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17 Forsooth when David dwelled in his house, he said to Nathan, the prophet, Lo! I dwell in an house of cedars; and the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord is under skins. (And when David was in his house, he said to the prophet Nathan, Lo! I live in a cedar house; but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord is under curtains, or in a tent.)

And Nathan said to David, Do thou all things that be in thine heart, for God is with thee.

Therefore in that night (But in that night), the word of the Lord was made to Nathan, and (he) said,

Go thou, and speak to David, my servant, (and say,) The Lord saith these things, Thou shalt not build to me an house to dwell in (Thou shalt not built a House for me to live in);

certainly I have not dwelled in an house, from that time in which I led Israel out of the land of Egypt till to this day, but ever[more] I have changed places of the tabernacle, and have dwelled in a tent with all Israel. (truly I have not lived in a House, from that time in which I led Israel out of the land of Egypt unto this day, but always I have gone from place to place, and have lived in a tabernacle, yea, a tent, like all Israel.)

Whether I have spoken namely to one of the judges of Israel, to which I commanded that they should feed my people, and said, Why hast thou not builded to me an house of cedar? (Have I spoken to any of the judges of Israel, to whom I commanded that they should feed my people, and said, Why hast thou not built a cedar House for me?)

Now therefore thou shalt speak thus to my servant David, The Lord of hosts saith these things, I took thee, when thou followedest the flock in the pastures, that thou shouldest be duke upon my people Israel; (And so now thou shalt say thus to my servant David, The Lord of hosts saith these things, I took thee from the pastures, where thou followedest the flocks, so that thou wouldest be the leader of my people Israel;)

and I was with thee whither ever thou wentest, and I killed all thine enemies before thee, and I made to thee a name, as of one of the great men that be made worshipful, either famous, in [the] earth. (and I was with thee wherever thou wentest, and I killed all thy enemies before thee, and I made a name for thee, as of one of the great men to be honoured, or famous, on the earth.)

And I gave a place to my people Israel; it shall be planted, and shall dwell therein, and it shall no more be moved, and the sons of wickedness shall not defoul them, as from the beginning, (And I gave a place to my people Israel; they shall be planted there, and shall live there; and they shall no longer be oppressed, and the sons of wickedness shall not defile them, as they did at the beginning,)

10 from the days in which I gave judges to my people Israel; and I made low all thine enemies. Therefore I tell to thee, that the Lord shall build an house to thee. (in the days when I gave judges to my people Israel; yea, I shall humble all thy enemies. And so I tell thee, that the Lord shall build a house for thee.)

11 And when thou hast fulfilled thy days, that thou go to thy fathers, I shall raise up thy seed after thee, that shall be of thy sons, and I shall stablish his realm; (And when thou hast finished thy days, and thou shalt go to thy fathers, that is, when thou shalt die, I shall raise up thy descendant after thee, who shall be one of thy sons, and I shall stablish his kingdom;)

12 he shall build to me an house, and I shall make steadfast his seat into without end. (he shall build a House for me, and I shall make his throne steadfast forevermore.)

13 I shall be to him into a father, and he shall be to me into a son; and I shall not do away my mercy from him, as I took it away from him that was before thee; (I shall be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me; and I shall not take away my love from him, as I took it away from him who was before thee;)

14 and I shall ordain him in mine house and in my realm into without end; and his throne shall be most steadfast without end. (and I shall ordain him in my House and in my kingdom forevermore; and his throne shall be most steadfast forevermore.)

15 By all these words, and by all this revelation, so Nathan spake to David.

16 And when king David had come, and had set before the Lord, he said, Lord God, who am I, and what is mine house, that thou shouldest give such things to me?

17 But also this is seen (as) little in thy sight, and therefore thou hast spoken of the house of thy servant, yea, into time to coming (in the time to come); and thou hast made me worthy to be beholden over all men. My Lord God,

18 what may David add more, since thou hast so glorified thy servant, and hast known him? (what more can David add, or say, since thou hast so glorified thy servant, even though thou knowest him so well?)

19 Lord, for thy servant, thou hast done by thine heart all this great doing, and thou wouldest that all (these) great things be known. (Lord, for thy servant’s sake, and after thy own heart, thou hast done all this great doing, and thou desirest that all these great things be known.)

20 Lord, none is like thee, and none other God is without thee, of all which we have heard with our ears. (Lord, no one is like thee, and there is no other God besides thee, out of all which we have heard with our ears.)

21 For who is another (such) as thy people Israel, (this) one folk in [the] earth, to whom God went, to deliver and make a people to himself, and to cast out by his greatness and dreads nations from the face thereof, the which people he delivered from Egypt? (For who is another such as thy people Israel, this one nation in all the earth, to whom God went, and delivered from servitude, or from slavery, to make them his people, and to make a great and fearful name for himself, by throwing out nations from before them, yea, the people whom he rescued from Egypt?)

22 And thou hast set thy people Israel into a people to thee into without end, and thou, Lord, art made the God thereof (and thou, Lord, art made their God).

23 Now therefore (And so now), Lord, the word which thou hast spoken to thy servant, and on his house, be it confirmed without end, and do, as thou hast spoken;

24 and thy name dwell, and be (it) magnified without end; and be it said, The Lord of hosts is God of Israel, and the house of David, his servant, dwelling before him (and the house of his servant David shall live before him).

25 For thou, my Lord God, hast made revelation in the ear of thy servant, that thou wouldest build to him an house (that thou wouldest build a house for him); and therefore thy servant hath found trust, that he pray before thee.

26 Now therefore, Lord, thou art God, and hast spoken to thy servant so great benificences; (And so now, Lord, thou art God, and hast promised to thy servant such good and great things;)

27 and thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, that it be ever[more] before thee; for, Lord, for thou blessest, it shall be blessed without end. (and thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, that it be before thee forevermore; for, Lord, because thou blessest, it shall be blessed forevermore.)

God’s Promise to David(A)

17 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.(B)

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind,(C) do it, for God is with you.”

But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You(D) are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders[a] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?(E)”’

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler(F) over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders(G) over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

“‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: 11 When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build(H) a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.(I) 13 I will be his father,(J) and he will be my son.(K) I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne(L) will be established forever.(M)’”

15 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer(N)

16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

18 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 Lord. For the sake(O) of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.(P)

20 “There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you,(Q) as we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem(R) a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 You made your people Israel your very own forever,(S) and you, Lord, have become their God.

23 “And now, Lord, let the promise(T) you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

25 “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26 You, Lord, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight;(U) for you, Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 17:6 Traditionally judges; also in verse 10

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

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

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

Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:

For I have not dwelt in an 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.

Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?

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:

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 that are in the earth.

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 an 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, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish 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 honour 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 beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

21 And what one nation in 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 terribleness, 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 an 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.