1 Chronicles 17
1 Once David had settled into his palace, he spoke to the prophet Nahum. “Look,” he said, “I'm living in a cedar palace while the Ark of the Lord's Agreement is kept in a tent!”
And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah dwells under curtains.
2 “Do what you think you should, for the God is with you,” Nathan replied.
And Nathan said to David, Do all that is in thy heart, for God is with thee.
3 But that night God told Nathan,
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
4 “Go and talk to my servant David. Tell him, this is what the Lord says, You are not to build a house for me to live in.
Go and tell David my servant, Thus says Jehovah, Thou shall not build for me a house to dwell in.
5 I have not lived in a house from the time I led Israel out of Egypt until now. I have lived in tents, moving from place to place.
For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
6 But in all those travels with all of Israel did I ever ask any Israelite leader I'd ordered to take care of my people, ‘Why haven't you built a cedar house for me?’
In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, Why have ye not built for me a house of cedar?
7 So then, go and tell my servant David this is what the Lord Almighty says. It was me who took you from the fields, from looking after sheep, to become a leader of my people Israel.
Now therefore thus thou shall say to my servant David, Thus says Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, that thou should be prince over my people Israel.
8 I have been with you wherever you've gone. I have struck down all your enemies right in front of you, and I will make your reputation as great as the most famous people on earth.
And I have been with thee wherever thou have gone, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee. And I will make thee a name like the name of the great ones who are on the earth.
9 I will choose a place for my people Israel. I will settle them there and they won't be disturbed anymore. Evil people won't persecute them as they used to,
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more. Neither shall the sons of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,
10 from the time I placed judges in charge of my people. I will defeat all of your enemies. Also I want to make it clear that I the Lord will build a house for you.
and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build for thee a house.
11 For when you come to the end of your life and join your ancestors in death, I will bring to power one of your descendants, one of your sons, and make sure his kingdom is successful.
And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons. And I will establish his kingdom.
12 He will be the one to build me a house, and I will make sure his kingdom lasts forever.
He shall build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.
13 I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me. I will never take away my kindness and love from him, as I did in the case of the one who ruled before you.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. And I will not take my loving kindness away from him as I took it from him who was before thee.
14 I will put him in charge of my house and my kingdom forever, and his dynasty will last forever.”
But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.
15 This is what Nathan explained to David—everything he was told in this divine revelation.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
16 Then King David went and sat down in the presence of the Lord. He prayed, “Who am I, Lord God, and what is significant about my family, that you have brought me to this place?
Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah. And he said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou have brought me thus far?
17 God, you talk as if this was a small thing in your eyes, and you also have spoken about the future of my house, my family dynasty. You also see me as someone very important, Lord God.
And this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God. But thou have spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God.
18 What more can I, David, say to you for honoring me in this way? You know your servant all too well!
What can David say yet more to thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? For thou know thy servant.
19 Lord, you're doing all this for me, your servant, and because it's what you want—doing all these amazing things and letting people know about them.
O Jehovah, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, thou have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
20 Lord, there really is no-one like you; there is no other God, only you. We have never heard about anyone else.
O Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21 Who else is as fortunate as your people Israel? Who else on earth did God go and redeem to make his own people? You gained a wonderful reputation for yourself by all the tremendous, amazing things you did in driving out other nations before your people as you redeemed them from Egypt.
And what one nation on the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make thee a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before thy people whom thou redeemed out of Egypt?
22 You made your people Israel your own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
For thy people Israel thou made thine own people forever. And thou, Jehovah, became their God.
23 So now, Lord, please ensure that what you have said about me and my house happens, and lasts forever. Please do as you have promised,
And now, O Jehovah, let the word that thou have spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as thou have spoken.
24 and may your true nature be recognized and honored forever, with people declaring, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, is Israel's God!’ May the house of your servant David continue to be there in your presence.
And let thy name be established and magnified forever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel, and the house of David thy servant is established before thee.
25 You, my God, have explained to me, your servant, that you will build me a house. That's why your servant has had the courage to pray to you.
For thou, O my God, have revealed to thy servant that thou will build him a house. Therefore thy servant has found in his heart to pray before thee.
26 For you, Lord, are God! You are the one who has promised all these good things to your servant.
And now, O Jehovah, thou are God, and have promised this good thing to thy servant,
27 So now, please bless your servant's house that it may continue in your presence forever. For when you bless, Lord, it is blessed forever.”
and now it has pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Jehovah, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.
