1 Kings 8:1-11 - The Dedication Of The Temple

1 King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem. They were to take Jehovah's Ark of the Covenant from Zion, David's City, to the Temple. 2 They all assembled during the festival. It was the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.

3 As soon as all the elders gathered, the priests lifted the Ark 4 and carried it to the Temple. The Levites and the priests also moved the Tent of Jehovah's presence and all its equipment to the Temple. 5 King Solomon and all the people of Israel assembled in front of the Ark and sacrificed a large number of sheep and cattle, too many to count. 6 Then the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple and put it in the Most Holy Place, beneath the cherubim (angel). 7 Their outstretched wings covered the box and the poles it was carried by. 8 The ends of the poles could be seen by anyone standing directly in front of the Most Holy Place, but from nowhere else. 9 There was nothing inside the Ark of the Covenant except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when Jehovah made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.

10 As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud. 11 It shined with the dazzling light of Jehovah's presence. They could not go back in to perform their duties.