The Ark Is Brought into the Temple

(A)So all the work that Solomon performed for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the [a](B)things that his father David had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and all the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

(C)Then Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, (D)to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David, which is Zion. (E)All the men of Israel assembled themselves before the king at (F)the feast, that is in the seventh month. Then all the elders of Israel came, and (G)the Levites picked up the ark. They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils that were in the tent. The Levitical priests brought them up. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled with him before the ark were sacrificing [b]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its [c]poles. The poles were so long that (H)the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and [d]they are there to this day. 10 (I)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

The Glory of God Fills the Temple

11 When the priests came out from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard (J)to divisions), 12 and all the Levitical singers, (K)Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, (L)with cymbals, harps, and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them 120 priests (M)blowing trumpets 13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they raised their voices (N)accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, and when they praised the Lord saying, “(O)He indeed is good for His [e]kindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not rise to minister because of the cloud, for (P)the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 5:1 Lit dedicated things of his
  2. 2 Chronicles 5:6 Lit sheep...numbered for multitude
  3. 2 Chronicles 5:8 Lit poles above
  4. 2 Chronicles 5:9 Lit it is
  5. 2 Chronicles 5:13 Or faithfulness

The Ark is Placed in the Temple(A)

As soon as Solomon had completed the Lord’s Temple, he installed the holy items that had belonged to his father David, including the silver, gold, and all the other items in the treasure rooms of God’s Temple. Then Solomon called Israel’s elders together, including all the leaders of the tribes and families of Israel. They met in Jerusalem to transfer the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Zion, the City of David. All the men of Israel assembled in front of the king during the Festival of Tents[a] that takes place in the seventh month[b] of the year.[c]

As soon as all of Israel’s elders had arrived, the descendants of Levi lifted the ark and carried it, the tent where God met with his people,[d] and all of the sacred implements that belonged in the tent. The Levitical priests carried these up to the City of David.[e] King Solomon and all the Israelis who had assembled together proceeded ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and oxen than could be counted or recorded due to the number of sacrifices.[f]

The priests transported the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to the place created for it within the inner sanctuary of the Temple, into the Most Holy Place under the wings of the cherubim. The wings of the cherubim extended over where the ark and its carrying poles[g] had been placed, but the poles were long enough for their ends to extend to the front of the inner sanctuary, even though they could not be seen from outside. They remain there to this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except for the two tablets that Moses had placed there while Israel was encamped[h] at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelis after he had brought them out of the land of Egypt.

11 After this, the priests vacated the Holy Place. (Meanwhile, all the priests who were participating consecrated themselves, irrespective of their Levitical divisions. 12 All the musicians who were descendants of Levi, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives wore linen and played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar. Accompanied by 120 priests who played trumpets, 13 the trumpeters and musicians played in union, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. They praised the Lord loudly and sang, “He is good, and his gracious love is eternal,” accompanied by the trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments.) As they did this,[i] a cloud filled the Temple, that is, the Lord’s Temple, 14 and the priests were unable to complete their duties because of the cloud, since the glory of the Lord had filled God’s Temple.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 5:3 The Heb. lacks of Tents
  2. 2 Chronicles 5:3 I.e. sometime during mid-September to mid-October
  3. 2 Chronicles 5:3 The Heb. lacks of the year
  4. 2 Chronicles 5:5 Lit. the Tent of Meeting
  5. 2 Chronicles 5:5 The Heb. lacks to the City of David
  6. 2 Chronicles 5:6 The Heb. lacks due to the number of sacrifices
  7. 2 Chronicles 5:8 Cf. Ex 25:13-15
  8. 2 Chronicles 5:10 The Heb. lacks while Israel was encamped
  9. 2 Chronicles 5:13 The Heb. lacks As they did this