Chronological

Chapter 7

David’s Concern for the Ark.^{[a] 1} When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had granted him rest from all his enemies surrounding him, ² he said to the prophet Nathan: “Here I am, dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells in a tent.” ³ Nathan replied to the king: “Do not hesitate to do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ However, that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: “Are you determined to build a house for me to dwell in? ⁶ I have not dwelled in a house from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this very day. I have been moving from place to place while living in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷ In all of my travels everywhere among the Israelites, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I had appointed to shepherd my people Israel why they had never built me a house of cedar?” ’ ”

⁸ “Now then, this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I was the one who took you from the pastures and your work of caring for the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all of your enemies who dared to challenge you. Moreover, I intend to make your name as famous as the names of the greatest men on the earth.

¹⁰ “ ‘ “I also shall provide a place for my people Israel, and there I will plant them so that they may dwell there and never again be disturbed. Nor will the wicked afflict them anymore, as was the case formerly, ¹¹ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will grant you rest from all of your enemies.

“ ‘ “Moreover, I, the Lord, promise that I will establish a royal house for you. ^12 [b]And when it is time for you to be with your ancestors, I will designate as your heir one of your sons to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom forever. ¹³ It is he who will build a house in honor of my name, and I shall ensure that his royal throne will stand firm forever.

¹⁴ “ ‘ “I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son. If he does wrong, I shall punish him as any father would do and not fail to inflict chastisements upon him. ¹⁵ However, I will never withdraw my steadfast love from him as I withdrew it from Saul and shielded you from his vindictive plots. ¹⁶ Your descendants and your kingdom will stand firm forever before me, and your throne shall endure forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷ Nathan then related all these promises and this entire revelation to David.

¹⁸ King David’s Prayer. Then King David went in and, sitting in the presence of the Lord, he said:

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my lineage, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ Yet you regarded this as too insignificant an honor, Lord God, for you have also deigned to extend your protective care to the house of your servant for a long time to come. Who can truly consider himself sufficiently worthy to be the recipient of such love, Lord God?

²⁰ “What more can David say to you, Lord God, since you know everything about your servant? ²¹ For the sake of your promise and in accordance with the purpose you have in mind, you have decided to reveal all this to your servant.

²² “How great you are, Lord God! There is no one like you, and there is no God except you alone, as everything that we have heard confirms. ²³ And what other nation on earth can be compared to your people Israel, whom you sent forth to redeem for yourself from Egypt by awe-inspiring deeds as you drove out other nations and their gods. ²⁴ You have established your people Israel as your own forever, and you, Lord, became their God.

²⁵ “And now, Lord God, in regard to the promise that you have made concerning your servant and his house, do what you have promised, ²⁶ so that your name will be exalted forever, and people will say: ‘the Lord of hosts is the God of Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you, ²⁷ since you, the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, made this revelation to your servant: ‘I shall build a house for you.’ Therefore, your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to you.

²⁸ “And now, Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. You have made this generous promise to your servant.^{[c] 29} Therefore, bless the house of your servant, so that it may remain ever before you. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

Chapter 17^[a]

Nathan’s Oracle. ¹ After David had moved into his palace, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I live in a house of cedar, but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord lives under awnings.” ² Nathan said to David, “Do whatever you want to, for the Lord is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell David my servant: Thus says the Lord, ‘You are not to build a house in which I will live. ⁵ I have not dwelt in a house from the time that I brought Israel up from out of Egypt up to the present day. I have traveled around from one tent site to another. ⁶ In the whole time that I have traveled around with Israel, have I ever said to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, Why have you not built me a house made from cedar wood?’

⁷ “Now, therefore, tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I took you from the sheepfold, from following after the sheep, to be the ruler over my people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut down all of your enemies from before you. I have made your name famous, as famous as the great men of the earth. ⁹ I will establish a dwelling place for my people Israel. I will plant them so that they might dwell in their own place. They will not have to move about anymore, nor shall the children of wickedness oppress them as they have done in the past, ¹⁰ from the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will humble all of your enemies.

“ ‘Furthermore, it is the Lord who will build you a house. ¹¹ When your days have been fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, one of your sons,^[b] and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not withdraw my mercy from him, as I took it away from the one who preceded you.^{[c] 14} I will have him stand firm in my house forever, and his throne will be established forever.’ ”

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

¹⁶ David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving. King David then went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my household that you have brought me to this point? ¹⁷ And as if there were a small thing in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of your servant’s house. You have looked upon me, treating me as one who is highly exalted, O Lord God. ¹⁸ What else could David say to you for honoring your servant, for you know your servant well? ¹⁹ O Lord, you have done this great thing and revealed all these great things for the sake of your servant and because you have willed it. ²⁰ There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no other God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. ²¹ And who is like your people Israel, the one nation upon the earth whose God went forth to redeem his own people, thus making a great name for yourself, and who drove out nations with great wonders from before your people whom you redeemed out of Egypt. ²² You have granted that your people, Israel, will be your own people forever, and you, O Lord, will be their God.

²³ “O Lord, let the things that you have spoken concerning your servant and his household now be established forever, even as you have promised. ²⁴ As it is established, so will your name be forever great. It will be said, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, the God of Israel.’ Let the household of David, your servant, be established before you forever. ²⁵ You, O God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. This is why your servant has found it in his heart to say this prayer before you. ²⁶ O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁷ Therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it might be before you forever, for you have blessed it, O Lord, and may it be blessed forever.”