1 Chronicles 17

1 When David was living in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I live in a cedar house, but the ark of the LORD’s covenant is in a tent.”

After David began to live in his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “[It does not seem right that] I am here living in a palace made of cedar [wood], but Yahweh’s Sacred Chest is kept inside a tent!”

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

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you are thinking about doing, do it, because God is with/guiding you.”

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

But that night God spoke [MTY] to Nathan. He said,

4 “Go and tell David my servant, ‘The LORD says, “You shall not build me a house to dwell in;

“Go and tell my servant David that this is what I, Yahweh, am saying to him: ‘You are not the one who should build a temple for me to live in.

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

I have not lived in any building, from the day that I brought the people of Israel up [out of Egypt] until now. Instead, I have [lived in a tent], moving from one place to another with [the Israelis] when they moved to other places [DOU].

6 In all places in which I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”’

Wherever I went with all the Israelis [as they traveled], I never [RHQ] said to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead [MET] them, “Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar [wood]?”’

7 “Now therefore, you shall tell my servant David, ‘The LORD of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel.

Therefore, this is what you should say to my servant David: ‘I, the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, took you from a pasture where you were taking care of sheep, [and I appointed you] to be the ruler of my Israeli people.

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

I have (been with/helped) you wherever you have gone, and I have gotten rid of all your enemies as you advanced. And now I will cause you to become very famous, as well-known as the names of the greatest men [who have ever lived] on the earth.

9 I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more. The children of wickedness will not waste them any more, as at the first,

Formerly, during the time that I appointed leaders for my Israeli people, many violent groups oppressed them. 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 not allow them to [be 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].

10 and from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that the LORD will build you a house.

11 It will happen, when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your offspring after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

When your life ends [EUP], and you [die and] go to be with your ancestors [who have died], I will appoint one of your sons to become king, and I will enable his kingdom to (be strong/resist all their enemies).

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

He is the one who will [arrange for] a temple to be built for me. And I will enable his descendants to be kings [MTY] of Israel forever.

13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not take my loving kindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you;

I will be [like] a father to him, and [it will be as though] he [is] a son to me. I stopped loving [Saul, ] the one who was the king before you became king, but I will never stop loving your son.

14 but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever. His throne will be established forever.”’”

I will cause him to rule over my people [MTY], and his kingdom will endure forever [DOU].’”

15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

So Nathan reported to David everything that Yahweh had revealed to him.

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

Then David went [into the Sacred Tent] and sat in the presence of Yahweh, and prayed this: “Yahweh my God, I am certainly not [RHQ] worthy for you to have done all these things for me, and my family is not worthy, either.

17 This was a small thing in your eyes, O God, but you have spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have respected me according to the standard of a man of high degree, LORD God.

“And O God, now, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations. Yahweh my God, you have acted toward me as though I was the most important man [on the earth]!

18 What can David say yet more to you concerning the honour which is done to your servant? For you know your servant.

“What more can I, David, say to you [for honoring me]? Although you know very well what I am like,

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

Yahweh, for my sake and because it is what you wanted to do, you have done these great things [for me], and you have revealed to me these things [that you are promising to do].

20 LORD, there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

“Yahweh, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, which is what we have always heard.

21 What one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make you a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before your people whom you redeemed out of Egypt?

And there is no nation in the world like Israel [RHQ]. Israel is the only nation on the earth whose people you rescued. You performed great and awesome miracles, rescuing our ancestors from [being slaves in] Egypt, and expelling the people of other people-groups [who were in Canaan].

22 For you made your people Israel your own people forever; and you, LORD, became their God.

You have caused us your Israeli people to belong to you forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!

23 Now, LORD, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as you have spoken.

“And now Yahweh, I pray that you will cause the things that you have promised to do for me and my descendants [MTY] to be fulfilled forever.

24 Let your name be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of Armies is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel. The house of David your servant is established before you.’

When that happens, you [MTY] will be 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 [MTY] of mine who will rule.

25 For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you.

“You, my God, have revealed to me that you will cause [some of] my descendants to become kings. So I am brave enough to pray like this to you.

26 Now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this good thing to your servant.

Yahweh, you are God! You have promised to do these good things for me.

27 Now it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, LORD, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

And now you, Yahweh, have [promised to] bless my descendants [MTY], in order that they will continue to rule forever. That will happen because you, Yahweh, are the one who has blessed them, and you will keep blessing them forever.”