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1Then King Solomon told all the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of Israel to come together in Jerusalem. Solomon wanted them to join in moving the Box of the Lord ’s Agreement from the City of David up to the Temple.
2So during the special festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month of the year, all the men of Israel came to the meeting with King Solomon.[#8:2 That is, the Festival of Shelters. See “ ” in the Word List.]
3-4When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests and Levites carried the Holy Box of the Lord up to the Temple. They also carried the Meeting Tent and all the holy things that were in it up to the Temple.
5King Solomon and all Israel met together before the Box of the Agreement and sacrificed so many sheep and cattle that no one was able to count them all.
6The priests carried the Box of the Lord ’s Agreement to its proper place inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple, under the wings of the Cherub angels.
7The wings of the Cherub angels spread out over the Holy Box, and they covered the Holy Box and its carrying poles.
8The poles are still there today. They are too long for the Most Holy Place, so anyone standing in the Holy Place can see the ends of the poles, although no one outside can see them.
9The only things inside the Holy Box are the two tablets that Moses put there at Mt. Horeb. This is where the Lord made his agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10When the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Lord ’s Temple.[#8:10 The special sign that showed God was with his people.]
11The priests could not continue their work because the Temple was filled with the Glory of the Lord .
12Then Solomon said,
“The Lord caused the sun to shine in the sky,
but he chose to live in a dark cloud.
13Now, Lord, I have built a beautiful Temple for you,
where you may live forever.”
14Then King Solomon turned toward all the Israelites who were standing there and asked God to bless them.
15He prayed this long prayer to the Lord:
22Then Solomon stood in front of whole assembly of Israel and faced the Lord ’s altar. Solomon spread his hands and looked toward heaven
23and said,
54When Solomon prayed this prayer to the Lord , he was on his knees in front of the Lord ’s altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up.
55Then, in a loud voice, he asked God to bless all the people of Israel. Solomon said,
62Then King Solomon and all the Israelites with him offered sacrifices to the Lord .
63Solomon killed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to the Lord . In this way the king and the people showed that they had dedicated the Temple to the Lord .
64King Solomon also dedicated the yard right in front of the Lord ’s Temple. He offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were used as fellowship offerings. King Solomon made these offerings there in the yard. He did this because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small to hold them all.
65So there at the Temple, King Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the festival. People came from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the border of Egypt in the south. This huge crowd of people ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves together with the Lord for seven days. Then they stayed for another seven days. They celebrated for a total of 14 days.[#8:65 The Festival of Shelters. See verse 2.; #8:65 This is not in the ancient Greek version.]
66The next day Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said goodbye, and went home. They were happy because of all the good things that the Lord had done for David his servant and for his people Israel.