1 Chronicles 17
1 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!”
Now when David was living in his house, he said to the prophet Nathan: “Behold, I live in a house of cedar. But the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent skins.”
2 Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you are thinking about doing, do it, because God is with/guiding you.”
And Nathan said to David: “Do all that is in your heart. For God is with you.”
3 But that night God spoke [MTY] to Nathan. He said,
And yet, that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
4 “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.
“Go, and speak to my servant David: Thus says the Lord: You shall not build a house for me as a dwelling place.
5 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].
For I have not stayed in a house from the time when I led out Israel, even to this day. Instead, I have been continually changing places, in a tabernacle and tent,
6 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]?”’
dwelling with all of Israel. When did I ever speak to any one at all, among the judges of Israel whom I placed in charge so that they might pasture my people, saying: ‘Why have you not built a house of cedar for me?’
7 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.
And so, now you shall say this to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you when you were following the flock in the pastures, so that you would be the leader of my people Israel.
8 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.
And I have been with you wherever you have gone. And I have slain all your enemies before you, and I have made a name for you like one of the great ones who are celebrated upon the earth.
9 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].
And I have given a place to my people Israel. They shall be planted, and they shall live in it, and they shall no longer be moved. Neither shall the sons of iniquity wear them away, as in the beginning,
from the days when I gave judges to my people Israel, and I humbled all your enemies. Therefore, I announce to you that the Lord will build a house for you.
11 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).
And when you will have completed your days, so that you go to your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall be from your sons. And I will establish his kingdom.
12 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.
He shall build a house for me, and I will make firm his throne, even unto eternity.
13 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.
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. And I will not take away my mercy from him, as I took it away from the one who was before you.
14 I will cause him to rule over my people [MTY], and his kingdom will endure forever [DOU].’”
And I will station him in my house and in my kingdom, even forever. And his throne will be very firm, in perpetuity.”
15 So Nathan reported to David everything that Yahweh had revealed to him.
According to all these words, and according to this entire vision, so did Nathan speak to David.
16 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.
And when king David had departed, and had sat down before the Lord, he said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you would grant such things to me?
17 “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]!
But even this has seemed little in your sight, and therefore you have also spoken about the house of your servant even for the future. And you have made me a spectacle above all men, O Lord God.
18 “What more can I, David, say to you [for honoring me]? Although you know very well what I am like,
What more can David add, since you have so glorified your servant, and have known him?
19 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].
O Lord, because of your servant, in accord with your own heart, you have brought about all this magnificence, and you have willed all these great things to be known.
20 “Yahweh, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, which is what we have always heard.
O Lord, there is no one like you. And there is no other God apart from you, out of all whom we have heard about with our ears.
21 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].
For what other single nation upon earth is like your people Israel, to whom God reached out, so that he might free them, and might make a people for himself, and by his greatness and terribleness cast out the nations before the face of those whom he had freed from Egypt?
22 You have caused us your Israeli people to belong to you forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
And you have set your people Israel to be your people, even unto eternity. And you, O Lord, have become their God.
23 “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.
Now therefore, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken to your servant, and over his house, be confirmed in perpetuity, and do just as you have spoken.
24 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.
And may your name remain and be magnified even for all time. And let it be said: ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel. And the house of his servant David remains forever before him.’
25 “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.
For you, O Lord my God, have revealed to the ear of your servant that you will build a house for him. And therefore your servant has found faith so that he might pray before you.
26 Yahweh, you are God! You have promised to do these good things for me.
Now then, O Lord, you are God. And you have spoken to your servant such great benefits.
27 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.”
And you have begun to bless the house of your servant, so that it may be always before you. For since it is you who is blessing, O Lord, it shall be blessed forever.”
