7. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
8. And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.
9. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11. so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
12. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
13. I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”
14. Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.
15. And he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying,
16. ‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there. But I chose David to be over my people Israel.’