1Now it happened, when David was settled in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am dwelling in a house of cedars, while the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains.”
2And Nathan said to David, “Do everything that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3And it happened that night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
4“Go and say to David my servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh: It is not you who will build me the house to dwell in.
5For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but I have been from tent to tent, and from one dwelling place to another.
6In all my going about among all Israel, did I ever speak a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedars?”’
7And now, thus you shall say to my servant, to David: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be leader over my people Israel.
8And I have been with you wherever you went, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.
9And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more; and the sons of injustice will no longer wear them down as at the first,
10even from the days that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. And I declare to you that Yahweh will build you a house.
11And it will be, when your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your offspring after you, one who will be of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
12He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.
13I will be to him a father, and he will be to me a son; and my loyal love I will not remove from him, as I removed it from the one who was before you.
14But I will set him up in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.
15According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
16Then King David came and sat before Yahweh, and said: “Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?
17And even this was a small thing in your eyes, O God, so that you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time to come; and you have regarded me as a man of high rank, Yahweh God.
18What more can David add to you for the honor of your servant? For you yourself know your servant.
19Yahweh, for your servant’s sake and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
20Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21And who is like your people Israel, a single nation on the earth, whom God went to redeem for himself as a people, to make for yourself a name of great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt?
22And you made your people Israel your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God.
23And now, Yahweh, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be confirmed forever, and do as you have spoken.
24And let it be confirmed, and let your name be great forever, saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is God for Israel’; and let the house of David your servant be established before you.
25For you, my God, have uncovered the ear of your servant to build him a house; therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you.
26And now, Yahweh, you are God, and you have spoken this good thing concerning your servant.
27And now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may be forever before you; for you, Yahweh, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever.
Open in the interactive reader →