这样,所罗门完成了耶和华殿的一切工作。所罗门把他父亲大卫献给上帝的金银和一切器具都搬进上帝殿的库房。

运约柜入圣殿

所罗门把以色列的长老、各支派的首领和族长召集到耶路撒冷,准备把耶和华的约柜从大卫城锡安运上来。 在七月住棚节的时候,以色列人都聚集到所罗门王那里。 以色列的长老到齐后,祭司便抬起约柜, 祭司和利未人将约柜、会幕和会幕里的一切圣器运上来。 所罗门王和聚集到他那里的以色列全体会众在约柜前献祭,献上的牛羊多得不可胜数。 祭司把耶和华的约柜抬进内殿,即至圣所,放在两个基路伯天使的翅膀下面。 基路伯天使展开翅膀,遮盖约柜和抬约柜的横杠。 横杠非常长,在至圣所前面的圣所中也看得见横杠的末端,但在圣所外面看不见。横杠至今仍在那里。 10 约柜里除了两块石版,没有别的东西。石版是以色列人离开埃及后,耶和华在何烈山跟他们立约时,摩西放进去的。

耶和华的荣耀

11 随后,祭司退出圣所,所有在场的祭司不分班次都已洁净自己。 12 所有负责歌乐的利未人亚萨、希幔、耶杜顿,以及他们的儿子和亲族都穿着细麻布衣服,站在祭坛的东边,敲钹、鼓瑟、弹琴,同时还有一百二十位祭司吹号。 13 吹号的和歌乐手一起同声赞美和称谢耶和华,伴随着号、钹及各种乐器的声音,高声赞美耶和华:

“祂是美善的,
祂的慈爱永远长存!”

那时,有云彩充满了耶和华的殿, 14 以致祭司不能在殿里供职,因为殿里充满了耶和华上帝的荣光。

工程完成(A)

所羅門為耶和華的殿所作的一切工程完成了以後,就把他父親大衛分別為聖的東西:金銀和一切器皿,都帶來存放在神殿的庫房裡。

運約櫃進殿(B)

那時,所羅門把以色列的長老、各支派的首領和以色列人各家族的首領,都召集到耶路撒冷,要把耶和華的約櫃從大衛城,就是錫安運上來。 於是,以色列眾人在七月的節期來到時,都聚集到王那裡。 以色列的眾長老來到了,利未人就抬起約櫃。 他們把約櫃、會幕和會幕裡的一切神聖器皿都抬上來;是祭司和利未人把它們抬上來的。 所羅門王和那些聚集到他那裡的以色列全體會眾,都在約櫃前獻上牛羊為祭,數量無法計算,不能數點。 眾祭司把耶和華的約櫃抬進放約櫃的地方,就是內殿,至聖所裡面,放在兩個基路伯的翅膀底下。 基路伯在約櫃上面張開翅膀,遮蓋著約櫃和抬約櫃的槓。 那兩根槓很長,在內殿前可以看見約櫃那裡的槓頭,在殿外卻看不見;直到今日,那兩根槓還在那裡。 10 約櫃裡只有兩塊石版,就是以色列人出埃及以後,耶和華和他們立約的時候,摩西在何烈山放進去的。

耶和華的榮光充滿了殿(C)

11 眾祭司從聖所裡出來的時候(因為所有在場的祭司,不分班次地全都自潔), 12 全體負責歌唱的利未人和亞薩、希幔、耶杜頓,以及他們的兒子和親族,都穿著細麻布的衣服,站在祭壇的東邊,敲鈸、鼓瑟、彈琴;和他們在一起的,還有一百二十個祭司吹號; 13 吹號的和歌唱的都一致同聲地讚美稱謝耶和華。他們吹號、敲鈸,用各種樂器高聲讚美耶和華,說:“耶和華是良善的,他的慈愛永遠長存。”那時雲彩充滿了那殿,就是耶和華的殿。 14 由於那雲彩的緣故,祭司都不能侍立供職,因為 神的殿充滿了耶和華的榮光。

When all this work was completed for the Eternal’s house, Solomon brought in the silver, gold, and utensils, which his father, David, had dedicated for use in His temple. These things were stored in the True God’s temple treasuries, where they would be guarded by the Levites.

Just as his father had done when he moved the covenant chest to Jerusalem, Solomon assembled all of Israel (the generals, the judges, and every tribal leader) to move the covenant chest of the Eternal from the city of David (also called Zion) into the new temple in the seventh month. First all the men of Israel celebrated a feast with the king, 4-5 and when the elders of Israel arrived, the Levites who were priests carried the covenant chest, the congregation tent, and all the holy utensils in the tent to the temple. As King Solomon and the assembly stood before the covenant chest, they sacrificed innumerable sheep and uncountable oxen. 7-8 Following the sacrifices, the Levitical priests carried the covenant chest of the Eternal to its new home in the most holy place, under the protective wings of the creatures that covered the covenant chest and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen in front of the most holy place (although they were not visible outside), and they are there today. 10 Only the two tablets Moses received on Mount Horeb (where the Eternal made a covenant with the Israelites after they left Egypt) were inside the covenant chest.

11 When the Levitical priests returned to the crowd from the most holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves for this special occasion, regardless of their duties), 12 all the Levitical singers (Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their relatives) were wearing fine linen, standing east of the altar, playing cymbals, harps, and lyres, along with priests blowing 120 trumpets. 13 In unison, the musicians and singers with trumpets and cymbals and instruments praised and glorified the Eternal.

Levitical Choir: He is good! His loyal love will continue forever!

At the sound of the music, the Eternal’s temple was filled with a cloud, the glory of God, 14 which prevented the priests from continuing to minister to the Eternal. The descent of the glory of God filled the house of the God of Israel.

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.”