David Plans to Build a Temple

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

⁴ But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(F)Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? ⁶ For ^(G)I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about ^(H)in a tent, even in a ^[a]tabernacle. ^7 (I)Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^(J)which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

God’s Covenant with David

⁸ “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “^(K)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^(L)to be ruler over My people Israel. ^9 (M)I have been with you wherever you have gone and ^(N)have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and ^(O)will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, ^(P)nor will the ^[b]wicked afflict them any more as formerly, ¹¹ even ^(Q)from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and ^(R)I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that ^(S)the Lord will make a house for you. ^12 (T)When your days are complete and you ^(U)lie down with your fathers, ^(V)I will raise up your ^[c]descendant after you, who will come forth from ^[d]you, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (W)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(X)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (Y)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^(Z)when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, ¹⁵ but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, ^(AA)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ^16 (AB)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before ^[e]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁸ Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “^(AC)Who am I, O Lord ^[f]God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, ^(AD)for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And ^(AE)this is the ^[g]custom of man, O Lord God. ²⁰ Again what more can David say to You? For ^(AF)You know Your servant, O Lord God! ^21 (AG)For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. ²² For this reason ^(AH)You are great, O Lord God; for ^(AI)there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, ^(AJ)according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And ^(AK)what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and ^(AL)to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before ^(AM)Your people whom ^(AN)You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? ²⁴ For ^(AO)You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and ^(AP)You, O Lord, have become their God. ²⁵ Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, ^26 (AQ)that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have ^[h]made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘^(AR)I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found ^[i]courage to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ Now, O Lord God, You are God, and ^(AS)Your words are truth, and You have ^[j]promised this good thing to Your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and ^(AT)with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

Give Heed

2 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to ^[a]what we have heard, so that ^(A)we do not drift away from it. ² For if the word ^(B)spoken through ^(C)angels proved ^[b]unalterable, and ^(D)every transgression and disobedience received a just ^[c](E)penalty, ^3 (F)how will we escape if we neglect so great a ^(G)salvation? ^[d]After it was at the first ^(H)spoken through the Lord, it was ^(I)confirmed to us by those who heard, ⁴ God also testifying with them, both by ^(J)signs and wonders and by ^(K)various ^[e]miracles and by ^[f](L)gifts of the Holy Spirit ^(M)according to His own will.

Earth Subject to Man

⁵ For He did not subject to angels ^[g](N)the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. ⁶ But one has testified ^(O)somewhere, saying,

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now ^(S)we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

Jesus Briefly Humbled

⁹ But we do see Him who was ^(T)made ^[j]for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, ^(U)because of the suffering of death ^(V)crowned with glory and honor, so that ^(W)by the grace of God He might ^(X)taste death ^(Y)for everyone.

¹⁰ For ^(Z)it was fitting for Him, ^(AA)for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to ^(AB)perfect the ^[k](AC)author of their salvation through sufferings. ¹¹ For both He who ^(AD)sanctifies and those who ^(AE)are ^[l]sanctified are all ^(AF)from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them ^(AG)brethren, ¹² saying,

¹³ And again,

And again,

¹⁴ Therefore, since the children share in ^[m](AK)flesh and blood, ^(AL)He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that ^(AM)through death He might render powerless ^(AN)him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and might free those who through ^(AO)fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶ For assuredly He does not ^[n]give help to angels, but He gives help to the ^[o]descendant of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, He ^[p]had ^(AP)to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might ^(AQ)become a merciful and faithful ^(AR)high priest in ^(AS)things pertaining to God, to ^(AT)make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was ^(AU)tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.