There was nothing in the ark except for the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of the land of Egypt.
In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a perpetual statute for the Israelites for generations to come.
You must beat some of it very fine and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you. It will be most holy to you.
You must put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
When He had made an end of communing with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted according to the commandment of Moses for the service of the Levites by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.
but you will appoint the Levites over the tent of the testimony, and over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it. They will carry the tabernacle, and all its vessels, and they will minister to it, and will camp around the tabernacle.
But the Levites will camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so there will be no wrath on the congregation of the Israelites. And the Levites will keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.
The Lord said to Moses, “Return the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a warning to rebels, that you may put an end to their complaints before Me, or else they will die.”