< 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, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD [remaineth] under curtains.
2 Then Nathan said to David, “Go, do what is in your heart, for God is with you.”
Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that [is] in thine heart; for God [is] with thee.
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 saith the LORD, Thou shalt 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 dwelt in an 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].
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?”'”
Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye 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 shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, [even] from following the sheep, that thou shouldest 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 thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee 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 thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee 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 thy days be expired that thou must go [to be] with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy 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 stablish 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 thee:
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 mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.
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 unto 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] mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
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 thine eyes, O God; for thou hast [also] spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast 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 thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy 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 thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou 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 thee, neither [is there any] God beside thee, 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 thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem [to be] his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?
22 You made Israel your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God.
For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest 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 thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast 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 thy 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 thy servant [be] established before thee.
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 thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found [in his heart] to pray before thee.
26 Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have made this good promise to your servant:
And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy 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 thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and [it shall be] blessed for ever.

< 1 Chronicles 17 >