BIBLICAL archaeologists have claimed to have narrowed down locations that may be the secret hiding place of the legendary lost Ark of the Covenant. The sacred relic — known as the throne of God — has been sought for centuries by archaeologists, a search made famous by the fictional 1981 Steven Spielberg film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Scholars of the Old Testament believe that the Ark was a wooden box about four feet long, two feet high and two feet wide. It was said to be covered inside out with gold and crowned with two winged angels.

When complete it contained two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments which Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. The Ark is also believed by some to contain other biblical items such as Aaron’s rod — thought by some to wield supernatural powers.

But two compelling theories are today being pursued in the bid to find the Bible’s most important relic.

Leading the BASE’s quest is Dr Bob Cornuke, an ex-crime scene investigator and member of an elite Swat team unit, who is now a real-life Indiana Jones hunting down relics of the Bible. He told Sun Online: “After 23 years of research and more than 20 trips to Ethiopia, as crazy as it may sound.

“I believe the Ark may very well be hidden away today in a church called Saint Mary of Zion in Axum, in the highlands of Ethiopia.”. Dr Cornuke continued: “A logical trail can be made that connects the Ark going missing from the Temple during the reign of a wicked King named Manasseh in Judah.

“From there it went to Egypt and about 400 years prior to the birth of Christ the Ark was brought to Ethiopia.

He added: “If you should happen to go to Ethiopia, be prepared to have your mind convinced and your heart changed forever.”. But one barrier stops anyone from viewing or opening the Ark.

A holy man, known as the Guardian of the Ark, is sworn to guard with his life.

Jews escaping persecution moved the Ark from King Solomon’s temple — located in today’s Temple Mount in Jerusalem — and moved it down the River Nile to a small colony on Elephantine Island. BASE claims they found evidence of a temple built to the dimensions of Solomon”s Temple that may have housed the Ark.

Along the way, the Ark was brought to the Tana Krikos island on Lake Tana, where there is evidence of Levitical style rituals. It then appears to have been taken to Axum in around 338AD as Christianity took over Ethiopia — where it is housed at St Mary’s of Zion Church in Axum.

The man claimed he was the only person who could look at the Ark because it was a holy object and he and the villagers would protect it with their lives, if necessary. When an investigator from the Smithsonian approached the guardian in 2007, he was told: “I’m the guardian of the Ark, I have no other name.”.

“What we have concluded is that St. Mary’s of Zion church in Axum, Ethiopia, is the resting place either of an incredible replica of the biblical Ark of the Covenant, or, of the actual Ark of the Covenant itself.”.

Its researchers think the Ark may have been hidden in a cave by the prophet Jeremiah, during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

“While we do not at all have a firm position on any one idea and are open to studying each, our favoured view is that the ark was hidden in a cave by the prophet Jeremiah during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Researchers have pointed to clues in the Old Testament suggesting three possible locations. In the verses in 2nd Maccabees Chapter 2, it states Jeremiah having received an oracle, ordered the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God — which was Mount Nebo.

Here he found a cave-dwelling and stored it there before sealing up the entrance.

Many Israeli Rabbis throughout history have believed this. But the third and final view of the Jeremiah camp is that the ark is not hidden directly beneath the Temple Mount.

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The story of the Ark is, at the very least, legendary in that it is integral to several of the Old Testament’s miraculous stories. It was carried during the Exodus out of Egypt and is said to have cleared impediments and poisonous animals from the path of the “chosen people” as they made their way through the harsh desert.

Later in history, when the Israelites besieged Jericho, they carried the Ark around the city for a week, blowing trumpets until, on the seventh day, the walls fell down, awarding them with their famed conquest. In 597 and 586 B.C.E., wrote Lovett and Hoffman, the Israelites were conquered by the Babylonians, and the Ark vanished from history.

On the same hilly desert terrain in Lod, where Israel’s first air force trained in 1948, the Philistines had once hitched two cows to a wooden cart to sluggishly carry the Ark of the Covenant back to its rightful heirs, the Israelites. Now researchers are reporting that Israeli archaeologists may have uncovered a link to the lost Ark that contained the original Ten Commandments that were bestowed upon Moses by the God of the ancient Hebrews.

The site of this structure is a half-hour Southeast of Lod and carries the potential to verify the authenticity of the Biblical story. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that archaeologists excavating a 3,100-year-old temple in the ancient settlement of Beth Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, have uncovered an unusual stone table that seems to match that which was described in the Bible as playing a role in the story of the Ark of the Covenant.

Tel Aviv University archaeologist Zvi Lederman announced to the media, “This would be a rare case in which we can merge the Biblical narrative with an archaeological find.” Lederman is leading the Beth Shemesh to dig along with his colleague Dr. Shlomo Bunimovitz.

When one faces the East with the rising of the sun, the structure opens onto a platform commonly used for religious ceremonies. Inside what archaeologists are calling the temple, there are two large round concave stones into which gutters had been carved.

In the immediate area, there is also a treasure trove of decorated artifacts — jugs, cups, and a pile of animal bones, which are all hints that rituals took place at the site. At some point in the mid-12th century B.C.E., the structure was purposefully destroyed, and the pottery vessels had been smashed to pieces.

He said, “To me this is an act of hostility, an intentional desecration of a holy place.” It is suspected that the Philistines may have been responsible for the sacrilege.

According to Hancock and many Christian Ethiopians, the Ark of the Covenant had made its way to Ethiopia. In 2007, Smithsonian Magazine reported that, according to the Bible’s First Book of Kings, King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem to house the Ark.

970-930 B.C.E.) and beyond. From here, the story reads more like a script from a Steven Spielberg movie, because the Ark is said to have made its way to a chapel in the small town of Aksum, in Ethiopia’s Northern highlands, where it still rests.

