1 Chronicles 17

1 And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet: 'Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD dwelleth under curtains.'

Now when David was living in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, See, I am living in a house of cedar-wood, but the ark of the Lord's agreement is under the curtains of a tent.

2 And Nathan said unto David: 'Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.'

And Nathan said to David, Do whatever is in your heart, for God is with you.

3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

But that same night, the word of God came to Nathan, saying,

4 'Go and tell David My servant: Thus saith the LORD: Thou shalt not build Me a house to dwell in;

Go and say to David my servant, The Lord says, You are not to make me a house for my living-place:

5 for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

For from the day when I took Israel up, till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from tent to tent, and from living-place to living-place.

6 In all places wherein I have walked among all Israel, spoke I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar?

In all the places where I have gone with all Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, whom I made the keepers of my people, Why have you not made for me a house of cedar?

7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto My servant David: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over My people Israel;

So now, say to my servant David, The Lord of armies says, I took you from the fields, from keeping sheep, so that you might be a ruler over my people Israel;

8 and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth.

And I have been with you wherever you went, cutting off before you all those who were against you; and I will make your name like the name of the greatest ones of the earth.

9 And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disquieted no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,

And I will make a resting-place for my people Israel, planting them there, so that they may be in the place which is theirs and never again be moved; and never again will they be made waste by evil men, as they were at first,

10 even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that the LORD will build thee a house.

From the time when I put judges over my people Israel; and I will overcome all those who are against you; and I will make you great and the head of a line of kings.

11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

And when the time comes for you to go to your fathers, I will put in your place your seed after you, one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong.

12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

He will be the builder of my house, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.

13 I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee;

I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son; and I will not take my mercy away from him as I took it from him who was before you;

14 but I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.'

But I will make his place in my house and in my kingdom certain for ever; and the seat of his authority will never be overturned.

15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.

16 Then David the king went in, and sat before the LORD; and he said: 'Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far?

Then David the king went in and took his seat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have been my guide till now?

17 And this was a small thing in Thine eyes, O God; but Thou hast spoken of Thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me after the manner of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

And this was only a small thing to you, O God; but your words have even been about the far-off future of your servant's family, looking on me as on one of high position, O Lord God.

18 What can David say yet more unto Thee concerning the honour which is done to Thy servant? for Thou knowest Thy servant.

What more may David say to you? for you have knowledge of your servant.

19 O LORD, for Thy servant's sake, and according to Thine own heart, hast Thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

O Lord, because of your servant, and from your heart, you have done all these great things and let them be seen.

20 O LORD, there is none like Thee, neither is there any God beside Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

O Lord, there is no one like you, and no other God but you, as is clear from everything which has come to our ears.

21 And who is like Thy people Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people, to make Thee a name by great and tremendous things, in driving out nations from before Thy people, whom Thou didst redeem out of Egypt.

And what other nation in the earth, like your people Israel, did a god go out to take for himself, to be his people, making his name great and to be feared, driving out the nations from before your people whom you made free and took out of Egypt?

22 For Thy people Israel didst Thou make Thine own people for ever; and Thou, LORD, becamest their God.

For your people Israel you made yours for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.

23 And now, O LORD, let the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as Thou hast spoken.

And now, Lord, let your words about your servant and about his family be made certain for ever, and do as you have said.

24 Yea, let it be established, and let Thy name be magnified for ever, that it may be said: The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Thy servant shall be established before Thee.

So let your words be made certain and your name be made great, when men say, The Lord of armies is the God of Israel; and when the family of David your servant is made strong before you.

25 For Thou, O my God, hast revealed to Thy servant that Thou wilt build him a house; therefore hath Thy servant taken heart to pray before Thee.

For you, O my God, have let your servant see that you will make him head of a line of kings; and so it has come into your servant's heart to make his prayer to you.

26 And now, O LORD, Thou alone art God, and hast promised this good thing unto Thy servant;

And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have said you will give this good thing to your servant:

27 and now it hath pleased Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee; for Thou, O LORD, hast blessed, and so let Thy servant be blessed for ever.'

And now you have been pleased to give your blessing to the family of your servant, so that it may go on for ever before you; you, O Lord, have given your blessing, and a blessing will be on it for ever.