2 Chronicles 5:1-6:11

New Life Version

5 So all the work that Solomon did for the Lord’s house was finished. He brought in the things that his father David had set apart, the silver and the gold and all the objects. He put them in the store-rooms of the house of God.

The Special Box Brought into the House of God

² Then Solomon gathered to Jerusalem the leaders of Israel, and all the heads of the families, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the sons of Israel. He called them together to bring up the special box with the Law of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. ³ All the men of Israel gathered together in front of the king at the special supper in the seventh month. ⁴ All the leaders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the special box of God. ⁵ They brought up the special box of God, the meeting tent, and all the holy objects that were in the tent. The religious leaders and the Levites brought them up. ⁶ Then King Solomon and all the people of Israel who were with him were in front of the special box of God. There they gave on the altar in worship so many sheep and oxen that they could not be numbered. ⁷ The religious leaders brought the special box of the Lord to its place. They brought it into the most holy place in the house, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the special box of God. They made a covering over the special box and its long pieces of wood used for carrying. ⁹ The pieces of wood for the special box of God were so long that their ends could be seen in front of the holy place. But they could not be seen outside. They are there to this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the special box of God except the two stone writings which Moses put there at Horeb. It was there that the Lord made an agreement with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

¹¹ Then the religious leaders came out of the holy place. All the religious leaders who were there had set themselves apart, without thinking of how they were divided. ¹² All the Levite singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and brothers, were dressed in fine linen. They stood east of the altar, with timbrels and different kinds of harps. With them were 120 religious leaders sounding horns. ¹³ Those who sounded the horns and the singers made themselves heard as with one voice, praising and thanking the Lord. They sang in a loud voice, with horns, and timbrels, and other objects for making music. They praised the Lord, saying, “He is good. For His loving-kindness lasts forever.” Then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ The religious leaders could not stand to do their work because of the cloud. For the shining-greatness of the Lord filled the house of God.

Solomon’s Words to the People

6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would live in the thick cloud. ² I have built a great house for You. It is a place for You to live in forever.” ³ Then the king turned around and prayed that good would come to all the people of Israel, while all the people of Israel stood.

⁴ Solomon said, “Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of Israel. He spoke with His mouth to my father David. And He has kept His promises with His hands, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I chose no city among all the families of Israel in which to build a house for My name. I did not choose any man to be a leader over My people Israel. ⁶ But I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there. And I have chosen David to rule My people Israel.’ ⁷ Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. ⁹ But you will not build the house. Your son who will be born to you will build the house for My name.’ ¹⁰ Now the Lord has kept His promise which He made. For I have taken the place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. And I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹ There I have put the special box with the Law of the Lord which He gave to the people of Israel.”