וַתִּשְׁלַם כָּל־הַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה לְבֵית ה' וַיָּבֵא שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־קָדְשֵׁי דָּוִיד אָבִיו וְאֶת־הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת־הַזָּהָב וְאֶת־כָּל־הַכֵּלִים נָתַן בְּאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים

All the labor that Solomon performed for the House of the Lord was completed. Solomon brought the consecrated items of David his father, and the silver, the gold, and all the vessels, and he placed them in the treasuries of the House of God.

אָז יַקְהֵיל שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת־כָּל־רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת נְשִׂיאֵי הָאָבוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם לְהַעֲלוֹת אֶת־אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־ה' מֵעִיר דָּוִיד הִיא צִיּוֹן

Then, when the labor was completed, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes and the princes of the patrilineal houses, of the children of Israel, to Jerusalem, in order to take up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to the Temple on Mount Moriah, from the City of David, which is Zion.

וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ כָּל־אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּחָג הוּא הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִי

All the men of Israel assembled to the king on the Festival of Tabernacles, which is in the seventh month, now known by its Babylonian name of Tishrei.

וַיָּבֹאוּ כֹּל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׂאוּ הַלְוִיִּם אֶת־הָאָרוֹן

All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites carried the ark.

וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת־הָאָרוֹן וְאֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְאֶת־כָּל־כְּלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר בָּאֹהֶל הֶעֱלוּ אֹתָם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם

They took up the ark, and also the parts of the structure of the Tent of Meeting, to the treasuries in the Temple, and all the sacred vessels that were in the Tent; the priests and the Levites took them up.

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה וְכָל־עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנּוֹעָדִים עָלָיו לִפְנֵי הָאָרוֹן מְזַבְּחִים צֹאן וּבָקָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִסָּפְרוּ וְלֹא יִמָּנוּ מֵרֹב

In honor of the ascent of the ark to the House of God, King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were congregated with him, and walking before the ark, were offering sheep and cattle that were so abundant they could not be numbered and could not be counted. Portions from these offerings were distributed as gifts to those participating in the celebrations.

וַיָּבִיאוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת־אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־ה' אֶל־מְקוֹמוֹ אֶל־דְּבִיר הַבַּיִת אֶל־קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֶל־תַּחַת כַּנְפֵי הַכְּרוּבִים

The priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place, to the inner Sanctum of the House, to the Holy of Holies, to beneath the wings of the cherubs which had been constructed by Solomon (3:10) and which filled the inner Sanctum.

וַיִּהְיוּ הַכְּרוּבִים פֹּרְשִׂים כְּנָפַיִם עַל־מְקוֹם הָאָרוֹן וַיְכַסּוּ הַכְּרוּבִים עַל־הָאָרוֹן וְעַל־בַּדָּיו מִלְמָעְלָה

The cherubs had their wings spread over the area of the ark, and the cherubs and their wings covered the ark and its staves from above. The staves served for carrying the ark.

וַיַּאֲרִיכוּ הַבַּדִּים וַיֵּרָאוּ רָאשֵׁי הַבַּדִּים מִן־הָאָרוֹן עַל־פְּנֵי הַדְּבִיר וְלֹא יֵרָאוּ הַחוּצָה וַיְהִי־שָׁם עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

They pulled out the staves toward the entrance of the Sanctum, as they apparently brought the ark in only as far as the middle of the chamber, and the outline of the ends of the staves were visible extending from the ark through the curtain that hung at the front of the Sanctum, but they were not visible from outside because the curtain covered them. And it, the ark with its staves, is there to this day.

אֵין בָּאָרוֹן רַק שְׁנֵי הַלֻּחוֹת אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן מֹשֶׁה בְּחֹרֵב אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת ה' עִם־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּצֵאתָם מִמִּצְרָיִם

There is nothing in the ark but the two Tablets of the Covenant that Moses placed there at Horev, with which the Lord established a covenant with the children of Israel, upon their exodus from Egypt.

וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת הַכֹּהֲנִים מִן־הַקֹּדֶשׁ כִּי כָּל־הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּמְצְאִים הִתְקַדָּשׁוּ אֵין לִשְׁמוֹר לְמַחְלְקוֹת

It was with the emergence of the priests from the Sanctuary after having situated the ark in its designated location; and here it is noted, parenthetically, that no details are given about the identity of these priests, or the priestly watch with which they were affiliated, for all the priests who were present were prepared and had sanctified themselves and arrived as one, and at that time the divisions into priestly watches were not maintained, but they all participated at the same time,

וְהַלְוִיִּם הַמְשֹׁרְרִים לְכֻלָּם לְאָסָף לְהֵימָן לִידֻתוּן וְלִבְנֵיהֶם וְלַאֲחֵיהֶם מְלֻבָּשִׁים בּוּץ בִּמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבִנְבָלִים וְכִנֹּרוֹת עֹמְדִים מִזְרָח לַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְעִמָּהֶם כֹּהֲנִים לְמֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים מַחְצְרִים בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת

and the Levites, the singers, all of them, Asaf, Heiman, Yedutun, and their sons and their brethren, who were garbed in fine linen, were standing east of the altar, with cymbals and lyres and harps, and with them were one hundred and twenty priests sounding the trumpets. These trumpets were not musical instruments in the standard sense; rather, they produced staccato blasts, which might have been incorporated into the music.

וַיְהִי כְאֶחָד לַמְחַצְּרִים וְלַמְשֹׁרְרִים לְהַשְׁמִיעַ קוֹל־אֶחָד לְהַלֵּל וּלְהֹדוֹת לַה' וּכְהָרִים קוֹל בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבִכְלֵי הַשִּׁיר ובְהַלֵּל לַה' כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ וְ הַבַּיִת מָלֵא עָנָן בֵּית ה'

It was when the trumpeters and singers were as one, a fully coordinated orchestra, to sound one voice to praise and thank the Lord, and as they raised their voice with, and started to play, the trumpets and cymbals, and with the other musical instruments, and together with the instruments they sang with praise to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness is forever, that behold, the House was filled with a cloud, the House of the Lord.

וְלֹא־יָכְלוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים לַעֲמוֹד לְשָׁרֵת מִפְּנֵי הֶעָנָן כִּי־מָלֵא כְבוֹד־ה' אֶת־בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים

The priests were unable to stay to serve due to the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the House of God. The cloud symbolized the glory of God, resting upon and revealing itself in the Temple.