17 After David had been living in his palace awhile, he said to Natan the prophet, “Here, I’m living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark for the covenant of Adonai is kept under a tent!” ² Natan said to David, “Go, do everything that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of God came to Natan: ⁴ “Go, and tell David my servant that this is what Adonai says: ‘You are not to build me a house to live in, ⁵ because from the day I brought up Isra’el until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I’ve gone from tent to tent and from one tabernacle to another. ⁶ Everywhere I traveled with all Isra’el, did I ever speak a word to any of the judges of Isra’el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra’el, asking, “Why haven’t you built me a cedar-wood house?”’

⁷ “Therefore say to my servant David that this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I took you from the sheep-yards, from following the sheep, to make you chief over my people Isra’el. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you went, I have destroyed all your enemies ahead of you; and I am making your reputation like the reputations of the greatest people on earth. ⁹ I will assign a place to my people Isra’el; I will plant them there, so that they can live in their own place without being disturbed any more. The wicked will no longer devastate them, as they did at the beginning, ¹⁰ and as they did from the time I ordered judges to be over my people Isra’el; instead, I will subdue all your enemies.

“‘Moreover, I tell you that Adonai will make you a house. ¹¹ When your days come to an end and you go to be with your ancestors, I will establish one of your descendants to succeed you, one of your own sons; and I will set up his rulership. ¹² He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me; I will not take my grace away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. ¹⁴ Rather, I will maintain him in my house and in my kingdom forever; and his throne will be set up forever.’” ¹⁵ Natan told David all of these words and described this entire vision.

¹⁶ Then David went in, sat before Adonai and said, “Who am I, Adonai, God, and what is my family, that has caused you to bring me this far? ¹⁷ Yet in your view, God, even this was but a small thing; so you have said that your servant’s dynasty will continue on into the distant future. You have regarded me, Adonai, God, as a man of high rank. ¹⁸ What more can David say to you about the honor you are bestowing on your servant? For you know your servant intimately. ¹⁹ Adonai, it is for your servant’s sake and in accordance with your own heart that you have done all this greatness and revealed all these great things. ²⁰ Adonai, there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you — everything we have heard confirms that. ²¹ Who can be compared with your people Isra’el? What other nation on earth did God set out to redeem and turn into a people for himself? You made yourself a reputation by doing great and terrifying things, as you drove out the nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt. ²² For you made your people Isra’el your people forever; and you, Adonai, became their God. ²³ So now, Adonai, let the word that you spoke concerning your servant and his house be confirmed forever; do what you have promised. ²⁴ May your name be confirmed and magnified forever; so that it will be said, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot is the God of Isra’el and the God for Isra’el, and the dynasty of David your servant will be set up in your presence.’ ²⁵ For you, my God, have disclosed to your servant that you will build him a house. This is why your servant has the courage to pray to you. ²⁶ Now, Adonai, you are God; and you have made this wonderful promise to your servant; ²⁷ and now it has pleased you to bless the family of your servant and thereby cause it to continue forever in your presence. For you, Adonai, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”