1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of YHVH from the city of David, which is Zion. 2All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4They brought up the ark of YHVH and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 6Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of YHVH to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. 8But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where YHVH made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of YHVH, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of YHVH filled the house of YHVH.
Solomon Addresses the People
12Then Solomon said,
“YHVH has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.13“I have surely built You a lofty house,
A place for Your dwelling forever.”
1 Kings 8:1-13
46“When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near;47if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name;49then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause,50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace), 52that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53“For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord YHVH.”
Solomon’s Benediction
54When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to YHVH, he arose from before the altar of YHVH, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. 55And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
56“Blessed be YHVH, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. 57“May YHVH our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, 58that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59“And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before YHVH, be near to YHVH our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, 60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that YHVH is God; there is no one else. 61“Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to YHVH our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”
1 Kings 8:46-61
2At that time Solomon assembled in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of YHVH from Zion, the City of David. 3So all the men of Israel came together to the king at the feast in the seventh month.