The Lord’s Covenant with David

7 When the king had settled into his palace^(A) and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ² the king said to the prophet Nathan,^(B) “Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside tent curtains.”^(C)

³ So Nathan told the king, “Go and do all that is on your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵ “Go to my servant David and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you to build me a house to dwell in?^{(D) 6} From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until today I have not dwelt in a house; instead, I have been moving around with a tent as my dwelling.^{(E) 7} In all my journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever spoken a word to one of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, asking: Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?’

⁸ “So now this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.^{(F) 9} I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a great name^(G) for you like that of the greatest on the earth.^{(H) 10} I will designate a place^(I) for my people Israel and plant them,^(J) so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they have done ¹¹ ever since the day I ordered judges to be over my people Israel.^(K) I will give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘The Lord declares to you: The Lord himself will make a house for you. ¹² When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.^{(L) 13} He is the one who will build a house for my name,^(M) and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.^{(N) 14} I will be his father, and he will be my son.^(O) When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. ¹⁵ But my faithful love will never leave him^(P) as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.^{(Q) 16} Your house and kingdom will endure before me^[a] forever,^(R) and your throne will be established forever.’”^(S)

¹⁷ Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

¹⁸ Then King David went in,^(T) sat in the Lord’s presence, and said,

Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ What you have done so far^[b] was a little thing to you, Lord God, for you have also spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future. And this is a revelation^[c] for mankind, Lord God. ²⁰ What more can David say to you? You know your servant,^(U) Lord God. ²¹ Because of your word and according to your will, you have revealed all these great things to your servant.

²² This is why you are great,^(V) Lord God. There is no one like you, and there is no God besides you,^(W) as all we have heard confirms. ²³ And who is like your people Israel? God came to one nation on earth in order to redeem a people for himself, to make a name for himself, and to perform for them^[d] great and awesome acts,^[e] driving out nations and their gods before your people you redeemed for yourself from Egypt.^{(X) 24} You established your people Israel to be your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.^(Y)

²⁵ Now, Lord God, fulfill the promise forever that you have made to your servant and his house. Do as you have promised, ²⁶ so that your name will be exalted forever, when it is said, “The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.” The house of your servant David^(Z) will be established before you ²⁷ since you, Lord of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant when you said, “I will build a house for you.” Therefore, your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸ Lord God, you are God; your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁹ Now, please bless your servant’s house so that it will continue before you forever. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing your servant’s house will be blessed forever.^(AA)

David’s Victories

8 After this, David defeated the Philistines,^(AB) subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah^[f] from Philistine control.^{[g](AC) 2} He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.^(AD)

³ David also defeated Hadadezer^(AE) son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control at the Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured seventeen hundred horsemen^[h] and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, and he hamstrung all the horses^(AF) and kept a hundred chariots.^[i]

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus^(AG) came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men. ⁶ Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.^(AH)

⁷ David took the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem.^{(AI) 8} King David also took huge quantities of bronze from Betah^[j] and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities.

⁹ When King Toi of Hamath^(AJ) heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Toi and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Joram had items of silver, gold, and bronze with him. ¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued^(AK)— ¹² from Edom,^[k] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ David made a reputation^(AL) for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites^[l] in Salt Valley.^{[m](AM) 14} He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David.^(AN) The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.^(AO)

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.^(AP)

The Lord’s Covenant with David

17 When David^(A) had settled into his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “Look! I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under tent curtains.”^(B)

² So Nathan told David, “Do all that is on your mind, for God is with you.”

³ But that night^(C) the word of God came to Nathan: ⁴ “Go to David my servant and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.^{(D) 5} From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until today I have not dwelt in a house; instead, I have moved from one tent site to another, and from one tabernacle location to another.^{[a](E) 6} In all my journeys throughout Israel, have I ever spoken a word to even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, asking: Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?’ ^(F)

⁷ “So now this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.^{(G) 8} I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest on the earth. ⁹ I will designate a place for my people Israel and plant them,^(H) so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they have done ¹⁰ ever since the day I ordered judges to be over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

“‘Furthermore, I declare to you that the Lord himself will build a house for you. ¹¹ When your time comes to be with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who is one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He is the one who will build a house for me,^(I) and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son.^(J) I will not remove my faithful love from him as I removed it from the one who was before you.^{(K) 14} I will appoint him over my house and my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.’”^(L)

¹⁵ Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

¹⁶ Then^(M) King David went in, sat in the Lord’s presence, and said,

Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷ This was a little thing to you,^[b] God, for you have spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future. You regard me as a man of distinction,^[c] Lord God. ¹⁸ What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? You know your servant. ¹⁹ Lord, you have done this whole great thing, making known all these great promises for the sake of your servant and according to your will.^{(N) 20} Lord, there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as all we have heard confirms. ²¹ And who is like your people Israel? God, you came to one nation on earth to redeem a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself through great and awesome works by driving out nations before your people you redeemed from Egypt.^{(O) 22} You made your people Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.^(P)

²³ Now, Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house be confirmed forever, and do as you have promised. ²⁴ Let your name be confirmed and magnified forever in the saying, “The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.” May the house of your servant David be established before you. ²⁵ Since you, my God, have revealed to^[d](Q) your servant that you will build him a house, your servant has found courage to pray in your presence. ²⁶ Lord, you indeed are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁷ So now, you have been pleased to bless your servant’s house that it may continue before you forever. For you, Lord, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever.

Psalm 132

David and Zion Chosen

A song of ascents.

Appeal to Caesar

25 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.^{(A) 2} The chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented their case against Paul to him; and they appealed,^{(B) 3} asking for a favor against Paul, that Festus summon him to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, preparing an ambush along the road to kill him. ⁴ Festus, however, answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly.^{(C) 5} “Therefore,” he said, “let those of you who have authority go down with me and accuse him, if he has done anything wrong.”

⁶ When he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, seated at the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought in.^{(D) 7} When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove.^{(E) 8} Then Paul made his defense: “Neither against the Jewish law,^(F) nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned in any way.”

⁹ But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor,^(G) replied to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there on these charges?”

¹⁰ Paul replied, “I am standing at Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as even you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If then I did anything wrong and am deserving of death, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!” ^(H)

¹² Then after Festus conferred with his council, he replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go.”

King Agrippa and Bernice Visit Festus

¹³ Several days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid a courtesy call on Festus. ¹⁴ Since they were staying there several days, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There’s a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix. ¹⁵ When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented their case and asked that he be condemned.^{(I) 16} I answered them that it is not the Roman custom to give someone up^[a] before the accused faces the accusers and has an opportunity for a defense against the charges.^{(J) 17} So when they had assembled here, I did not delay. The next day I took my seat at the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. ¹⁸ The accusers stood up but brought no charge against him of the evils I was expecting. ¹⁹ Instead they had some disagreements^(K) with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive. ²⁰ Since I was at a loss in a dispute over such things, I asked him if he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding these matters. ²¹ But when Paul appealed to be held for trial by the Emperor,^[b] I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.”

²² Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”

“Tomorrow you will hear him,” he replied.^(L)

Paul before Agrippa

²³ So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice^(M) came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the military commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all men present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish community has appealed to me concerning him, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he should not live any longer.^{(N) 25} I found that he had not done anything deserving of death, but when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.^{(O) 26} I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination is over, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”