5. King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel, who had gathered around him and were with him in front of the ark, were sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted or numbered, because there were so many.
6. The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place beneath the wings of the cherubim.
7. For the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and its poles from above.
8. The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside the sanctuary; they are there to this day.
9. Nothing was in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10. When the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the Lord’s temple,
11. and because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
12. Then Solomon said:The Lord said that He would dwell in thick darkness.
13. I have indeed built an exalted temple for You,a place for Your dwelling forever.
14. The king turned around and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing.
15. He said:May the Lord God of Israel be praised!He spoke directly to my father David,and He has fulfilled the promise by His power.He said,
16. “Since the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city to build a temple inamong any of the tribes of Israel,so that My name would be there.But I have chosen David to rule My people Israel.”
17. It was in the desire of my father Davidto build a temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
18. But the Lord said to my father David,“Since it was your desire to build a temple for My name,you have done well to have this desire.
19. Yet you are not the one to build it;instead, your son, your own offspring,will build it for My name.”
20. The Lord has fulfilled what He promised.I have taken the place of my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built the temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
21. I have provided a place there for the ark,where the Lord’s covenant isthat He made with our ancestorswhen He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
22. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.
23. He said:Lord God of Israel,there is no God like Youin heaven above or on earth below, keeping the gracious covenantwith Your servants who walk before Youwith their whole heart.