1Una vez terminada toda la obra que había mandado hacer para el templo del Señor, Salomón hizo traer el oro, la plata y todos los utensilios que su padre David había consagrado y los depositó en el tesoro del templo de Dios.
El arca del pacto
5:2–6:11 – 1R 8:1-21
2Entonces Salomón mandó que los jefes de Israel, todos los jefes de las tribus y los patriarcas de las familias israelitas se congregaran en Jerusalén para trasladar el arca del pacto del Señor desde Sión, la Ciudad de David. 3Así que, durante la fiesta del mes séptimo, todos los israelitas se congregaron ante el rey.
4Cuando llegaron todos los jefes de Israel, los levitas alzaron el arca. 5Entonces los sacerdotes levitas trasladaron el arca junto con la Tienda de reunión y con todos los utensilios sagrados que había en ella. 6El rey Salomón y toda la asamblea de Israel reunida delante del arca sacrificaron ovejas y bueyes en tal cantidad que fue imposible llevar la cuenta.
7Luego los sacerdotes llevaron el arca del pacto del Señor a su lugar en el santuario interior del templo, que es el Lugar Santísimo, y la pusieron bajo las alas de los querubines. 8Con sus alas extendidas sobre ese lugar, los querubines cubrían el arca y sus varas. 9Las varas eran tan largas que sus extremos se podían ver desde el arca delante del Lugar Santísimo, aunque no desde afuera; y ahí han permanecido hasta hoy. 10En el arca solo estaban las dos tablas que Moisés había colocado en ella en Horeb, donde el Señor hizo un pacto con los israelitas cuando salieron de Egipto.
11Los sacerdotes se retiraron del Lugar Santo. Todos los sacerdotes allí presentes, sin distinción de clases, se habían consagrado. 12Todos los levitas cantores —es decir, Asaf, Hemán, Jedutún, sus hijos y sus parientes—, estaban de pie en el lado este del altar, vestidos de lino fino y con címbalos, liras y arpas. Junto a ellos estaban ciento veinte sacerdotes que tocaban la trompeta.
13Los trompetistas y los cantores alababan y daban gracias al Señor al son de trompetas, címbalos y otros instrumentos musicales. Y, cuando tocaron y cantaron al unísono:
«Él es bueno;
su gran amor perdura para siempre»,
una nube cubrió el Templo del Señor. 14Por causa de la nube, los sacerdotes no pudieron celebrar el culto, pues la gloria del Señor había llenado el Templo.
1Solomon finished all the work for the Lord’s temple. Then he brought in the things his father David had set apart for the Lord. They included the silver and gold and all the objects for God’s temple. Solomon placed them there with the other treasures.
The Ark Is Brought to the Temple
2Then Solomon sent for the elders of Israel. He told them to come to Jerusalem. They included all the leaders of the tribes. They also included the chiefs of the families of Israel. Solomon wanted them to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion. Zion was the City of David. 3All the Israelites came together to where the king was. It was at the time of the Feast of Booths. The feast was held in the seventh month.
4All the elders of Israel arrived. Then the Levites picked up the ark and carried it. 5They brought up the ark. They also brought up the tent of meeting and all the sacred things in the tent. The priests, who were Levites, carried up everything. 6The entire community of Israel had gathered around King Solomon. All of them were in front of the ark. They sacrificed huge numbers of sheep and cattle. There were so many animals that they couldn’t be recorded. In fact, they couldn’t even be counted.
7The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the Most Holy Room of the temple. They put it under the wings of the cherubim. 8The cherubim’s wings were spread out over the place where the ark was. They covered the ark. They also covered the poles used to carry it. 9The poles reached out from the ark. They were so long that their ends could be seen from in front of the Most Holy Room. But they couldn’t be seen from outside the Holy Room. They are still there to this day. 10There wasn’t anything in the ark except the two tablets. Moses had placed them in it at Mount Horeb. That’s where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites. He made it after they came out of Egypt.
11The priests left the Holy Room. All the priests who were there had set themselves apart to the Lord. It didn’t matter what group they were in. 12All the Levites who played music stood near the east side of the altar. They included Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives. They were dressed in fine linen. They were playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were joined by 120 priests who were blowing trumpets. 13The trumpet players and other musicians played their instruments together. They praised the Lord and gave thanks to him. The singers sang to the music of the trumpets, cymbals and other instruments. They sang in praise to the Lord,
“The Lord is good.
His faithful love continues forever.”
Then a cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 14The priests couldn’t do their work. That’s because the cloud of the Lord’s glory filled God’s temple.
