2 Samuel 7
Legacy Standard Bible
The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent
7 (A)Now it happened when the king inhabited his house, and Yahweh had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, 2 that the king said to (B)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I inhabit (C)a house of cedar, but the ark of God (D)inhabits tent curtains.” 3 So Nathan said to the king, “(E)Go, do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you.”
4 Now it happened in the same night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “(F)Are you the one who would build Me a house to inhabit? 6 For (G)I have not inhabited a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been going about (H)in a tent, even in a [a]tabernacle. 7 (I)Wherever I have gone about with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, (J)which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’
David’s House Will Be Established Forever
8 So now, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “(K)I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, (L)to be ruler over My people Israel. 9 (M)And I have been with you wherever you have gone and (N)have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and (O)will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; (P)and the [b]unrighteous will not afflict them any more as formerly, 11 even (Q)from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and (R)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh also declares to you that (S)Yahweh will make a house for you. 12 (T)When your days are fulfilled and you (U)lie down with your fathers, (V)I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from [c]your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 (W)He shall build a house for My name, and (X)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 (Y)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; (Z)when he commits iniquity, I will reprove him with the rod of men and the strikes from the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not be removed from him, (AA)as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 (AB)And your house and your kingdom shall [d]endure before [e]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” 17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name
18 Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh, and he said, “(AC)Who am I, O Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord Yahweh, (AD)for You have spoken also of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future. And (AE)this is the law of man, O Lord Yahweh. 20 And again what more can David say to You? And (AF)You know Your slave, O Lord Yahweh! 21 (AG)For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your slave know. 22 For this reason (AH)You are great, O Lord Yahweh; for (AI)there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, (AJ)according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And (AK)what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and (AL)to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before (AM)Your people whom (AN)You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? 24 Yet (AO)You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and (AP)You, O Yahweh, have become their God. 25 So now, O Yahweh God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your slave and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as You have spoken, 26 (AQ)that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of Your [f]servant David shall be established before You. 27 For You, O Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed in the hearing of Your slave, saying, ‘(AR)I will build you a house’; therefore Your slave has found courage in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 So now, O Lord Yahweh, You are God, and (AS)Your words are truth, and You have [g]promised this good thing to Your slave. 29 So now, be pleased and bless the house of Your slave, that it may be forever before You. For You, O Lord Yahweh, have spoken; and (AT)with Your blessing may the house of Your slave be blessed forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 7:6 Lit dwelling place
- 2 Samuel 7:10 Lit sons of unrighteousness
- 2 Samuel 7:12 Lit your bowels
- 2 Samuel 7:16 Or remain true
- 2 Samuel 7:16 As in Gr and some ancient mss; M.T. you
- 2 Samuel 7:26 Or slave, cf. 7:25; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
- 2 Samuel 7:28 Or spoken
2 Samuel 7
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Covenant Promise to David
7 When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies, 2 the king summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace,[a] but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!”
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that same night the Lord said to Nathan,
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? 6 I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. 7 Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel’s tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, “Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar house?”’
8 “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! 10 And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, 11 starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! 12 For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. 15 But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. 16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me[b] for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”
17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.
David’s Prayer of Thanks
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?[c]
20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. 21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.
22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! 23 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way.[d] 24 You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.
25 “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. 26 And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.
27 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’ 28 For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”
Footnotes
- 7:2 Hebrew a house of cedar.
- 7:16 As in Greek version and some Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text reads before you.
- 7:19 Or This is your instruction for all humanity, O Sovereign Lord.
- 7:23 As in Greek version (see also 1 Chr 17:21); Hebrew reads You made a name for yourself and awesome miracles for your land in the sight of your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt, the nations and their gods.
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