When King Solomon finished all the work on the Temple, he placed in the Temple storerooms all the things that his father David had dedicated to the LORD ---the silver, gold, and other articles.

(SEE 5:11)

Then King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem in order to take the LORD's Covenant Box from Zion, David's City, to the Temple.

When all the leaders had gathered, the priests lifted the Covenant Box

King Solomon and all the people of Israel assembled in front of the Covenant Box and sacrificed a large number of sheep and cattle---too many to count.

Their outstretched wings covered the box and the poles it was carried by.

There was nothing inside the Covenant Box except the two stone tablets which Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.

shining with the dazzling light of the LORD's presence, and they could not go back in to perform their duties.

King David commanded all the officials of Israel to assemble in Jerusalem. So all the officials of the tribes, the officials who administered the work of the kingdom, the leaders of the clans, the supervisors of the property and livestock that belonged to the king and his sons---indeed all the palace officials, leading soldiers, and important men---gathered in Jerusalem.

He said to the Levites, "You are the leaders of the Levite clans. Purify yourselves and your fellow Levites, so that you can bring the Covenant Box of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.

The descendants of Eleazar and of Ithamar took turns drawing lots. Then they were registered by Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite secretary. The king, his officials, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priestly families and of the Levite families, were all witnesses.

The head of each family and one of his younger brothers drew lots for their assignments, just as their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, had done. King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites were witnesses.

Shelomith and the members of his family were in charge of all the gifts dedicated to God by King David, the heads of families, leaders of clan groups, and army officers.

When the people left Sinai, the holy mountain, they traveled three days. The LORD's Covenant Box always went ahead of them to find a place for them to camp.

And whenever it stopped, he would say, "Return, LORD, to the thousands of families of Israel."

(The Covenant Box, however, was in Jerusalem, kept in a tent which King David had set up when he brought the Box from Kiriath Jearim.)

King David heard that because of the Covenant Box the LORD had blessed Obed Edom's family and all that he had; so he got the Covenant Box from Obed's house to take it to Jerusalem with a great celebration.

They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God.

(But David did capture their fortress of Zion, and it became known as "David's City.")

"On Zion, my sacred hill," he says, "I have installed my king."

more than any other place in Israel he loves the city of Jerusalem.

The LORD has chosen Zion; he wants to make it his home:

I will richly provide Zion with all she needs; I will satisfy her poor with food.

Here I will make one of David's descendants a great king; here I will preserve the rule of my chosen king.