered. (And King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, and all who were gathered together in front of the Ark, offered rams and oxen without number; for the multitude of slain sacrifices was so great that it could not be counted.)

And [the] priests brought the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord into the place thereof, that is, to God’s answering place of the temple, into the holy of holy things, under the wings of cherubims; (And the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord into its place, the Inner Temple, that is, into the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim;)

so that (the) cherubims spreaded forth their wings over the place, in which the ark was put, and covered that ark with his bearing bars. (and the cherubim spread out their wings over the place, where the Ark was put, and covered the Ark and its bearing bars.)

Soothly the heads, or pommels, (of the bars,) with which the ark was borne, were open, or uncovered, before God’s answering place, for those heads were a little longer than the stretching (out) of (the) cherubs’ wings; but if a man had been a little withoutforth, he might not see those bearing bars. Therefore the ark was there till into the present day; (And the heads, or the ends, of the bars, with which the Ark was carried, could be seen when standing in front of the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, for the heads were a little longer than the stretching out of the cherubim’s wings; but if anyone was a little withoutforth, he would not see those bars. And they still be there unto this present day;)

10 and there was none other thing in the ark, but [the] two tables, which Moses had put therein in Horeb, when the Lord gave the law to the sons of Israel going out of Egypt. (and there was nothing else in the Ark, but the two tablets, which Moses had put in it at Mount Sinai, when the Lord gave the Law to the Israelites going out of Egypt.)

11 And after this the priests went out of the saintuary, for all the priests, that might be found there, were hallowed, and the whiles, or certain times, and the order of services among (the) priests, was not parted yet in that time; (And after this the priests went out of the sanctuary, for all the priests, who might be found there, had consecrated, or purified, themselves, but their appointed times, and the order of their service, was not yet divided among the priests at that time;)

12 and both deacons and singers, that is, both they that were under Asaph, and they that were under Heman, and they that were under Jeduthun, their sons and brethren, clothed with white linen clothes, sounded with cymbals and psalteries and harps, and stood at the west coast, or corner, of the altar, and with them were sixscore priests trumping. (and the levitical singers and musicians, that is, they who were under Asaph, and they who were under Heman, and they who were under Jeduthun, with their sons and kinsmen, were clothed in white linen clothes, and played cymbals and lutes and harps, and stood at the east side of the altar, and with them were one hundred and twenty priests who blew the trumpets.)

13 Therefore when they all sang together, both with trumps, and voice, and cymbals, and organs, and of diverse kinds of musics, and they raised [up] their voice on high, the sound was heard [a]far, so that when they had begun to praise the Lord, and to say, Acknowledge ye to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is into the world, either without end; the house of God was filled with a cloud, (And so when they all sang together, with trumpets, and voices, and cymbals, and diverse kinds of instruments, and they raised up their voices on high, the sound was heard afar, so that when they began to praise the Lord, and to sing, Praise ye the Lord, for he is good, his love is forevermore; suddenly the House of God was filled with a cloud,)

14 and the priests might not stand to serve for the darkness; for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. (and the priests could not continue to minister because of the darkness; for the glory of the Lord had filled the House of the Lord.)