God’s Promise to David^(A)

7 After the king was settled in his palace^(B) and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies^(C) around him,^{(D) 2} he said to Nathan^(E) the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house^(F) of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”^(G)

³ Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind,^(H) go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

¹⁷ Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

Nathan Rebukes David^(A)

12 The Lord sent Nathan^(B) to David.^(C) When he came to him,^(D) he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴ “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

⁵ David^(E) burned with anger^(F) against the man^(G) and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives,^(H) the man who did this must die! ⁶ He must pay for that lamb four times over,^(I) because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!^(J) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed^(K) you^(L) king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you,^(M) and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise^(N) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down^(O) Uriah^(P) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed^(Q) him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword^(R) will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household^(S) I am going to bring calamity on you.^(T) Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.^{(U) 12} You did it in secret,^(V) but I will do this thing in broad daylight^(W) before all Israel.’”

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned^(X) against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away^(Y) your sin.^(Z) You are not going to die.^{(AA) 14} But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for^[a] the Lord,^(AB) the son born to you will die.”

¹⁵ After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck^(AC) the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

David’s Plans for the Temple

28 David summoned^(A) all the officials^(B) of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.

² King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart^(C) to build a house as a place of rest^(D) for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool^(E) of our God, and I made plans to build it.^{(F) 3} But God said to me,^(G) ‘You are not to build a house for my Name,^(H) because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’^(I)

⁴ “Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me^(J) from my whole family^(K) to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah^(L) as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.^{(M) 5} Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many^(N)—he has chosen my son Solomon^(O) to sit on the throne^(P) of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build^(Q) my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son,^(R) and I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws,^(S) as is being done at this time.’

⁸ “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel^(T) and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands^(U) of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.^(V)

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion^(W) and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart^(X) and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him,^(Y) he will be found by you; but if you forsake^(Z) him, he will reject^(AA) you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans^(AB) for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. ¹² He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit^(AC) had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.^{(AD) 13} He gave him instructions for the divisions^(AE) of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. ¹⁴ He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: ¹⁵ the weight of gold for the gold lampstands^(AF) and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; ¹⁶ the weight of gold for each table^(AG) for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; ¹⁷ the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls^(AH) and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish; ¹⁸ and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense.^(AI) He also gave him the plan for the chariot,^(AJ) that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and overshadow^(AK) the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

¹⁹ “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details^(AL) of the plan.^(AM)”

²⁰ David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous,^(AN) and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake^(AO) you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.^{(AP) 21} The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled^(AQ) in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”