Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

7 After the king had been living in his palace awhile and Adonai had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to Natan the prophet, “Here, I’m living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark of God is kept in a tent!” ³ Natan said to the king, “Go, do everything that is in your heart, for Adonai is with you.”

⁴ But that same night the word of Adonai came to Natan: ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David that this is what Adonai says: ‘You are going to build me a house to live in? ⁶ Since the day I brought the people of Isra’el out of Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷ Everywhere I traveled with all the people of Isra’el, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribes of Isra’el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra’el, asking, “Why haven’t you built me a cedar-wood house?”’

⁸ “Therefore say this to my servant David that this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I took you from the sheep-yards, from following the sheep, to make you chief over my people, over Isra’el. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you went; I have destroyed all your enemies ahead of you; and I am making your reputation great, like the reputations of the greatest people on earth. ¹⁰ I will assign a place to my people Isra’el; I will plant them there, so that they can live in their own place without being disturbed any more. The wicked will no longer oppress them, as they did at the beginning, ¹¹ and as they did from the time I ordered judges to be over my people Isra’el; instead, I will give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘Moreover, Adonai tells you that Adonai will make you a house. ¹² When your days come to an end and you sleep with your ancestors, I will establish one of your descendants to succeed you, one of your own flesh and blood; and I will set up his rulership. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me. If he does something wrong, I will punish him with a rod and blows, just as everyone gets punished; ¹⁵ nevertheless, my grace will not leave him, as I took it away from Sha’ul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Thus your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before you; your throne will be set up forever.’” ¹⁷ Natan told David all of these words and described this entire vision.

²³ Now before the time for this trusting faithfulness came, we were imprisoned in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism, kept under guard until this yet-to-come trusting faithfulness would be revealed. ²⁴ Accordingly, the Torah functioned as a custodian until the Messiah came, so that we might be declared righteous on the ground of trusting and being faithful. ²⁵ But now that the time for this trusting faithfulness has come, we are no longer under a custodian.

²⁶ For in union with the Messiah, you are all children of God through this trusting faithfulness; ²⁷ because as many of you as were immersed into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah, in whom ²⁸ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. ²⁹ Also, if you belong to the Messiah, you are seed of Avraham and heirs according to the promise.