Smithsonian Magazine reported that the story of the Ark’s appearance in Ethiopia is told in the Kebra Negast (Glory of the Kings), Ethiopia’s chronicle of its royal line. Accordingly, the Queen of Sheba, one of Ethiopia’s first rulers, traveled to Jerusalem to confer with King Solomon’s wisdom.

On her return trip, Sheba gave birth to Solomon’s son, Menelik, who later went to visit his father. He was accompanied home by the sons of some Israelite nobles who had made off with the Ark (unbeknownst to Menelik).

When Menelik eventually learned of the theft, he reasoned that since the ark hadn’t destroyed him or the thieves, it must have been God’s will that it remain with him.

The truth may be out there, but where is the “there”.

Ancient Origins reports that the recent findings of the temple at Beth Shemesh could be remarkable if proven correct because people have been searching for the Ark for centuries. The Ark was and still is, believed to house the original Ten Commandments, broken by the hands of Moses descending from Mount Sinai, angry at the repugnant sight of his tribesmen engaging in all sorts of debauchery in the foothills.

National Geographic Society fellow and archaeologist Fred Hiebert once said that searches for biblical relics are compelling, but ultimately doomed to failure. Even if there is an ancient, Ark-like object in Ethiopia, it’s still impossible to determine if it is one of the Biblical legends: “We are talking about things [at] the crossroads between myth and reality,” he said.

But I do not believe, as a field archaeologist, that we can use the scientific method to prove or disprove [them].”. Could Hiebert be proven wrong or is this yet another one of those cases.

Dear dr Falk, I’m sorry but your reconstruction is highly erroneous. The cherubim are actually sphinxes with their necks turned at an approx 180 angle.

I confirmed this info myself during my visit in ethiopia. Even if the ark could levitate, you can’t ask it to walk.

Many churches in Ethiopia claim to house the ark. Which did you visit.

Also, how can you say the cherubim on the mercy seat are sphinxes when the only written description calls them cherubim.

That means we must read the OT in it’s context…an ancient document. However, God commanded the Ark of the Covenant be built in a communication with people familiar with Egyptian mythology….so, untrue that “Moses introduced the ark…” since hewas plased in an Ark of sorts for Pharoah’s daughter to find, and was himself God’s instrument…and not a child of Amun Ra.

Today, in this context, the application of mythology is mis-directed when applied to God’s Word without proper emphasis. The science of of Egyptology never trumps God’s Word for man.

Therefore the emphasis should be upon God to man and not the obverse. I agree with EG Gordon on the instability of the digitized ark.

Moses was raised as an Egyptian prince in the knowledge of ancient Egypt. As such, he would and did use Egyptian influences an the ark and the Tabernacle.

Sometimes, Egyptian sphinxes were used to ward off evil. In fact, in the Discovery TV presentation of King Tut Wrapped, when Tut performed a funeral service for one of his fetuses, an white (alabaster.

Two large cherubs were used in the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple to protect the Ark. The Tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s Temple both employed the east to west direction of orientation — the same direction as most of the mortuary temples of ancient Egypt and also their mortuary temples of the west bank near Thebes (localized east to east direction).

they would face each other with their faces toward the mercy seat, contrary to your “digital reconstruction.” Additionally, the wings of the cherubim were not extensions of the arms but separate from the arms. The cherubim in the reconstruction ARE facing inward.

It’s true later Biblical passages describe cherubim in greater detail, but those descriptions are from the iron age, not the late bronze age. Your “digital reconstruction” of what the ark looked like, based on the biblical description and types of arks used in ancient Egypt are flawed.

As stated, this idea comes mostly from “furniture” that was carried in ancient Egypt, and and your pictures and drawings. Unforunately there are translations of the biblical text based on these Egyptian artifacts as well.

Exodus 25.10 gives us the subject (the ark, and the making thereof) of the subsquent text. much of the time in Hebrew, this identification of the subject (the ark) is carried through subsequent verses.

and then you will cast/for it/four rings of/gold,. the “it” being the ark.

and then you will set (it)/upon four/feet of it.

The “it” is implied by the subject and proved by the use of “natatah” which is a singular verb (qal perf 2 masc sing consec: to give, put, set), so that it does not refer to rings (which would require a plural verb with a plural pronominal suffix), but directly to the ark itself.

The subsequent verses speaking of putting the rings on the sides of the ark. This would be entirely necessary due to the weight of Mercy Seat.

This would mean that the top alone would weigh somewhere between 300 to 400 lbs (136-180 kg). another reason why the rings could not have been near the feet or even mounted underside the ark.

This also makes the idea that the ark was carried by only four men a bit difficult over any distance in sand or rocky ground. Actually there is no number specified in the text.

For Israel to transport their King and God, 12 men repesenting the twelve tribes makes some sense. Additionally, the length needed to employ six men for each pole, would allow for the ark, while sitting in the middle of the Holy of Holies, would have it’s poles touching the dividing curtain, or at the least would be long enough were they could be moved in the rings to a position of touching the dividing curtain.

When you come at things from a purely archaeological standpoint and not a Biblical standpoint, you miss so much. I could not disagree with this article more.

The fact that Lucifer & his fallen angels would have known about this furniture and perhaps could have given the idea to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians is lost here. What might be easily missed is that originality isn’t the point, that’s why there’s nothing harmful or unbiblical about admitting that the Egyptians made ritual furniture first.

For example, Proverbs 23:16 uses a Semitic figure of speech to say “my kidneys will rejoice”, but the message isn’t to say the surrounding pagans were right about emotions being felt in the kidneys, it is simply to praise the Most High. The digital reconstruction of the Ark of the Covenant as depicted in the article and credited to David A.

