5 Then all the work Solomon had done for the Temple of the Lord was finished. He brought in everything his father David had given for the Temple. He brought in all the silver and gold and all the furniture. And he put everything in the treasuries of God’s Temple.
The Ark of the Covenant Is Carried into the Temple
2 Then Solomon called for all the elders of Israel. He asked them to come to him in Jerusalem. He called for all the older leaders, the heads of the tribes and the leaders of the families. He wanted them to bring the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord from the older part of the city. 3 All the men of Israel came together with King Solomon. This was during the festival that was held in the seventh month.
4 All the elders of Israel arrived. Then the Levites picked up the Ark of the Covenant. 5 The priests and the Levites carried the Ark of the Covenant. They also carried the Meeting Tent and the holy things in it. 6 King Solomon and all the Israelites met in front of the Ark of the Covenant. They sacrificed so many sheep and bulls no one could count them.
7 Then the priests put the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord in its place. This was inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple. They put it under the wings of the gold creatures. 8 The wings of the creatures were spread out over the place for the Ark of the Covenant. They covered it and its carrying poles. 9 The carrying poles were very long. Anyone standing in the Holy Place in front of the Most Holy Place could see the ends of the poles. But no one could see the poles from outside the Holy Place. The poles are still there today. 10 The only things inside the Ark of the Covenant were two stone tablets.[a] Moses had put them in the Ark of the Covenant at Mount Sinai. That was where the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
11 Then all the priests left the Holy Place. All the priests from each group made themselves ready to serve the Lord. 12 All the Levite musicians stood on the east side of the altar. They were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and all their sons and relatives. They were dressed in white linen and played cymbals, lyres and harps. With them were 120 priests who blew trumpets. 13 Those who blew the trumpets and those who sang together sounded like one person. They praised and thanked the Lord. They sang as they played their trumpets, cymbals and other instruments. They praised the Lord with this song:
“The Lord is good.
His love continues forever.”
Then the Temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud. 14 The priests could not continue their work because of the cloud. This was because the Lord’s glory filled the Temple of God.
Footnotes
- 5:10 stone tablets They were the two stone tablets on which God wrote the Ten Commandments.