2 Chronicles 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
Dedication of the Temple. 1 (A)When all the work undertaken by Solomon for the house of the Lord was completed, he brought in the votive offerings of David his father, putting the silver, the gold, and other articles in the treasuries of the house of God. 2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the princes in the ancestral houses of the Israelites, to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the City of David, which is Zion. 3 All the people of Israel assembled before the king during the festival of the seventh month.[a] 4 (B)When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites[b] took up the ark; 5 and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting with all the sacred vessels that were in the tent. The levitical priests brought them up.
6 King Solomon and the entire community of Israel, gathered for the occasion before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen too many to number or count. 7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place: the inner sanctuary of the house, the holy of holies, beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark, covering the ark and its poles from above. 9 The poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary. (They cannot be seen from outside, but they remain there to this day.)[c] 10 There was nothing in the ark but the two tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they went forth from Egypt.
11 When the priests left the holy place (all the priests who were present had purified themselves regardless of the rotation of their various divisions), 12 the Levites who were singers, all who belonged to Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and brothers, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets.
13 When the trumpeters and singers were heard as a single voice praising and giving thanks to the Lord, and when they raised the sound of the trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments to “Praise the Lord, who is so good, whose love endures forever,” the cloud filled the house of the Lord.(C) 14 The priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.(D)
Footnotes
- 5:3 Festival of the seventh month: feast of Booths (Tabernacles); cf. notes on 7:9–10; 1 Kgs 8:2.
- 5:4 The Levites: the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 8:3 reads “the priests”; but in 2 Chr 5:5 the Deuteronomic expression “levitical priests” is used, as it is in 23:18; 30:27.
- 5:9 They remain there to this day: the Chronicler must have copied this notice from his source (1 Kgs 8:8), losing sight of the fact that there was no ark in the Temple of his own day. (According to 2 Mc 2:4–8, the ark of Solomon’s Temple was concealed by Jeremiah at the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.)
2 Chronicles 5
New King James Version
The Ark Brought into the Temple
5 So (A)all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.
The Ark Brought into the Temple(B)
2 (C)Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up (D)from the City of David, which is Zion. 3 (E)Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king (F)at the feast, which was in the seventh month. 4 So all the elders of Israel came, and the (G)Levites took up the ark. 5 Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 6 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 7 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the (H)inner sanctuary of the [a]temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 9 The poles extended so that the ends of the (I)poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And [b]they are there to this day. 10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses (J)put there at Horeb, [c]when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.
11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had [d]sanctified themselves, without keeping to their (K)divisions), 12 (L)and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, (M)and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:
(N)“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,”
that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not [e]continue ministering because of the cloud; (O)for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 5:7 Lit. house
- 2 Chronicles 5:9 Lit. it is
- 2 Chronicles 5:10 Or where
- 2 Chronicles 5:11 consecrated
- 2 Chronicles 5:14 Lit. stand to minister
2 Chronicles 5
1599 Geneva Bible
5 1 The things dedicated by David are put in the Temple. 2 The Ark is brought into the Tmple. 10 What was within it. 12 They sing praise to the Lord.
1 So (A)was all the work finished that Solomon made for the house of the Lord, and Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, with the silver and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them among the treasures of the house of God.
2 Then Solomon assembled the Elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel unto Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the covenant of the Lord from the [a]city of David, which is Zion.
3 And all the men of Israel assembled unto the king at the [b]feast: it was in the seventh [c]month.
4 And all the Elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the Ark.
5 And they carried up the Ark, and the Tabernacle of the Congregation: and all the holy vessels that were in the Tabernacle, those did the Priests and Levites bring up.
6 And king Solomon and all the Congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him, were before the Ark, offering sheep and bullocks, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
7 So the Priests brought the Ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the Oracle of the house, into the most Holy place, even under the wings of the Cherubims.
8 For the Cherubims stretched out their wings over the place of the Ark, and the Cherubims covered the Ark and the bars thereof above.
9 And they drew out the bars, that the ends of the bars might be seen out of the Ark before the Oracle, but they were not seen [d]without: and there they are unto this day.
10 Nothing was in the Ark, save [e]the two Tables, which Moses gave at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt.
11 And when the Priests were come out of the Sanctuary (for all the Priests that were present, were [f]sanctified and did not wait by course.
12 And the Levites the singers of all sorts, as of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, and of their sons and of their brethren, being clad in fine linen, stood with cymbals, and with viols, and harps at the East end of the Altar, and with them an hundred and twenty Priests blowing with trumpets.
13 And they were [g]as one, blowing trumpets, and singing, and made one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with trumpets, and with cymbals, and with instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord, singing, [h]For he is good, because his mercy lasteth forever) then the house, even the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud,
14 So that the Priests could not stand to minister, because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 5:2 Read 2 Sam. 6:12.
- 2 Chronicles 5:3 When the things were dedicated and brought into the Temple.
- 2 Chronicles 5:3 Called in Hebrew Ethanim, containing part of September and part of October, 1 Kings 8:2, which moveth the Jews called the first month, because they say, that the world was created in that month, and after they came from Egypt, they began at March: but because this opinion is uncertain, we make March ever the first, as best writers do.
- 2 Chronicles 5:9 Or, without the Oracle.
- 2 Chronicles 5:10 For Aaron’s rod and Manna were taken thence before it was brought to this place.
- 2 Chronicles 5:11 Were prepared to serve the Lord.
- 2 Chronicles 5:13 They agreed all in one tune.
- 2 Chronicles 5:13 This was the effect of their songs, Ps. 118:1 and 136:1.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