In the photo, the position of the carrying rods is underneath the center of gravity, and thus, too unwieldy for two or even ten people to carry. Your view of the digitized ark is correct in that the poles should have been placed higher up.

Also, I believe that the cherubs may have had an Egyptian sphinx image as well. Egyptian sphinxes sometimes were to ward off evil.

His Tabernacle (as well as Solomon’s Temple) faced from east to west — the same direction as most of the pyramid mortuary temples and of the mortuary temples of the west bank across from Thebes. Eerily, in the Discovery Channel version of King Tut unwrapped, a white alabaster ark like box with “sphinxes” was briefly shown when Tutankhamen was burying one of the fetuses.

Was it too unwieldy to carry.

Do you have any work to suggest if still exists, but we don’t know where it is.

I have wondered if the cherubim and wings were bas- reliefs instead of the statutes usually portrayed.

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The Ark of the Covenant,[a] also known as the Ark of the Testimony[b] or the Ark of God,[c] is an artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an elaborately designed lid called the mercy seat. According to the Book of Exodus, the Ark contained the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.

The biblical account relates that approximately one year after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, the Ark was created according to the pattern given to Moses by God when the Israelites were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thereafter, the gold-plated acacia chest was carried by its staves by the Levites approximately 2,000 cubits (approximately 800 meters or 2,600 feet) in advance of the people when on the march.

According to the Book of Exodus, God instructed Moses to build the Ark during his 40-day stay upon Mount Sinai. He was shown the pattern for the tabernacle and furnishings of the Ark, and told that it would be made of shittim wood (also known as acacia wood) to house the Tablets of Stone.

The Book of Exodus gives detailed instructions on how the Ark is to be constructed. It is to be 2+1⁄2 cubits in length, 1+1⁄2 cubits breadth, and 1+1⁄2 cubits height (approximately 131×79×79 cm or 52×31×31 in) of acacia wood.

Four rings of gold are to be attached to its four corners, two on each side—and through these rings staves of shittim wood overlaid with gold for carrying the Ark are to be inserted. and these are not to be removed.

The biblical account continues that, after its creation by Moses, the Ark was carried by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Whenever the Israelites camped, the Ark was placed in a separate room in a sacred tent, called the Tabernacle.

When the Israelites, led by Joshua toward the Promised Land, arrived at the banks of the River Jordan, the Ark was carried in the lead, preceding the people, and was the signal for their advance. During the crossing, the river grew dry as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the Ark touched its waters, and remained so until the priests—with the Ark—left the river after the people had passed over.

During the Battle of Jericho, the Ark was carried around the city once a day for six days, preceded by the armed men and seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams’ horns. On the seventh day, the seven priests sounding the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Ark, compassed the city seven times and, with a great shout, Jericho’s wall fell down flat and the people took the city.

After the defeat at Ai, Joshua lamented before the Ark. When Joshua read the Law to the people between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, they stood on each side of the Ark.

We next hear of the Ark in Bethel,[d] where it was being cared for by the priest Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. According to this verse, it was consulted by the people of Israel when they were planning to attack the Benjaminites at the Battle of Gibeah.

According to the biblical narrative, a few years later the elders of Israel decided to take the Ark onto the battlefield to assist them against the Philistines, having recently been defeated at the battle of Eben-Ezer. They were again heavily defeated, with the loss of 30,000 men.

The news of its capture was at once taken to Shiloh by a messenger “with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head”. The old priest, Eli, fell dead when he heard it.

Ichabod’s mother died at his birth.

At Ashdod it was placed in the temple of Dagon. The next morning Dagon was found prostrate, bowed down, before it.

The people of Ashdod were smitten with tumors. a plague of rodents was sent over the land.

The affliction of tumours was also visited upon the people of Gath and of Ekron, whither the Ark was successively removed.

The Ark was set up in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and the Beth-shemites offered sacrifices and burnt offerings. Out of curiosity the men of Beth-shemesh gazed at the Ark.

The Bethshemites sent to Kirjath-jearim, or Baal-Judah, to have the Ark removed. and it was taken to the house of Abinadab, whose son Eleazar was sanctified to keep it.

Under Saul, the Ark was with the army before he first met the Philistines, but the king was too impatient to consult it before engaging in battle. In 1 Chronicles 13:3 it is stated that the people were not accustomed to consulting the Ark in the days of Saul.

In the biblical narrative, at the beginning of his reign over the United Monarchy, King David removed the Ark from Kirjath-jearim amid great rejoicing. On the way to Zion, Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart that carried the Ark, put out his hand to steady the Ark, and was struck dead by God for touching it.

David, in fear, carried the Ark aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, instead of carrying it on to Zion, and it stayed there for three months.

In Zion, David put the Ark in the tent he had prepared for it, offered sacrifices, distributed food, and blessed the people and his own household. David used the tent as a personal place of prayer.

The Levites were appointed to minister before the Ark. David’s plan of building a temple for the Ark was stopped on the advice of the prophet Nathan.

and when David fled from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom’s conspiracy, the Ark was carried along with him until he ordered Zadok the priest to return it to Jerusalem.

Solomon worshipped before the Ark after his dream in which God promised him wisdom.

and when the Temple was dedicated, the Ark—containing the original tablets of the Ten Commandments—was placed therein. When the priests emerged from the holy place after placing the Ark there, the Temple was filled with a cloud, “for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord”.

When Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter, he caused her to dwell in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because it contained the Ark. King Josiah also had the Ark returned to the Temple, from which it appears to have been removed by one of his predecessors (cf.

King Hezekiah is the last biblical figure mentioned as having seen the Ark. Hezekiah is also known for protecting Jerusalem against the Assyrian Empire by improving the city walls and diverting the waters of the Gihon Spring through a tunnel known today as Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which channeled the water inside the city walls to the Pool of Siloam.

