17 Now it came to pass as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Lo, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remaineth under curtains.”

² Then Nathan said unto David, “Do all that is in thine heart, for God is with thee.”

³ And it came to pass the same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,

⁴ “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not build Me a house to dwell in;

⁵ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

⁶ Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spoke I a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, “Why have ye not built Me a house of cedars?”’

⁷ Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto My servant David, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over My people Israel.

⁸ And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth.

⁹ Also I will ordain a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning

¹⁰ and since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the Lord will build thee a house.

¹¹ And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

¹² He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

¹³ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee.

¹⁴ But I will settle him in Mine house and in My kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for evermore.’”

¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

¹⁶ And David the king came and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?

¹⁷ And yet this was a small thing in Thine eyes, O God; for Thou hast also spoken of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God.

¹⁸ What can David speak more to Thee for the honor of Thy servant? For Thou knowest Thy servant.

¹⁹ O Lord, for Thy servant’s sake and according to Thine own heart hast Thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

²⁰ O Lord, there is none like Thee, neither is there any God besides Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²¹ And what one nation on the earth is like Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be His own people, to make Thee a name of greatness and fearsomeness by driving out nations from before Thy people, whom Thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?

²² For Thy people Israel didst Thou make Thine own people for ever; and Thou, Lord, becamest their God.

²³ Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as Thou hast said.

²⁴ Let it even be established, that Thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and let the house of David Thy servant be established before Thee.’

²⁵ For Thou, O my God, hast told Thy servant that Thou wilt build him a house; therefore Thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before Thee.

²⁶ And now, Lord, Thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant.

²⁷ Now therefore let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may be before Thee for ever; for Thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed for ever.”