1 Kings 8:1-21

11Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all 2the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, 3to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from 4the city of David, which is Zion. 2All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at 5the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and 6the priests took up the ark. 4They brought up the ark of the Lord and 7the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, 8were with him before the ark, sacrificing 9so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 6Then 10the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord 11to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, 12under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. 8But 13the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 914There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where 15the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, 16the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

1217Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that 18He would dwell in the thick cloud.1319I have surely built You a lofty house, 20A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14Then the king 21faced about and 22blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15He said, “23Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, 24who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying, 16‘25Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that 26My name might be there, but 27I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 1728Now it was 29in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was 30in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was 31in your heart. 1932Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who 33will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’ 20Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for 34I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord 35promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21There I have set a place for the ark, 36in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”