In a noncanonical text known as the Treatise of the Vessels, Hezekiah is identified as one of the kings who had the Ark and the other treasures of Solomon’s Temple hidden during a time of crisis. This text lists the following hiding places, which it says were recorded on a bronze tablet: (1) a spring named Kohel or Kahal with pure water in a valley with a stopped-up gate.

(3) a spring named Zedekiah. (4) an unidentified cistern.

and (6) locations in Babylon.

The Ark of the Covenant. A gold-plated chest known for being the abode of the Ten Commandments: two stone tablets stating the ten most fundamental principles of Jewish and Christian life, and the basis of most, if not all, judicial laws of the modern world.

But some would beg to differ, even going so far as to say they’re in possession of it. So I bring to you 10 locations where the Ark apparently can be found.

Hey, I know that place. Well you’re not wrong at all.

But the Chapel and Jerusalem are 5510km apart (via the A3 motorway of course) so where’s the link.

Could this small, innocent place of worship just be a reminder of Israel’s past, or is there a deeper, hidden connection.

Located on the Japanese island of Shikoku, this mountain is the second highest in western Japan and is a spiritual centre of Shugendo, an ancient ascetic religion. Still don’t get it, do you.

Masanori Takane, thought of as a Japanese Indiana Jones (badass) , found striking similarities between the Bible and Japanese chronicles of myths and legends, and after extensive research concluded that the Ark was on Mt. Tsurugi.

What’s interesting though is the Tsurugisan Hozoseki Shrine Ceremony, a ritual that occurs here where a large golden shrine is carried by poles by men dressed in white robes, oddly similar to the Jewish rituals of the Ark in Solomon’s age. I wouldn’t touch that shrine if I were you….

Deep in southern Egypt in the city of Edfu lies an ancient Egyptian temple, built by the Ptolemaic kings to appease Horus, the god of the sky and the protector of the Pharaoh. This is the Temple of Edfu.

However, an interesting antique found here is the Ark of Horus. A small statue of Horus was placed in the temple’s Holy of Holies (yes, exactly like Solomon’s) and was accessible only by the Pharaoh and the high priest.

A wall carving of the Ark of Horus in the temple showed that two bird-like creatures were sat above the boat facing each other. This ark is still available there to see.

Think about that…. Some of the keen-eyed of you might have already noticed something about the name of this place.

But what’s the relation between the Ark and what looks like your everyday ordinary city.

This was an ancient Greek city, one of the wealthiest capitals of the ancient Middle East, and its ruins lie in, yes you guessed it, modern-day Antakya. The Mahdi will then unveil it to the world as a sign of his dominion and power.

Absolute scenes.

In 1947, Bedouin shepherds stumbled across a discovery in the West Bank of Jordan that shook the archaeological world to its core. Over 900 scrolls, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, contained some of the earliest copies of Jewish teachings, prayers and customs.

Well you are right. A specific scroll out of the 900 called the Copper Scroll is a bit different to the others: instead of being religiously centered, it was mainly focused on the locations of gold, silver and other treasures worth around $2 BILLION.

But get a checklist and shovel ready because the scroll gives a whopping 64 possible locations of these treasures. What better time than now.

Top 10 Truly Horrifying Biblical Entities. Shifting the location back to Europe now.

Rich in sculptures and its well-crafted stained glass would cause any tourist to stop and stare. Alright enough with the boring talk.

I wonder what it could be. In 1118, the Templar’s soldiers allegedly made a mind-blowing discovery when, while digging under the Temple of Jerusalem, came across the Ark itself.

Ever since, it’s been supposedly kept in the Cathedral’s crypt without disturbance. Some things truly do love silence….

In Zimbabwe and northern Africa lies an old, time-worn tribe of 70-80,000 members whose culture differs greatly from its African neighbours, refraining from pork, wearing skull caps and even having the Star of David on their gravestones. This is the Lemba people.

A famous religious artefact was in their possession, called the ‘ngoma lungundu’ which translates into ‘the drum that thunders’. Their belief states that this is a replica made from the one and only Ark of the Covenant 700 years back.

In fact, this “Ark” can be viewed for display. Personally, the ‘drum that thunders’ sounds more badass.

Now this is one of the strongest candidates on the list. This mountain has a significant role in Judaism and Christianity as the place from where Moses saw the Promised Land and where he died, although his exact burial site is unknown.

According to the Book of Maccabees in the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah acted on instruction from God and hid the Ark in the mountain from where Moses saw the Promised Land. He found a cave, hid it in there and sealed the entrance.

A church situated in Aksum, Ethiopia and affiliated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, this suggestion is also mind-blowing because, similar to the Lemba people, the people of the church are openly stating they have the Ark. But one condition: you can’t see it.

According to the Kebra Negast, Ethiopia’s chronicle of its monarchy, Menelik, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, visited his father in Jerusalem and on his way back home, it was revealed that the firstborn sons of some Israelite nobles, who had come with him, had actually stole the Ark. However, after realizing that the Ark’s powers didn’t destroy his escort, he concluded that it must be God’s will that it remains with him in Ethiopia.

I wonder if they get cleaners in there…. This is an area in the Old City of Jerusalem and what’s believed to be standing above Solomon’s Temple, now revered by both Jews and Muslims and dominated by Islamic mosques and structures.

We went around the entire world just to come back,” I hear you say. But hear me out.

However, some scholars believe that many ancient Middle Eastern temples had a specified rooms in their buildings where high-standing and important relics were stored and hidden from the public, and Solomon’s Temple was no different.

Have I missed any out. Leave some of your suggestions in the comments.

Top 10 Things Possibly Hidden In The Vatican Secret Archives. About The Author: Just someone trying to bring interesting facts to the people.

