1 Chronicles 17

1 And it comes to pass as David sat in his house, that David says to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedars, and the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH [is] under curtains”;

After David began to live in his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “[It does not seem right that] I am here living in a palace made of cedar [wood], but Yahweh’s Sacred Chest is kept inside a tent!”

2 and Nathan says to David, “All that [is] in your heart do, for God [is] with you.”

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you are thinking about doing, do it, because God is with/guiding you.”

3 And it comes to pass on that night that a word of God is to Nathan, saying,

But that night God spoke [MTY] to Nathan. He said,

4 “Go, and you have said to My servant David, Thus said YHWH: You do not build for Me the house to dwell in.

“Go and tell my servant David that this is what I, Yahweh, am saying to him: ‘You are not the one who should build a temple for me to live in.

5 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, and I am [going] from tent to tent, and from the Dwelling Place.

I have not lived in any building, from the day that I brought the people of Israel up [out of Egypt] until now. Instead, I have [lived in a tent], moving from one place to another with [the Israelis] when they moved to other places [DOU].

6 Wherever I have walked up and down among all Israel, have I spoken a word with one of [the] judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, Why have you not built a house of cedars for Me?

Wherever I went with all the Israelis [as they traveled], I never [RHQ] said to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead [MET] them, “Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar [wood]?”’

7 And now, thus you say to My servant, to David, Thus said YHWH of Hosts: I have taken you from the habitation, from after the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel,

Therefore, this is what you should say to my servant David: ‘I, the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, took you from a pasture where you were taking care of sheep, [and I appointed you] to be the ruler of my Israeli people.

8 and I am with you wherever you have walked, and I cut off all your enemies from your presence, and have made a name for you like the name of the great ones who [are] in the earth.

I have (been with/helped) you wherever you have gone, and I have gotten rid of all your enemies as you advanced. And now I will cause you to become very famous, as well-known as the names of the greatest men [who have ever lived] on the earth.

9 And I have prepared a place for My people Israel, and planted it, and it has dwelt in its place, and is not troubled anymore, and the sons of perverseness do not add to wear it out as at first,

Formerly, during the time that I appointed leaders for my Israeli people, many violent groups oppressed them. But this will not happen any more. I have chosen a place where my Israeli people can live [peacefully] and no one will disturb them any more. I will give not allow them to [be attacked by] their enemies. And I will defeat all your enemies. I declare to you that I, Yahweh, will enable your descendants to rule after you [die].

10 indeed, even from the days that I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I have humbled all your enemies, and I declare to you that YHWH builds a house for you.

11 And it has come to pass, when your days have been fulfilled to go with your fathers, that I have raised up your seed after you, who is of your sons, and I have established his kingdom;

When your life ends [EUP], and you [die and] go to be with your ancestors [who have died], I will appoint one of your sons to become king, and I will enable his kingdom to (be strong/resist all their enemies).

12 he builds a house for Me, and I have established his throne for all time;

He is the one who will [arrange for] a temple to be built for me. And I will enable his descendants to be kings [MTY] of Israel forever.

13 I am to him for a father, and he is to Me for a son, and I do not turn aside My kindness from him as I turned it aside from him who was before you,

I will be [like] a father to him, and [it will be as though] he [is] a son to me. I stopped loving [Saul, ] the one who was the king before you became king, but I will never stop loving your son.

14 and I have established him in My house, and in My kingdom for all time, and his throne is established for all time.”

I will cause him to rule over my people [MTY], and his kingdom will endure forever [DOU].’”

15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so spoke Nathan to David.

So Nathan reported to David everything that Yahweh had revealed to him.

16 And David the king comes in and sits before YHWH, and says, “Who [am] I, O YHWH God, and what [is] my house, that You have brought me here?

Then David went [into the Sacred Tent] and sat in the presence of Yahweh, and prayed this: “Yahweh my God, I am certainly not [RHQ] worthy for you to have done all these things for me, and my family is not worthy, either.

17 And this is small in Your eyes, O God, and You speak concerning the house of Your servant far off, and have seen me as a type of the man who is on high, O YHWH God!

“And O God, now, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations. Yahweh my God, you have acted toward me as though I was the most important man [on the earth]!

18 What more does David add to You for the honor of Your servant; and You have known Your servant.

“What more can I, David, say to you [for honoring me]? Although you know very well what I am like,

19 O YHWH, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart You have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

Yahweh, for my sake and because it is what you wanted to do, you have done these great things [for me], and you have revealed to me these things [that you are promising to do].

20 O YHWH, there is none like You, and there is no god except You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

“Yahweh, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, which is what we have always heard.

21 And who [is] as Your people Israel, one nation in the earth whom God has gone to ransom to Himself for a people, to make a great and fearful name for Yourself, to cast out nations from the presence of Your people whom You have ransomed out of Egypt?

And there is no nation in the world like Israel [RHQ]. Israel is the only nation on the earth whose people you rescued. You performed great and awesome miracles, rescuing our ancestors from [being slaves in] Egypt, and expelling the people of other people-groups [who were in Canaan].

22 Indeed, You appoint Your people Israel to Yourself for a people for all time, and You, O YHWH, have been to them for God.

You have caused us your Israeli people to belong to you forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!

23 And now, O YHWH, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant, and concerning his house, be steadfast for all time, and do as You have spoken;

“And now Yahweh, I pray that you will cause the things that you have promised to do for me and my descendants [MTY] to be fulfilled forever.

24 and let it be steadfast, and Your Name is great for all time, saying, YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, [is] God to Israel, and the house of Your servant David is established before You;

When that happens, you [MTY] will be famous forever. And people will exclaim, ‘The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, is the God who rules Israel!’ And you will cause that forever there will be descendants [MTY] of mine who will rule.

25 for You, O my God, have uncovered the ear of Your servant—to build a house for him, therefore Your servant has found [desire] to pray before You.

“You, my God, have revealed to me that you will cause [some of] my descendants to become kings. So I am brave enough to pray like this to you.

26 And now, YHWH, You [are] God Himself, and You speak this goodness concerning Your servant;

Yahweh, you are God! You have promised to do these good things for me.

27 and now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, to be before You for all time; for You, O YHWH, have blessed, and it is blessed for all time.”

And now you, Yahweh, have [promised to] bless my descendants [MTY], in order that they will continue to rule forever. That will happen because you, Yahweh, are the one who has blessed them, and you will keep blessing them forever.”