God’s promise to David

7 When the king was settled in his palace,^[a] and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Look! I’m living in a cedar palace, but God’s chest is housed in a tent!”^[b]

³ Nathan said to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you are thinking, because the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that very night the Lord’s word came to Nathan: ⁵ Go to my servant David and tell him: This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build the temple for me to live in.

God’s promise to David

17 When David was settled into his palace,^[a] he said to the prophet Nathan, “I’m living in a cedar palace while the chest containing the Lord’s covenant is under curtains.”

² Nathan replied, “Go ahead and do whatever you are thinking, because God is with you.”

³ But that very night God’s word came to Nathan: ⁴ Go to my servant David and tell him, This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build the temple^[b] for me to live in. ⁵ In fact, I haven’t lived in a temple from the day I brought Israel out until this very day. I’ve been traveling from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling.^{[c] 6} Throughout my traveling with the Israelites, did I ever ask one of Israel’s tribal leaders, whom I appointed to shepherd my people, Why haven’t you built me a cedar temple?

⁷ So then, say this to my servant David: This is what the Lord of heavenly forces says: I myself took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be leader over my people Israel. ⁸ I’ve been with you wherever you’ve gone. I’ve eliminated all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great—like the name of the greatest people on earth. ⁹ I’m going to provide a place for my people Israel, and plant them so that they may live there and no longer be disturbed. Cruel people will no longer trouble them as they did earlier, ¹⁰ when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I’ll subdue all your enemies and make you great. As for a dynasty,^[d] the Lord will build one for you! ¹¹ When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up a descendant of yours after you, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingship. ¹² He is the one who will build me a temple, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will become his father and he will become my son, and I’ll never withdraw my faithful love from him as I did from the one before you. ¹⁴ I’ll install him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.

¹⁵ Nathan faithfully reported all that he had seen and heard to David.