In 1909, British aristocrat Captain Montagu Brownlow Parker embarked on what would become the biggest and most bizarre archeological search for the Ark of the Covenant ever attempted. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Parker’s team consisted of a psychic, a poet, a cricket player, and a somewhat experienced steamboat pilot.

Parker arrived in Jerusalem (which was at the time under the rule of the Ottoman Empire) hoping to find the Ark as well as a number of other objects from the time of King Solomon. After securing an excavation permit, Parker intended to dig on a nearby hill to find a secret tunnel that he’d been told ran under the Dome of the Rock and would lead him to the Ark.

In a last desperate attempt, Parker illegally entered the cave right under the holy shrine and started to dig. He was caught by locals and had to flee the country, but not before he almost caused a holy war.

After all, “Even if there is an ancient, Ark-like object in Ethiopia, he asks, how do you determine it’s the one from the Bible. ” archaeologist Fred Hiebert asked National Geographic.

Quite possibly the best explanation of Mary and her connection to the Old Testament that I have read yet. I’m always looking for better ways to understand this and to explain to others, and this is another great perspective.

Have you delved into the idea of Mary as the continuation of the idea/tradition of the queen mother from the Davidic Kingdoms. I think Hahn also speaks of this.

I’m so happy to learn about more OT connections. Thank you.

Thanks so much. I love the Queen Mother stuff, too–it’s all over the Old Testament.

I was planning to talk about it for the queenship of Mary, but maybe I’ll do it sooner…. Thank you so much for this walk through Holy Scriptures and pointing out references to Our Lady from the Old Testament forward.

Your style is really powerful. Light, funny, on fire for the Lord, colloquial and filled with a deep understanding of scripture and love for the Church and its saints.

Your blog is a great grace to me. God bless you.

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The ark of the covenant is more than Biblical history. it is mythical.

Hollywood even elevated it to superstardom by making it the primary focus of the Stephen Spielberg blockbuster “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.” While a fun time, the film fails to capture the spiritual significance of the golden chest. Because it disappeared, many misconceptions about God’s ark arose.

Before we dive into some facts you may not know about the Ark of the Covenant, we first have to establish what it is. The Ark of the Covenant was a housing vessel for the Lord.

The top of the Ark was known as the Mercy Seat. Priests would often have to carry the Ark with long poles.

The reason for this is because God’s glory and presence cannot be touched by man. Our sinful natures cause us to keel over if we come into the presence of the Lord, without the Holy Spirit residing within us.

Each of these represented something important (the law, the priesthood, and God’s provision, conjectured by theologians). Most of the time, since its creation, the Ark of the Covenant stays within the Tabernacle (a moving temple) and later the temple.

For instance, the Philistines manage to capture the Ark during Samuel’s childhood and take it to their god Dagon, until the Ark causes a plague in their land and breaks their idol statue. During another instance in David’s reign, the Israelites attempt to return the Ark, but because a man tries to stop the Ark from falling with his bare hands, he dies.

The Ark goes missing from the narrative then. Now that we’ve established the identity and historical context of the Ark, are six facts about the Ark of the Covenant:

The chapter begins, “The Lord said to Moses”, and begins to outline God’s specifications for the creation of objects to be used in worship. The ark is the first one described.

The poles used to carry the ark were of the same material. On top of the ark, was the mercy seat, or kapporeth in Hebrew.

God’s presence settled on the mercy seat when it came into the tabernacle to be with the nation of Israel.

As a container vessel, the ark carried artifacts that spoke to key moments during Israel’s time in the wilderness. The second set of stone tablets represented the law – the Old Testament standard of righteousness.

The rod of Aaron was the same rod which God turned into a serpent before Pharaoh. However, the moment noted more significant by the writer of Hebrews, was the budding and flowering of the rod.

To prove the chosen priesthood of Aaron and his line, the Lord commanded the tribes of Israel to set out twelve staffs, with Aaron’s representing the tribe of Levi, the tribe God appointed to the priesthood. They left them out overnight, “and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds” (Numbers 17:8).

Finally, the cup of manna was clear evidence of God’s provision for His people. Manna sustained the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness after they fled Egypt.

” Every morning for forty years, the sweet, flaky, white substance that was similar to coriander kept the Israelites fed, combined with quail in the evening. The Israelites honored God for His kept promises and miraculous provision by keeping a sample of manna in the ark.

However, what truly made it special – what made it important – was the actual manifestation of God’s presence. The mercy seat served as an actual seat for the Lord in the Tabernacle, and eventually in Solomon’s temple.

The true power of God rested upon the Ark. Because the Lord’s Spirit came in all His glory, few could come into its direct presence.

This action atoned for the sins of the whole nation. The priest who went into the temple during the time of Yom Kippur had to be fully right with God, lest he be struck dead.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

It did not stay in any one place for very long, as disaster seemed to strike the Philistines whenever they moved what they believed to be a war prize. From hemorrhoids, to mice, no matter where the Philistines moved the Ark, trouble followed.

1 Samuel 5:4 says, “..and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold.” The Philistines only kept it seven months according to 1 Samuel 6:1, because of all the troubles that befell the cities that held the Lord’s ark. The last years of King Saul’s reign were tumultuous and bloody.

After these victories, David felt led to bring the ark of the covenant to the capital city. Though it had a brief three-month stay in the house of a man named Obed-edom, it was finally ushered to David’s city.

The Lord’s presence should still inspire us to rejoice like David today, for today we do not need the ark to experience it. He lives within us.

So where does the ark of the covenant get its fearsome reputation that lead to its portrayal as a weapon in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. There are two incidents in its history that most likely informed this portrayal where the Lord struck down people who did not treat the ark with appropriate reverence.

