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

So the Temple was finally finished. Then Solomon brought in the gifts dedicated to the Lord by his father, King David. They were stored in the Temple treasuries.

Solomon now summoned to Jerusalem all of the leaders of Israel—the heads of the tribes and clans—for the ceremony of transferring the Ark from the Tabernacle in the[a] City of David, also known as Zion, to its new home in the Temple. This celebration took place in October at the annual Festival of Tabernacles. 4-5 As the leaders of Israel watched, the Levites lifted the Ark and carried it out of the Tabernacle, along with all the other sacred vessels. King Solomon and the others sacrificed sheep and oxen before the Ark in such numbers that no one tried to keep count!

7-8 Then the priests carried the Ark into the inner room of the Temple—the Holy of Holies—and placed it beneath the wings of the Guardian Angels; their wings spread over the Ark and its carrying poles. These carrying poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the outer room, but not from the outside doorway.

The Ark is still there at the time of this writing. 10 Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Mount Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were leaving Egypt.

11-12 When the priests had undergone the purification rites for themselves, they all took part in the ceremonies without regard to their normal duties. And how the Levites were praising the Lord as the priests came out of the Holy of Holies! The singers were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers, dressed in finespun linen robes and standing at the east side of the altar. The choir was accompanied by 120 priests who were trumpeters, while others played the cymbals, lyres, and harps. 13-14 The band and chorus united as one to praise and thank the Lord; their selections were interspersed with trumpet obbligatos, the clashing of cymbals, and the loud playing of other musical instruments—all praising and thanking the Lord. Their theme was “He is so good! His loving-kindness lasts forever!”

And at that moment the glory of the Lord, coming as a bright cloud, filled the Temple so that the priests could not continue their work.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 5:2 Tabernacle in the, and to its new home in the Temple, implied.