2 Samuel 7:18-29

New International Version

David’s Prayer^(A)

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I,^(B) Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree,^(C) Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!^[a]

²⁰“What more can David say^(D) to you? For you know^(E) your servant,^(F) Sovereign Lord. ²¹For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

²²“How great^(G) you are,^(H) Sovereign Lord! There is no one like^(I) you, and there is no God^(J) but you, as we have heard with our own ears.^(K) ²³And who is like your people Israel^(L)—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name^(M) for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders^(N) by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed^(O) from Egypt?^[b] ²⁴You have established your people Israel as your very own^(P) forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.^(Q)

²⁵“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise^(R) you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, ²⁶so that your name^(S) will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established^(T) in your sight.

²⁷“Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy,^(U) and you have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁹Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing^(V) the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 7:19 Or for the human race
2 Samuel 7:23 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 17:21; Hebrew wonders for your land and before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt, from the nations and their gods.

2 Samuel 6:16-18

New International Version

¹⁶As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David,^(A) Michal^(B) daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,^(C) and David sacrificed burnt offerings^(D) and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸After he had finished sacrificing^(E) the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^(F) the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.

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2 Samuel 24:18-25

New International Version

David Builds an Altar^(A)

¹⁸On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah^(B) the Jebusite.” ¹⁹So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. ²⁰When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

²¹Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”^(C)

²²Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen^(D) for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. ²³Your Majesty, Araunah^[a] gives^(E) all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

²⁴But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”^(F)

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels^[b]^(G) of silver for them. ²⁵David built an altar^(H) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer^(I) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 24:23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunah
2 Samuel 24:24 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams