2 Samuel 7

1 After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

3 And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

And Nathan said to the king, all that is in thy heart go and do; for the Lord is with thee.

4 But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,

And it came to pass during that night, That the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying,

5 “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in?

Go and say unto my servant, unto David, Thus hath said the Lord, Wilt thou indeed build me a house for my dwelling?

6 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling.

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even until this day; but have been moving about in a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’

In all the places where I moved about among all the children of Israel, did I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I ordained to feed my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built for me a house of cedar?

8 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel.

Now therefore, thus shalt thou say unto my servant, to David, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheep-cote, from behind the flocks, to be a ruler over my people, over Israel;

9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.

And I have been with thee whithersoever thou didst go, and I have cut off all thy enemies from thy presence, and I have made thee a great name, like the name of the great who are on the earth;

10 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning

And I have procured a place for my people, for Israel, and I have planted them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be no more troubled; and that the children of wickedness shall not afflict them any more as aforetimes,

11 and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you.

And [as it was] since the day that I ordained judges to be over my people Israel; and I have caused thee to rest from all thy enemies; and the Lord telleth thee that he, the Lord, will make thee a house.

12 And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

When thy days will be completed, and thou wilt sleep with thy fathers: then will I set up thy seed after thee, who shall proceed out of thy body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

He it is that shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

14 I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

I too will be to him as a father, and he shall indeed be to me as a son: so that when he committeth iniquity, I will chastise him with the rod of men, and with the plagues of the children of man;

15 But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of your way.

But my kindness shall not depart from him, as I caused it to depart from Saul, whom I removed from before thee.

16 Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”

And thy house and thy kingdom shall be steadfast for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

17 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire vision.

In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

18 Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

Then went king David in, and sat down before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord Eternal? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me as far as hitherward?

19 And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD?

And this was yet too small a thing in thine eyes, O Lord Eternal; and thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a distant time. And is this the desert of man, O Lord Eternal?

20 What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD.

And what can David add yet more to speak unto thee? since thou, O Lord Eternal, knowest well thy servant?

21 For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant.

For the sake of thy word, and in accordance with thy own heart, hast thou done all this great thing, so as to let thy servant know it.

22 How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.

Therefore art thou great, O Eternal God; for there is none like thee, and there is no God beside thee, in accordance with all that we have heard with our ears.

23 And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt.

And who is like thy people, like Israel, the only nation on the earth, which God went to redeem for himself as a people, and to acquire for himself a name, and to do for you this great deed, and fearful things for thy land [to drive out], from before thy people which thou hast redeemed for thyself from Egypt, nations and their gods.

24 For You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

For thou hast established for thyself thy people Israel as a people unto thee for ever; and thou, O Lord, art indeed become their God.

25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised,

And now, O Eternal God, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, stand firm for ever, and do as thou hast spoken.

26 so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You.

And let thy name be magnified unto everlasting, that men may say, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and may the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

27 For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.

For thou, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, saying, A house will be built up for thee; therefore hath thy servant found the heart to pray unto thee this prayer.

28 And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.

And now, O Lord Eternal, thou art the [true] God, and thy words must become the truth, and thou hast spoken unto thy servant this goodness:

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 with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”

And now let it please thee and bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord Eternal, hast spoken it; and from thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.