1 Chronicles 17

1 It happened that after the king had settled in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is staying under a tent.”

Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, See, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remains under curtains.

2 Then Nathan said to David, “Go, do what is in your heart, for God is with you.”

Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.

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

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

4 “Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: You will not build me a house in which to live.

Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the LORD, You shall not build me an house to dwell in:

5 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up Israel to this present day. Instead, I have been living in a tent, a tabernacle, in various places.

For I have not dwelled in an house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

6 In all places I have moved among all Israel, did I ever say anything to any of Israel's leaders whom I appointed to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”'”

Wherever I have walked with all Israel, spoke I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have you not built me an house of cedars?

7 “Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what Yahweh of hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, so that you would be ruler over my people Israel.

Now therefore thus shall you say to my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over my people Israel:

8 I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and I will make you a name, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth.

And I have been with you wherever you have walked, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth.

9 I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place and be troubled no more. No longer will wicked people oppress them, as they did before,

Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,

10 as they were doing from the days that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Then I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that I, Yahweh, will build you a house.

And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you an house.

11 It will come about that when your days are fulfilled for you to go to your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, and for one of your own descendants, I will establish his kingdom.

And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

12 He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

He shall build me an house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

13 I will be a father to him, and he will be my son. I will not take my covenant faithfulness away from him, as I took it from Saul, who ruled before you.

I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before you:

14 I will set him over my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.'”

But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for ever more.

15 Nathan spoke to David and reported to him all these words, and he told him about the entire vision.

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

16 Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh; he said, “Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this point?

And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me till now?

17 For this was a small thing in your sight, God. You have spoken of your servant's family for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, Yahweh God.

And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O God; for you have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

18 What more can I, David, say to you? You have honored your servant. You have given your servant special recognition.

What can David speak more to you for the honor of your servant? for you know your servant.

19 Yahweh, for your servant's sake, and to fulfill your own purpose, you have done this great thing to reveal all your great deeds.

O LORD, for your servant’s sake, and according to your own heart, have you done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

20 Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, just as we have always heard.

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

21 For what nation on earth is like your people Israel, whom you, God, rescued from Egypt as a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself by great and awesome deeds? You drove out nations from before your people, whom you rescued from Egypt.

And what one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make you a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before your people whom you have redeemed out of Egypt?

22 You made Israel your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God.

For your people Israel did you make your own people for ever; and you, LORD, became their God.

23 So now, Yahweh, may the promise that you made concerning your servant and his family be established forever. Do as you have spoken.

Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as you have said.

24 May your name be established forever and be great, so the people will say, 'Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel,' while the house of me, David, your servant is established before you.

Let it even be established, that your name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David your servant be established before you.

25 For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. That is why I, your servant, have found courage to pray to you.

For you, O my God, have told your servant that you will build him an house: therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray before you.

26 Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have made this good promise to your servant:

And now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this goodness to your servant:

27 Now it has pleased you to bless your servant's house, that it may continue forever before you. You, Yahweh, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

Now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may be before you for ever: for you bless, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.