The ark of the covenant served as a receptacle for the tablets of the ten commandments, the words upon which God's covenant with Israel are based (Ex 34:28; Dt 4:13; 10:4).
1 Kings 8:9 notes that at the time when Solomon's Temple was dedicated, "there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb."
There were some other items that were stored near the ark. One was a commemorative jar of manna (Ex 16:33-34). Another was Aaron's staff (Num 17:10).
All three of these items are mentioned in Hebrews 9:4. which speaks of "the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant." There is no contradiction between Hebrews 9:4 and I Kings 8:9, since the preposition in Hebrews 9:4 can refer to things that are near the ark as well as those that are strictly inside of it.
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