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1 USolomoni eseqedile wonke umsebenzi wethempeli likaThixo ayewenzile, waletha zonke izinto ezazinikelwe nguyise uDavida, isiliva legolide lempahla wazibeka endaweni yezenotho ethempelini likaNkulunkulu.
Ibhokisi Lesivumelwano SikaThixo Lingeniswa EThempelini
2 USolomoni wasebiza abadala bako-Israyeli ebanxusela eJerusalema, lezinhloko zezizwana kanye lezinduna zezimuli zako-Israyeli ukuthi bathathe ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo eZiyoni, balise eMzini kaDavida. 3 Wonke amadoda ako-Israyeli ahlangana ndawonye enkosini ngesikhathi somkhosi ngenyanga yesikhombisa.
4 Kwathi bonke abadala bako-Israyeli sebefikile, abaLevi bathatha ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo, 5 balithwala kanye lethente lokuhlanganela lazozonke izinto ezingcwele ezaziphakathi kwalo. Abaphristi, ababengabaLevi, bazithwala; 6 njalo iNkosi uSolomoni kanye labo bonke abako-Israyeli ababebuthene kuye babephambi kwebhokisi lesivumelwano, benikela imihlatshelo eminengi yezimvu lenkomo ezazingeke zilotshwe loba zibalwe.
7 Abaphristi basebeletha ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo endaweni yalo engcwele engaphakathi ethempelini, iNdawo eNgcwele Kakhulu, balifaka ngaphansi kwamaphiko amakherubhi. 8 Amakherubhi avula amaphiko awo phezu kwendawo yebhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo, amboza ibhokisi lesivumelwano kanye lemijabo yalo yokulithwala. 9 Imijabo yayimide kakhulu okokuthi izihloko zayo, zisuka ebhokisini, zazibonakala endlini engcwele yangaphakathi, kodwa hatshi eNdaweni eNgcwelengcwele; zisekhona lanamhlanje. 10 Kwakungelalutho ebhokisini ngaphandle kwezibhebhedu zombili uMosi azifaka kulo eHorebhi, lapho uThixo enza khona isivumelwano lo-Israyeli sebephumile eGibhithe.
11 Abaphristi basebesuka eNdaweni eNgcwelengcwele. Bonke abaphristi abalapho babezingcwelisile, kungananzwa ixuku labo. 12 Bonke abaLevi ababengabahlabeleli, u-Asafi, uHemani, uJeduthuni lamadodana abo lezihlobo zabo bamela ngempumalanga kwe-alithari, begqoke ilineni elihle njalo betshaya izigubhu, amachacho lemiqangala. Babephelekezelwa ngabaphristi abalikhulu lamatshumi amabili (120) bekhalisa amacilongo. 13 Abatshayi bamacilongo labahlabeleli bahlanganyela ndawonye, kungathi yilizwi linye, ukuba badumise njalo bebonga uThixo. Sekuhlangene amacilongo lezigubhu lokunye okukhaliswayo, baphakamisa amazwi abo bedumisa uThixo behlabela besithi:
“Ulungile;
uthando lwakhe lumi kuze kube nininini.”
Ithempeli likaThixo lagcwala iyezi, 14 ngakho abaphristi babengeke benze inkonzo yabo ngenxa yeyezi, ngoba inkazimulo kaThixo yagcwala ithempeli likaNkulunkulu.