The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

17 ^(A)Now it happened when David inhabited his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I inhabit a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains.” ² So Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ Now it happened in the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and say to David My servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(B)You shall not build Me a house to inhabit; ⁵ for I have not inhabited a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, ^(C)but I have been from tent to tent and from one ^[a]dwelling place to another. ⁶ Wherever I have gone about with all Israel, did I speak a word ^(D)with even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

David’s House Will Be Established Forever

⁷ So now, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. ⁸ And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; and the ^[b]unrighteous will not waste them anymore as formerly, ¹⁰ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.

And I tell you that Yahweh will build a house for you. ¹¹ And it will be that when your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ^13 (E)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; and I will not remove My lovingkindness from him, ^(F)as I removed it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ But I will cause him to stand in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name

¹⁶ Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh and said, “^(G)Who am I, O Yahweh God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷ And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Yahweh God. ¹⁸ Again what more can David say to You concerning the glory bestowed on Your slave? You know Your slave. ¹⁹ O Yahweh, ^(H)for the sake of Your slave, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰ O Yahweh, there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as 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? ^22 (I)Yet You gave Your people Israel to be Your own people forever, and You, O Yahweh, have become their God.

²³ “So now, O Yahweh, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your slave and concerning his house ^[c]endure forever, and do as You have spoken, ²⁴ that Your name ^[d]endure and be magnified forever, by saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your ^[e]servant is established before You.’ ²⁵ For You, O my God, have revealed in the hearing of Your slave that You will build for him a house; therefore Your slave has found courage to pray before You. ²⁶ So now, O Yahweh, You are God, and You have ^[f]promised this good thing to Your slave. ²⁷ So now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your slave, that it may be forever before You. For You, O Yahweh, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”