2 Samuel 7
Living Bible
7 When the Lord finally sent peace upon the land, and Israel was no longer at war with the surrounding nations, 2 David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! Here I am living in this beautiful cedar palace while the Ark of God is out in a tent!”
3 “Go ahead with what you have in mind,” Nathan replied, “for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that night the Lord said to Nathan, 5 “Tell my servant David not to do it![a] 6 For I have never lived in a temple. My home has been a tent ever since the time I brought Israel out of Egypt. 7 And I have never once complained to Israel’s leaders, the shepherds of my people. Have I ever asked them, ‘Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar temple?’
8 “Now go and give this message to David from the Lord of heaven: ‘I chose you to be the leader of my people Israel when you were a mere shepherd, tending your sheep in the pastureland. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone and have destroyed your enemies. And I will make your name greater yet, so that you will be one of the most famous men in the world! 10-11 I have selected a homeland for my people from which they will never have to move. It will be their own land where the heathen nations won’t bother them as they did when the judges ruled my people. There will be no more wars against you; and your descendants shall rule this land for generations to come! 12 For when you die, I will put one of your sons upon your throne, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who shall build me a temple. And I will continue his kingdom into eternity. 14 I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him, 15 but my love and kindness shall not leave him as I took it from Saul, your predecessor. 16 Your family shall rule my kingdom forever.’”
17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said.
18 Then David went into the Tabernacle and sat before the Lord and prayed, “O Lord God, why have you showered your blessings on such an insignificant person as I am? 19 And now, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving me an eternal dynasty! Such generosity is far beyond any human standard! O Lord God! 20 What can I say? For you know what I am like! 21 You are doing all these things just because you promised to and because you want to! 22 How great you are, Lord God! We have never heard of any other God like you. And there is no other God. 23 What other nation in all the earth has received such blessings as Israel, your people? For you have rescued your chosen nation in order to bring glory to your name. You have done great miracles to destroy Egypt and its gods. 24 You chose Israel to be your people forever, and you became our God.
25 “And now, Lord God, do as you have promised concerning me and my family. 26 And may you be eternally honored when you have established Israel as your people and have established my dynasty before you. 27 For you have revealed to me, O Lord of heaven, God of Israel, that I am the first of a dynasty which will rule your people forever; that is why I have been bold enough to pray this prayer of acceptance. 28 For you are indeed God, and your words are truth; and you have promised me these good things— 29 so do as you have promised! Bless me and my family forever! May our dynasty continue on and on before you; for you, Lord God, have promised it.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 7:5 Tell my servant David not to do it! literally, “Shall you build me a house to dwell in?”
2 Samuel 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God’s Covenant with David
7 Now when the king was settled in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him,(A) 2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.”(B) 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”(C)
4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders[a] of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’(D) 8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel,(E) 9 and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.(F) 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and be disturbed no more, and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,(G) 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel, and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.(H) 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.(I) 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.(J) 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings.(K) 15 But I will not take[b] my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.(L) 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me;[c] your throne shall be established forever.”(M) 17 In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
David’s Prayer
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?(N) 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house into the distant future. May this be instruction for the people,[d] O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God!(O) 21 Because of your promise and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness so that your servant may know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.(P) 23 Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another[e] nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people and to make a name for himself, doing[f] great and awesome things, driving out[g] nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt?(Q) 24 And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.(R) 25 And now, O Lord God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised. 26 Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.(S) 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.(T) 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant;(U) 29 now, therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it may continue forever before you, for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”(V)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.