2 Samuel 7
1 After [King] David began to live in his palace, Yahweh protected him from all his enemies.
Now it happened that, when the king had settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,
2 One day he said to the prophet Nathan, “[It is not right that] I am here, living in a [beautiful] house made of cedar [wood], but the chest that contains God’s Ten Commandments is kept in a tent!”
he said to the prophet Nathan, “Do you not see that I live in a house of cedar, and that the ark of God has been placed in the midst of tent skins?”
3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Yahweh is helping/directing you, so do [regarding that chest] whatever you are thinking.”
And Nathan said to the king: “Go, do all that is in your heart. For the Lord is with you.”
4 But that night, Yahweh said to Nathan,
But it happened in that night, behold, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:
5 “Go and tell my servant, David, that this is what [I], Yahweh, am saying to him: ‘You are not the one [RHQ] who should build a temple for me to live in.
“Go, and say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build a house for me as a dwelling place?
6 I have not lived in any building from the day that I brought the Israeli people up from Egypt until now. Instead, I have been living in a tent, moving from one place to another [when the Israelis] moved to other places.
For I have not lived in a house from the day that I led the sons of Israel away from the land of Egypt, even to this day. Instead, I have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent.
7 Wherever I went with all the Israelis [as they traveled], I never said [RHQ] to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead them, “Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar [wood]?”’
And in all the places that I have crossed through, with all the sons of Israel, did I ever speak a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I instructed to pasture my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’
8 So this is what you should say to my servant David: ‘The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels says that he took you from a pasture where you were taking care of sheep, [and appointed you] to become the ruler of my Israeli people.
And now, so shall you speak to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pastures, from following the sheep, so that you would be the leader over my people Israel.
9 I have (been with/helped) you wherever you have gone. I have gotten rid of all your enemies as you advanced. I will enable you to become very famous, as well-known as the names of all the greatest men [who have ever lived] on the earth.
And I have been with you everywhere that you walked. And I have slain all your enemies before your face. And I have made you a great name, beside the name of the great ones who are upon the earth.
10 Formerly, during the time that I appointed leaders for my Israeli people, many violent groups oppressed the Israelis. But this will not happen any more. I have chosen a place where my Israeli people can live [peacefully] and no one will disturb them any more. I will give them rest from [being attacked by] their enemies. And I will defeat all your enemies. I declare to you that I, Yahweh, will enable your descendants to rule after you [die].
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall live there, and they shall no longer be disturbed. Neither shall the sons of iniquity continue to afflict them as before,
from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give rest to you from all your enemies. And the Lord foretells to you that the Lord himself will make a house for you.
12 When your life ends [EUP] and you go to be with your ancestors, I will appoint one of your sons to be king, and I will enable his kingdom to (be strong/resist all their enemies).
And when your days will have been fulfilled, and you will sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will go forth from your loins, and I will make firm his kingdom.
13 He is the one who will arrange for a temple to be built for me [MTY], and I will cause his [descendants] to be kings [MTY] [of Israel] forever.
He himself shall build a house to my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom, even forever.
14 I will be [like] a father to him, and [it will be as though] he [is] a son to me [MET]. When he does something that is wrong, I will punish him as fathers punish their sons.
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. And if he will commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and with the wounds of the sons of men.
15 But I will not stop faithfully loving him as I stopped loving Saul, whom I removed from being king before you became king.
But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before my face.
16 Your descendants will rule the kingdom [of Israel] forever. Their rule will never end. [DOU]’”
And your house shall be faithful, and your kingdom shall be before your face, for eternity, and your throne shall be secure continuously.’”
17 So Nathan told David everything that Yahweh had told him.
According to all these words, and according to this entire vision, so did Nathan speak to David.
18 Then David went into [the Sacred Tent] and sat in the presence of Yahweh, and prayed this: “Yahweh, my God, I am not worthy [RHQ] [for you to have done all these things] for me, and my family is not worthy, either.
Then king David entered and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you would bring me to this point?
19 “And now, O Yahweh my God, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations.
Moreover, this has seemed little in your sight, O Lord God, unless you also will speak about the house of your servant for a long time. For this is the law of Adam, O Lord God.
20 “Yahweh God, what more can I, David, say to you [for honoring me]? Although you know very well [what I am like], Yahweh my God, you have done things for me as though I was the most important man [on the earth]!
Therefore, what more will David be able to say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God.
21 For my sake and because it is what you wanted to do, you have done all these great things for me.
Because of your word, and according to your own heart, you have done all these great deeds, so that you would make it known to your servant.
22 “Yahweh my God, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, just as we have always heard.
For this reason, you are magnified, O Lord God. For there is no one like you. And there is no God except you, in all the things that we have heard with our own ears.
23 And there is no other nation in the world like Israel. Israel is the only nation on the earth whose people you went out to rescue [RHQ]. By the great and awesome things that you did, you have become famous/well-known throughout the world. As your people advanced [through this land], you expelled other people-groups [who were here in Canaan], who worshiped other gods.
But what nation is there upon the earth like your people Israel, because of whom God went forth, so that he might redeem a people for himself, and establish a name for himself, and accomplish for them great and terrible things upon the earth, before the face of your people, whom you redeemed for yourself away from Egypt, the nations and their gods.
24 And you caused us Israeli people to be your people forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
For you have secured your people Israel for yourself, as an everlasting people. And you, O Lord God, have become their God.
25 “And now, Yahweh my God, [I pray that you will] cause the things that you promised to me about my descendants to be fulfilled forever, and [that you will] do the things that you said [that you would do].
Now therefore, O Lord God, raise up forever the word that you have spoken over your servant and over his house. And do just as you have said,
26 When that happens, you will become famous forever, and people will exclaim, ‘The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels is the God who rules Israel.’ And you will cause that forever there will be descendants of mine who will rule.
so that your name may be magnified even forever, and so that it may be said: ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And the house of your servant David will be established in the sight of the Lord.
27 “Yahweh Almighty, the God whom we Israeli people [worship], you have revealed to me that you will make some of my descendants kings. For that reason, I have been brave enough to pray like this to you.
For you, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to the ear of your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Because of this, your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to you.
28 So now, O Yahweh Almighty, because you are God, we can trust that you will do what you promise. You have promised these good things to me.
Now therefore, O Lord God, you are God, and your words shall be true. For you have spoken to your servant these good things.
29 So now I ask you that if it pleases you, you will bless my descendants, in order that they may continue [to rule] forever. Yahweh God, you have promised these things, and [so I know that] you will keep blessing my descendants forever.”
Therefore, begin, and bless the house of your servant, so that it may be forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken. And so, let the house of your servant be blessed with your blessing forever.”