In the book of Numbers, the Lord gives an explicit command that only Levites may handle the ark, and that, “..if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death” (Numbers 1:51). In both instances, Israelites who knew the law chose to disobey, and interacted with the ark of the covenant contrary to God’s word.

The ark of the covenant acted as the symbol of God’s holiness, and not abiding by the rules set forth brought about His wrath. The power of the ark was not in the thing itself, but in the wonder and majesty of Jehovah, whose presence once rested there, but now indwells within each believer.

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A gold-plated box guarded by a pair of cherubim, the Ark of the Covenant is as mysterious as it is famous. Steven Spielberg popularized the search for the Ark in his 1981 movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which played on a centuries-old fascination with this holy relic.

Did the Ark possess some kind of mystical powers. Where was the Ark, and where is it now.

The views expressed reflect those of the author, and not necessarily those of New Creation. The original purpose of the Ark of the Covenant was to hold the tablets of the law that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai (Deut 10:1–5).

Long poles, also gold plated, were affixed to the Ark by rings so that the priests could move it without touching it. The Mercy Seat, flanked by golden cherubim, rested on top of the Ark.

The Ark, together with the Mercy Seat, came to represent the presence of God.

Only the High priest was allowed to come into the presence of the Ark, and that was only once a year (Leviticus 16). Only the Levites were allowed to transport the Ark, and they were to carry it by its poles (Exodus 25:14).

The opening of the Ark of the Covenant was a memorable scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. As the Nazi officers opened the golden chest, it released some kind of mystical or angelic power that killed everyone who looked at it.

This fictional scene likely finds its basis in the biblical event recorded in 1 Samuel 6:19. In this passage, God slaughtered many people at Beth Shemesh when they looked into the Ark.

In 2 Samuel 6:6, Uzzah, who was transporting the Ark to Jerusalem at King David’s request, touched the Ark to stabilize it when the oxen, who were pulling the cart, stumbled. God immediately struck Uzzah dead.

Their idols fell and broke in the presence of the Ark, tumors infected the people, and many died (1 Samuel 5). In each of these instances, however, it is clear that God was taking action against those who broke the rules.

The Ark originated at Mount Sinai, where Bezalel, a skilled craftsman, made it according to the specifications that God had provided (Exodus 37:1). From there, it traveled with the Israelites throughout their 40 years of wilderness wanderings.

After the initial conquest, the Israelites made Shiloh their new headquarters, pitching the Tabernacle there (Joshua 18:1). During a battle with the Philistines, the Israelites took the Ark from Shiloh into the battle (1 Samuel 4:4).

The Philistines returned the Ark to the Israelites at Beth Shemesh, but they were afraid to keep it, so they sent it to Kirjath Jearim (1 Samuel 6:21).

There, it presumably resided for the rest of its known history, although apparently, it did not remain completely sedentary. 2 Chronicles 35:3, which contains the last historical reference to the Ark, records King Josiah returning the Ark to the temple as part of his religious reforms.

The location of the Ark became lost over time, and multiple stories emerged regarding its whereabouts. Archaeologist Gary Byers compiled a list of 21 hypotheses about the fate of the Ark.

One popular theory is that the Ark was taken to Ethiopia by the son of a union between Solomon and the queen of Sheba. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims to keep the Ark in a secure location.2 But, since no researcher has been allowed to see the artifact kept there, it is impossible to prove that it is or isn’t the biblical Ark.

This theory suggests that Jeremiah hid the Ark, along with the Tabernacle tent and the altar of incense, in a cave on Mount Nebo, where Moses died. The location of this cave was to remain unknown until the Lord revealed it.

Other theories place the Ark in a cave near Qumran, a cave under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, or a cave beneath Golgotha. However, archaeologists have now explored most of the caves near Qumran, and the Ark has not come to light there.

The cave beneath “Gordon’s Calvary,” a stony outcropping north of the Old City of Jerusalem, has an interesting story. Here, explorer Ron Wyatt claims to have found the Ark of the Covenant during his excavations in the 1980s, although he did not substantiate his claims with evidence.

When excavations at the site resumed in 2005, the Ark was not present in the cave.3 If it ever was there, it is no longer there.

Some theories suggest that it was taken as plunder to Babylon after the first destruction of the Temple, or to Rome after the second destruction of the Temple. Finally, a theory based on Revelation 11:19 suggests that God took the Ark to Heaven.

The Ark of the Covenant has fascinated researchers and explorers for centuries. As a gold-plated historic artifact of great religious significance, it would be a matchless find for a treasure hunter.

Archaeologically speaking, finding the Ark of the Covenant could go a long way toward demonstrating the historic reliability of the early books of the Bible, especially if scientific testing proved it to date to the biblical period of the Exodus. The original religious significance of the Ark was to hold the tablets of the law and to support the Mercy Seat, where God met with His people.

However, the Ark itself was not as important as its function as a bridge between God and man. The New Testament teaches that the Spirit of God dwells in every believer (1 Corinthians 6:19.

Because of that, we have direct access to God, and there is no need for the Ark.

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

We read today how the sons of Eli carried the Ark into battle where it was captured by Israel’s enemies. GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel. Samuel.

The first verse of our reading is a sad commentary on the spiritual life of Israel. “Rare” and “no widespread revelation” says it all.

God is a communicating God, but are we listening. It’s hard to hear that “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life.

God cut Eli’s family off from His blessing because, as our reading informs us, Eli did not restrain his sons from their vile behaviour. This resulted in the tragic capture of the Ark by the enemies of Israel, the death of Eli’s sons, and Eli himself.

In our churches, let us reverse the decline and bring God’s glory in Jesus Christ into sharp focus. John said of Jesus, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14b).

