⁵¹ Thus all the work that King Shlomo did in the house of Adonai was finished. After this, Shlomo brought in the gifts which David his father had dedicated — the silver, the gold and the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of the house of Adonai.

8 Then Shlomo assembled all the leaders of Isra’el, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the paternal clans of the people of Isra’el, to King Shlomo in Yerushalayim, to bring the ark for the covenant of Adonai out of the City of David, also known as Tziyon. ² All the men of Isra’el assembled before King Shlomo at the festival in the month of Etanim, the seventh month. ³ All the leaders of Isra’el came. The cohanim took the ark ⁴ and brought up the ark of Adonai, the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils that were in the tent; these are what the cohanim and L’vi’im brought up. ⁵ King Shlomo and the whole community of Isra’el assembled in his presence were with him in front of the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen in numbers beyond counting or recording.

⁶ The cohanim brought the ark for the covenant of Adonai in to its place inside the sanctuary of the house, to the Especially Holy Place, under the wings of the k’ruvim. ⁷ For the k’ruvim spread out their wings over the place for the ark, covering the ark and its poles from above. ⁸ The poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day. ⁹ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moshe put there at Horev, when Adonai made the covenant with the people of Isra’el at the time of their leaving the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ When the cohanim came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of Adonai, ¹¹ so that, because of the cloud, the cohanim could not stand up to perform their service; for the glory of Adonai filled the house of Adonai.

¹² Shlomo said, “Adonai said he would live in thick darkness. ¹³ But I have built you a magnificent house, a place where you can live forever.”

¹⁴ Then the king turned around and blessed the whole community of Isra’el. The whole community of Isra’el stood ¹⁵ as he said: “Blessed be Adonai, the God of Isra’el, who spoke to my father David with his mouth and fulfilled his promise with his hand. He said, ¹⁶ ‘Since the day I brought my people Isra’el out of Egypt, I chose no city from any of the tribes of Isra’el in which to build a house, so that my name might be there; but I did choose David to be over my people Isra’el.’ ¹⁷ Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Adonai the God of Isra’el; ¹⁸ but Adonai said to David my father, ‘Although it was in your heart to build a house for my name, and you did well that it was in your heart, ¹⁹ nevertheless you will not build the house. Rather, you will father a son, and it will be he who will build the house for my name.’ ²⁰ Now Adonai has fulfilled this spoken word of his; for I have succeeded my father and sit on the throne of Isra’el, as Adonai promised; and I have built the house for the name of Adonai the God of Isra’el. ²¹ And there I have made a place for the ark containing the covenant of Adonai, which he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”