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)

The Destruction of Jerusalem Reviewed

52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.^{(A) 2} He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done.^{(B) 3} Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah so angered the Lord that he expelled them from his presence.

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.^{(C) 4} And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and they laid siege to it; they built siegeworks against it all around.^{(D) 5} So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ⁶ On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine became so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.^{(E) 7} Then a breach was made in the city wall,^[a] and all the soldiers fled and went out from the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the King’s Garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah.^{(F) 8} But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered, deserting him.^{(G) 9} Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.^{(H) 10} The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the officers of Judah at Riblah.^{(I) 11} He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in fetters, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.^(J)

Philip Preaches in Samaria

⁴ Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word.^{(A) 5} Philip went down to the city^[a] of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah^[b] to them.^{(B) 6} The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, ⁷ for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed, and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured.^{(C) 8} So there was great joy in that city.

⁹ Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great.^{(D) 10} All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”^{(E) 11} And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. ¹² But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.^{(F) 13} Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.^(G)

¹⁴ Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.^{(H) 15} The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit^{(I) 16} (for as yet the Spirit had not come^[c] upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).^{(J) 17} Then Peter and John^[d] laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.^(K)

16 “I have said these things to you to keep you from falling away.^{[a](A) 2} They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God.^{(B) 3} And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me.^{(C) 4} But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.

The Work of the Spirit

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵ But now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’^{(D) 6} But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate^[b] will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about^[c] sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.^(E)

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.^{(F) 13} When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.^{(G) 14} He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.^(H)