2 Samuel 7
Good News Translation
Nathan's Message to David(A)
7 King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord kept him safe from all his enemies. 2 Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”
3 Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because the Lord is with you.” 4 But that night the Lord said to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in. 6 From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have traveled around living in a tent. 7 In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders[a] that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.’
8 “So tell my servant David that I, the Lord Almighty, say to him, ‘I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world. 10-11 I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land, they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to keep you safe from all your enemies and to give you descendants. 12 (B)When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong. 13 He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever. 14 (C)I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him as a father punishes his son. 15 But I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king. 16 (D)You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end.’”
17 Nathan told David everything that God had revealed to him.
David's Prayer of Thanksgiving(E)
18 Then King David went into the Tent of the Lord's presence, sat down and prayed, “Sovereign Lord, I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, nor is my family. 19 Yet now you are doing even more, Sovereign Lord; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come. And you let a man see this,[b] Sovereign Lord! 20 What more can I say to you! You know me, your servant. 21 It was your will and purpose to do this; you have done all these great things in order to instruct me. 22 How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God. 23 (F)There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them[c] have spread your fame throughout the world. You drove out[d] other nations and their gods as your people advanced, the people whom you set free from Egypt to be your own. 24 You have made Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
25 “And now, Lord God, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would. 26 Your fame will be great, and people will forever say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel.’ And you will preserve my dynasty for all time. 27 Lord Almighty, God of Israel! I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings.
28 “And now, Sovereign Lord, you are God; you always keep your promises, and you have made this wonderful promise to me. 29 I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Sovereign Lord, have promised this, and your blessing will rest on my descendants forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 7:7 Probable text (see 1 Ch 17.6) leaders; Hebrew tribes.
- 2 Samuel 7:19 Probable text you let a man see this; Hebrew this is a law for human beings.
- 2 Samuel 7:23 Probable text them; Hebrew you (plural).
- 2 Samuel 7:23 One ancient translation (and see 1 Ch 17.21) You drove out; Hebrew for your land.
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)
2 Samuel 7
Complete Jewish Bible
7 After the king had been living in his palace awhile and Adonai had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Natan the prophet, “Here, I’m living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark of God is kept in a tent!” 3 Natan said to the king, “Go, do everything that is in your heart, for Adonai is with you.”
4 But that same night the word of Adonai came to Natan: 5 “Go and tell my servant David that this is what Adonai says: ‘You are going to build me a house to live in? 6 Since the day I brought the people of Isra’el out of Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Everywhere I traveled with all the people of Isra’el, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribes of Isra’el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra’el, asking, “Why haven’t you built me a cedar-wood house?”’
8 “Therefore say this 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, over Isra’el. 9 I have been with you wherever you went; I have destroyed all your enemies ahead of you; and I am making your reputation great, like the reputations of the greatest people on earth. 10 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 oppress them, as they did at the beginning, 11 and as they did from the time I ordered judges to be over my people Isra’el; instead, I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘Moreover, Adonai tells you that Adonai will make you a house. 12 When your days come to an end and you sleep with your ancestors, I will establish one of your descendants to succeed you, one of your own flesh and blood; and I will set up his rulership. 13 He will build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. 14 I will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me. If he does something wrong, I will punish him with a rod and blows, just as everyone gets punished; 15 nevertheless, my grace will not leave him, as I took it away from Sha’ul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Thus your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before you; your throne will be set up forever.’” 17 Natan told David all of these words and described this entire vision.
18 Then David went in, sat before Adonai and said, “Who am I, Adonai Elohim; and what is my family, that has caused you to bring me this far? 19 Yet in your view, Adonai Elohim, even this was too small a thing; so you have even said that your servant’s dynasty will continue on into the distant future. This is [indeed] a teaching for a man, Adonai Elohim — 20 what more can David say to you? For you know your servant intimately, Adonai Elohim. 21 It is for the sake of your word and in accordance with your own heart that you have done all this greatness and revealed it to your servant. 22 Therefore, you are great, Adonai, God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you — everything we have heard confirms that. 23 Who can be compared with your people, with Isra’el? What other nation on earth did God set out to redeem and make into a people for himself? You made yourself a reputation by doing for your land things that even for you are great and terrifying, for the sake of your people whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt and from other nations and from their gods. 24 You set up your people for yourself as your people forever; and you, Adonai, became their God. 25 So now, Adonai, God, establish forever the word you have spoken to your servant and his house; do what you have promised. 26 May your name be magnified forever, so that it will be said, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot is God over Isra’el, and the dynasty of your servant David will be set up in your presence.’ 27 You, Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of Isra’el, have disclosed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house.’ This is why your servant has the courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Now, Adonai Elohim, you alone are God; your words are truth; and you have made this wonderful promise to your servant. 29 So may it please you to bless the family of your servant and thereby cause it to continue forever in your presence. For you, Adonai Elohim, have said it. May your servant’s family be blessed forever by your blessing.”
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
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.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.