In the quietness of this moment, I wait on You. I meditate on the revelation of Your glory.

Grant that I may help to make that revelation widespread throughout the whole world. Please keep me from being so selfish as to keep that revelation to myself.

Eli was the ripe old age of 98 when he died. I was thinking of Eli’s passing this past week.

Whatever time I may have left, I want to serve God faithfully. I want to serve you, dear blog readers.

I’m absolutely sure that God did not allow me to live this long in order that I may sit around and twiddle my thumbs. At my age Winston Churchill was serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Yours for the glory of God, even in humour,. David.

I’m thankful that, unlike Eli’s sons, my sons are serving God well. The eldest, David Reynold, is a missionary in Africa, and along with his wife, Kathy, leads a ministry called “World Embrace.” He is our blog photographer.

Ron and Ann work with me daily on this blog.

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The Ark of the Covenant is perhaps history’s most famous archeological relic. I have been fascinated with it ever since watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, the movie that kick-started so many archaeological careers.

Finding it could mean confirming the origins stories of Israel described in the Old Testament, and also the existence of Moses. It could also mean unleashing a new calamity upon the world, for the Ark has always been associated with God’s terrifying destructive powers, as we all remember from Raiders.

The original Ark of the Covenant prop from the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, on display in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Author provided).

The first mention of the famous golden chest appears early in the Old Testament, in a vast vision of gold and grandeur from God to Moses:.

11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it … 17 “Make an atonement cover of pure gold … And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover … 20 the cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.

22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the Ark of the Covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” (Exodus 25: 10-22). When not leading the Israelites as the symbolic presence of Yahweh, it was kept in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of Moses.

Centuries later it was caught up in the mayhem and destruction of the Babylonian Invasion between 597 and 586 BC, and it was at this point during which the Ark slipped right through the cracks of history. It has been lost ever since, sparking mystery, wonder, and fascination.

Finding the ark would be one of the greatest discoveries in archaeology, but first we need to properly understand it. Why was it made of wood overlaid with solid gold.

Why was it carried on two poles. We know Moses saw it first in a holy vision from God, but who was Moses.

A museum-quality replica of the Anubis shrine from Tutankhamun’s tomb. (Michail / CC BY-SA 3.0).

Noegel points to ancient Egypt of the Late Bronze Age (~1550 – 1200 BC) as the source of inspiration for the lost Ark of the Covenant, specifically the sacred barque. For example, from the tomb of Tutankhamun comes a similar ark, made of wood and covered completely in hammered gold foil.

The physical dimensions are also very similar between the two chests.

In mythology, Ra sailed through the sky on his solar barque, and through the underworld on his boat of millions of years. During festivals, statues of various gods were placed on thrones inside golden shrines behind veils and paraded above the crowds on two poles by pure-washed priests.

Great examples of the sacred barque are the throne of Amun as inscribed on Seti I’s mortuary temple in Luxor, as well as the barque of Horus in the Edfu Temple. There is also abundant evidence from Luxor and Karnak of these processions of the high god Amun-Ra, whose golden statue was carried in a divine golden litter via two poles very similar to the Ark.

In 1 Samuel 4:4, the ark is likened to the throne of God in a very royal sense: “…and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.” This was indeed common of the Bronze and early Iron Ages not only in Egypt but across the Near East – thrones of cherubim were always seats of gods and kings.

Winged sphinxes have been found all through this time period, including beautiful ivory sculptures from Megiddo and Samaria, and they generally appear to derive from older Egyptian prototypes. Another function of sacred barques was to be the repository of covenant agreements, as in the case of Ramses II: “The writing of the covenant that I made to the Great King, and which the King of Hattu has made with me, lies beneath the feet of the god Ra.

We can much better understand Moses placing his new Yahweh-Israel covenant inside the Ark if we imagine it as the sacred barque of Yahweh at whose “feet” Moses laid the “writing of the law of the covenant.”.

Pharaoh walks beside them. (I, Rémih / CC BY-SA 3.0).

He installed a new monotheistic deity called the Aten, who was depicted as a sun disc with rays ending in life-bearing hands, and shockingly not as a human or animal, as were all the other Egyptian deities. The king ultimately forbade and persecuted nearly all of the traditional gods, and after his death, most of his city and temples were purposefully and hatefully destroyed.

Amarna guru Barry Kemp notes that Egyptian temples during Akhenaten’s time had many cultic objects, the most important of which were either made of solid metal (gold, silver, or bronze) or wood overlain with gold leaf. This is identical to the Tabernacle of Moses, which contained both metallic objects and wooden ones overlain with gold leaf, such as the lost Ark of the Covenant.

When the Tabernacle of Moses and its equipment are compared to Tutankhamun’s treasures and Akhenaten’s Great Aten Temple, we find abundant similarities.

(Wellcome Library / CC BY 4.0). They are both elongated structures with three areas of increasing holiness.

Both also have relatively small sanctuaries at the heart of their respective structures. Interestingly, while we see analogues between these buildings in nearly all facets, the one object curiously without a parallel remains the Ark itself, the holiest of all objects.

I believe the answer lies in the Royal Litter of Akhenaten. This glittering golden vehicle is depicted in reconstructed scenes from Karnak, as well as from Amarna.

We have abundant evidence of his family’s love of sphinx imagery. It was his grandfather, Thutmose IV, who restored the Great Sphinx of Giza after dreaming of the giant statue, and he and his son, Amenhotep III, were depicted as winged sphinxes on thrones.

Could these winged sphinxes have been so important to Akhenaten to have served as the model of the cherubim.

A scene from the Stela of the High Priest of Ptah, Shedsunefertem, showing the two winged figures of Ma’at, goddess of truth, protecting Ra, in the form of a child. This is very similar to how the Ark is described.

