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!”
And it came to pass as David lived in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord [is] under [curtains] of 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 it came to pass in that night, that the word of the Lord 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 say to David my servant, Thus said the Lord, You shall not build me a house for me to dwell in it.
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 lived in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but I have been in a tabernacle and a 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]?”’
in all places through which I have gone with all Israel: did I ever speak to [any] one tribe of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, [Why is it] that you have not built me a house of cedar?
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 now thus shall you say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord Almighty, I took you from the sheepfold, from following the flocks, to be a ruler over 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 was with you in all places whither you went, and I destroyed all your enemies from before you, and I made for you a name according to the name of the great ones that are 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 will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant him, and he shall dwell by himself, and shall no longer be anxious; and the son of iniquity shall no longer afflict him, as at the beginning,
and from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel. Also I have humbled all your enemies, and I will increase you, and the Lord will build you a house.
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 it shall come to pass when your days shall be fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your bowels, 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 me a house, and I will set up his throne for ever.
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 to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and my mercy will I not withdraw from him, as I withdrew [it] from them that were before you.
14 I will cause him to rule over my people [MTY], and his kingdom will endure forever [DOU].’”
And I will establish him in my house and in his kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be set up for ever.
15 So Nathan reported to David everything that Yahweh had revealed to him.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so spoke Nathan 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 king David came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what [is] my house, that you have loved me for ever?
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]!
And these things were little in your sight, O God: you have also spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time to come, and you have looked upon me as a man looks upon his fellow, and have exalted me, 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 shall David do more toward you to glorify [you]? and you know your servant.
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].
And you have wrought all this greatness according to your heart.
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 none like you, and there is no God beside you, according to all things which we have heard 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].
Neither is there another nation upon the earth [such] as your people Israel, whereas God led him in the way, to redeem a people for himself, to make for himself a great and glorious name, to cast out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed out of Egypt.
22 You have caused us your Israeli people to belong to you forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
And you have appointed your people Israel as a people to yourself for ever; and you, Lord, did become a God to them.
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.
And now, Lord, let the word which you spoke to your servant, and concerning his house, be confirmed for ever, and do you 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 let your name [be] established and magnified for ever, [men] saying, Lord, Lord, Almighty God of Israel: and [let] the house of your servant David [be] established before you.
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 him a house; therefore your servant has found a willingness to pray before you.
26 Yahweh, you are God! You have promised to do these good things for me.
And now, Lord, you yourself are God, and you have spoken these good things concerning your servant.
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 now you have begun to bless the house of your servant, so that it should continue for ever before you: for you, Lord, have blessed [it], and do you bless [it] for ever.
