I Kings 7:51-8:21.
This week's haftorah describes the dedication of Solomon's Temple, following the theme of this week's Torah reading: the dedication of the desert Tabernacle.
The construction of the Holy Temple was completed. King Solomon assembled the leaders and elders of the tribes to Jerusalem, and amidst great fanfare the Levites transported the Ark from its temporary location in the City of David and installed it in the Holy of Holies chamber in the Holy Temple. Immediately, G‑d's presence appeared in the Temple, in the form of a smoky cloud.
King Solomon then blessed G-d. He recalled the history of the sanctuary, how his father, King David, had wanted to build it--but was told by G‑d that it would be his son who would accomplish this feat. "And the L-rd has established His word that He spoke, and I have risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the L-rd spoke, and have built a house for the name of the L-rd, the G‑d of Israel. And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein (is) the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."
