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 unto Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains.
2 “Do what you think you should, for the God is with you,” Nathan replied.
And Nathan said unto David, All that is in thy heart do; for God is with thee.
3 But that night God told Nathan,
And it came to pass during that night, that the word of God came unto 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 say unto David my servant, Thus hath said the Lord, Not thou shalt build for me the 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 even until this day; but have been [moving] 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 the places where I moved about among all Israel, did I speak a word to any one of the judges of Israel, whom I had ordained to feed 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 shalt thou say unto my servant, to David, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, I took thee away from the sheepcote, from behind the flocks, to be a 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 thee withersoever thou didst go, and I have cut off all thy enemies from thy presence, and I have made thee a name; like the name of the great men 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 have procured a place for my people 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 waste them any more, as aforetimes,
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 it was] since the time that I ordained judges to be over my people Israel; and I have humbled all thy enemies; and now I tell thee that the Lord 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, that, when thy days will be completed that thou must go [to sleep] with thy fathers, 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 it is that shall build for me a 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 too will be to him as a father, and he shall indeed be unto me as a son: and my kindness will I not cause to depart from him, as I caused it to depart from him that 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 place him firmly in my house and in my kingdom for evermore; and his throne shall be established for ever.
15 This is what Nathan explained to David—everything he was told in this divine revelation.
In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto 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 went king David in and sat down before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me as far as hitherward?
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 [yet] too small a thing in thy eyes, O God, and thou hast spoken concerning thy servant's house for a distant time, and hast regarded me as though I belonged to the rank 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 add yet more [to speak] unto thee of the honor of thy servant? since thou knowest well 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 Lord, for the sake of thy servant, and in accordance with thy own heart, hast thou done all this great thing, 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 Lord, there is none like thee, and there is no god beside thee, in accordance with 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 who is like thy people Israel, the only nation on the earth which God went to redeem for himself as a people, to acquire for thyself a name for great and terrible deeds, by driving out nations from before thy people, which thou hadst redeemed out of Egypt?
22 You made your people Israel your own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
And thou hast instituted thy people Israel unto thyself as a people for ever; and thou, Lord, art indeed become 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 Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be verified for ever, and do as thou hast 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.
Yea, let it be verified, and let thy name be magnified unto everlasting, that men may say, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God for Israel; and may the house of David thy servant be 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, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, that thou wilt build for him a house; therefore hath thy servant found himself able 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 Lord, thou art the [true] God, and thou hast spoken concerning thy servant this goodness:
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 hast thou been pleased to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord, hast blessed, and [it will remain] blessed for ever.