HUNTERS of the lost Ark of the Covenant claim the holy relic is being secretly guarded by a holy man In Africa after it was smuggled out of Israel. The hunt for the fabled artefact has gone on for centuries and even featured in the fictional 1981 Steven Spielberg film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It is crowned with two winged angels.

For this reason, treasure hunters and archaeologists have long been fascinated with finding the Lost Ark, which is believed to have vanished around 687 BC when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. Researchers at the Bible Archaeology, Search & Exploration (BASE) Institute, founded by NASA moonwalking astronaut James Irwin, have pieced together evidence from the Old Testament they say reveal the Ark was secretly smuggled out of ancient Israel.

Dr Cornuke explained how the discovery came after 23 years of research which have involved studying extracts of the Bible and more than 20 trips to Ethiopia where it is believed to have been moved by fleeing Jews. He said: “As crazy as it may sound, I believe the Ark may very well be hidden away today in a church called Saint Mary of Zion in Axum, in the highlands of Ethiopia.

“From there it went to Egypt and about 400 years prior to the birth of Christ the Ark was brought to Ethiopia.”. Today he said it is worshiped by an Ethiopian sect and protected by a Guardian who is a monk who has sworn to protect it with his life.

“I believe the Ark may very well be hidden away today in a church called Saint Mary of Zion in Axum, in the highlands of Ethiopia.”. Monks even believe the Ark protected the country in 1935, when it was the Kingdom of Abyssinia, against Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s invading army.

Dr Cornuke said: “The Ark is believed by them to have massive powers that can even turn the tide of war which they have used during their battle with the Italians under Mussolini.”. “The Guardian will never leave the small fenced in complex for the rest of his life, he talks to no one except on very special occurrences.”.

He drove a sect of Jews out of Israel and they took the Ark of the Covenant with them from its original resting place beneath the Temple Mount. In Chronicles 35:3 it is said after his rule, the Ark was no longer in the temple.

Jews escaping persecution moved the Ark from King Solomon’s temple — located in today’s Temple Mount in Jerusalem — and moved it down the River Nile to a small colony on Elephantine Island. BASE claims they found evidence of a temple built to the dimensions of Solomon’s Temple that may have housed the Ark.

It appears the temple was destroyed in 410BC and the holy chest was then shipped down the Nile as it travelled to Ethiopia. Along the way, the Ark was brought to the Tana Krikos island on Lake Tana, where there is evidence of Levitical style rituals.

They said had previously been used in sacrificial ceremonies when the Ark was on the island.

It then appears to have been taken to Axum in around 338AD as Christianity took over Ethiopia — where it is housed at St Mary’s of Zion Church in Axum. Dr Cornuke and the BASE institute team claims to have spoken to a holyman at the church who was the Guardian and who spent his life inside a fenced-off area surrounding the church and claimed he would not leave the compound until he died.

“I am blessed to be afforded favour by the Guardian and speak to him when I go to the church. “He will not give out much information about the ark as he is very shy or should I say super cautious of foreigners.

“When he dies the new guardian will be selected from one of his boy assistants that have by then matured to an older age.”. In February hundreds of people in Ethiopia died trying to defend the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ from looters after brutal fights erupted.

Worshippers rushed to protect the church where the Ark is said to be secured after clashes between soldiers and rebel militia near the site. Dr Cornuke said: “Recently it was reported 800 people, many of which were my friends, were gunned down in the streets protecting the ark.

“The military forces did not get the ark. I plan on returning to Ethiopia soon to help the people in any way I can.”.

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At last there is a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant — no longer wandering like the Hebrews did for 40 years. The temple is finished and everything from the tabernacle, including the Ark, is moved into the new building by the Levites — the priests.

It’s the last of the Jewish festivals. In 2021, Sukkot falls on Sept.

It fulfilled God’s promise that Solomon would build the temple and the people would worship God in the Promised Land. Furthermore, Sukkot foretells when King Jesus will come back and will dwell with us in the New Jerusalem.

Let’s dig in…. Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes—the leaders of the ancestral families of the Israelites.

2 So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim. 3 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests picked up the Ark.

5 There, before the Ark, King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed so many sheep, goats, and cattle that no one could keep count.

7 The cherubim spread their wings over the Ark, forming a canopy over the Ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place, which is in front of the Most Holy Place, but not from the outside.

9 Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left the land of Egypt. 10 When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.

12 Then Solomon prayed, “O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. 13 Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever.

14 Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him and gave this blessing: 15 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father, 16 ‘From the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name.

17 Then Solomon said, “My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord told him, ‘You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name.

One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me.’. 20 “And now the Lord has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father’s place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised.

21 And I have prepared a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant that the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”. 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel.

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.

You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today. 25 “And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father.

27 “But will God really live on earth. Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you.

28 Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today.

30 May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.

Punish the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence.

35 “If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them to follow the right path, and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as their special possession.

Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart. 40 Then they will fear you as long as they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.

They will come from distant lands because of your name, 42 for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 43 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you.

They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name. 44 “If your people go out where you send them to fight their enemies, and if they pray to the Lord by turning toward this city you have chosen and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name, 45 then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.

—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to their land far away or near.

Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you. Make their captors merciful to them, 51 for they are your people—your special possession—whom you brought out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt.

May you hear and answer them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, O Sovereign Lord, you told your servant Moses that you had set Israel apart from all the nations of the earth to be your own special possession.”.

55 He stood and in a loud voice blessed the entire congregation of Israel: 56 “Praise the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised.

57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. may he never leave us or abandon us.

59 And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. 60 Then people all over the earth will know that the Lord alone is God and there is no other.

May you always obey his decrees and commands, just as you are doing today.”. 62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices to the Lord.

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