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!”

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

2 “Do what you think you should, for the God is with you,” Nathan replied.

Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.

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 the LORD, You shall not build me an 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 dwelled in an 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?’

Wherever 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 you not built me an house of cedars?

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 shall you say to my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that you should be ruler 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 you wherever you have walked, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men that are in 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,

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 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 since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you an 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 your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your 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 me an house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

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 mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before you:

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 for ever: and his throne shall be established for ever more.

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 did Nathan speak 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?

And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me till now?

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 yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O God; for you have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD 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 speak more to you for the honor of your servant? for you know your 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 LORD, for your servant’s sake, and according to your own heart, have you done all this greatness, in making 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 LORD, there is none like you, neither is there any God beside you, 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 in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make you a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before your people whom you have redeemed out of Egypt?

22 You made your people Israel your own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

For your people Israel did you make your own people for ever; and you, LORD, 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,

Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as you have said.

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.

Let it even be established, that your 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 your servant be established before you.

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 you, O my God, have told your servant that you will build him an house: therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray before you.

26 For you, Lord, are God! You are the one who has promised all these good things to your servant.

And now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this goodness to your 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.”

Now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may be before you for ever: for you bless, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.