The Lord's Covenant with David

7 ^(A)Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord ^(B)had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to ^(C)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell ^(D)in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells ^(E)in a tent.” ³ And Nathan said to the king, ^(F)“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(G)Would you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not lived in a house ^(H)since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ^(I)in a tent for my dwelling.

⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(A)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince^[a] over my people Israel. ^9 (B)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. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^(C)and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^(D)and be disturbed no more. ^(E)And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,

^11 (A)from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^(B)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^(C)the Lord will make you a house. ^12 (D)When your days are fulfilled and ^(E)you lie down with your fathers, ^(F)I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (G)He shall build a house for my name, and ^(H)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (I)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^(J)I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ^15 (K)but my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^(L)as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ^16 (M)And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^{[a] (N)}Your throne shall be established forever.’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.