Daily Bread

The Ark Brought to the Temple^(A)

8 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs^(B) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark^(C) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.^{(D) 2} All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival^(E) in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.^(F)

³ When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests^(G) took up the ark, ⁴ and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting^(H) and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites^(I) carried them up, ⁵ and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing^(J) so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

⁶ The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant^(K) to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,^(L) and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.^{(M) 7} The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed^(N) the ark and its carrying poles. ⁸ These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.^{(O) 9} There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets^(P) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

¹⁰ When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud^(Q) filled the temple of the Lord. ¹¹ And the priests could not perform their service^(R) because of the cloud, for the glory^(S) of the Lord filled his temple.

¹² Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;^{(T) 13} I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell^(U) forever.”

¹⁴ While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed^(V) them. ¹⁵ Then he said: