Solomon puts the Covenant Box in the temple
1 Then Solomon told all the leaders of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem. They were all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families. He wanted them to bring the Lord's Covenant Box from Mount Zion, the City of David, to put it in the temple. 2 So all the Israelite leaders came together to meet with King Solomon. This happened during the Festival of Huts in the seventh month of the year, called Ethanim. 3 When all Israel's leaders had arrived, the priests lifted up the Covenant Box.
8:1Before they built the temple, King David had put the Covenant Box in a tent.
4 The priests and the Levites carried the Lord's Covenant Box, the Tent of Meeting and all the holy things that were in the tent.
5 King Solomon and all the Israelites who were with him walked in front of the Covenant Box. They offered many sheep and bulls as sacrifices. There were more animals than anyone could count.
6 Then the priests brought the Lord's Covenant Box to its proper place in the inside room of the temple. That was the Most Holy Place. They put it under the wings of the cherubs. 7 The wings of the cherubs touched each other above the place where the Covenant Box was. The cherubs covered the Covenant Box and the poles that the Levites used to carry it. 8 The poles were very long. The priests could see their ends from the Holy Place, if they stood in front of the Most Holy Place. But nobody could see the poles from outside the temple. And they are still there today.
9 There was nothing in the Covenant Box, except the two flat stones that Moses had put there at Sinai. That was where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out from Egypt.
10 When the priests came out from the Holy Place, a cloud filled the Lord's temple. 11 The priests could not do their work to serve the Lord, because of the cloud. The Lord's bright glory filled his temple.
12 Then Solomon prayed, ‘Lord, you have said that you live in a dark cloud. 13 Now I have built a great temple for you. It is a place where you can live for ever.’
