2. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month, on the solemn day.
3. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
4. And they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tabernacle of the testimony and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, which the priests and the Levites carried.
5. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.
6. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the oracle of the house, in the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.
7. For the cherubim had their wings extended over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves from above.
8. And they drew out the staves so that the ends of the staves could be seen out in the holy place in front of the oracle, but they could not be seen from outside, and thus they remained until today.
9. There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord cut a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10. And when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord.
11. And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
12. Then Solomon said, The Lord has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
13. I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
14. And the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel were standing.
15. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth unto David my father, and with his hand has fulfilled it, saying,
16. Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen 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.
17. And it was in the heart of David, my father, to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.