2 Chronicles 6:3-11

Good News Translation

³ All the people of Israel were standing there. The king turned to face them and asked God's blessing on them. ^4 (A)He said, “Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has kept the promise he made to my father David when he said to him, ⁵ ‘From the time I brought my people out of Egypt until now, I did not choose any city in the land of Israel as the place to build a temple where I would be worshiped, and I did not choose anyone to lead my people Israel. ⁶ But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place where I will be worshiped, and you, David, to rule my people.’”

⁷ And Solomon continued, “My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of the Lord God of Israel, ⁸ but the Lord said to him, ‘You were right in wanting to build a temple for me, ⁹ but you will never build it. It is your son, your own son, who will build my temple.’

¹⁰ “Now the Lord has kept his promise: I have succeeded my father as king of Israel, and I have built a temple for the worship of the Lord God of Israel. ¹¹ I have placed in the Temple the Covenant Box, which contains the stone tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with the people of Israel.”