2 Samuel 7:1-7

Good News Translation

Nathan's Message to David^(A)

7 King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord kept him safe from all his enemies. ² Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”

³ Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because the Lord is with you.” ⁴ But that night the Lord said to Nathan, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in. ⁶ From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have traveled around living in a tent. ⁷ In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders^[a] that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.’