6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the dark cloud. ² But I have built for You an exalted house, even a habitation where You can continually dwell.”

Solomon’s Speech

³ Then the king turned his face around, and he blessed the entire assembly of Israel while all the assembly of Israel was standing before him. ⁴ And he said:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who spoke with David my father and fulfilled His promise saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought out My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose any city from among the tribes of Israel to build a house for My name to dwell there, nor did I select a man to be the leader over My people Israel; ⁶ but I have chosen Jerusalem for My name to dwell there, and I have selected David to be over My people Israel.’

⁷ “And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well because of what was in your heart; ⁹ only you will not be the one to build the house. For your son, who will be born to you, he will build a house for My name.’

¹⁰ “The Lord has fulfilled the word that He spoke. For I have risen up in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord spoke, and I will build the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ¹¹ And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that He made with the children of Israel.”