2 Samuel 7
1 After [King] David began to live in his palace, Yahweh protected him from all his enemies.
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 One day he said to the prophet Nathan, “[It is not right that] I am here, living in a [beautiful] house made of cedar [wood], but the chest that contains God’s Ten Commandments is kept in a tent!”
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.
3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Yahweh is helping/directing you, so do [regarding that chest] whatever you are thinking.”
And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart; for the LORD is with you.
4 But that night, Yahweh said to Nathan,
And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5 “Go and tell my servant, David, that this is what [I], Yahweh, am saying to him: ‘You are not the one [RHQ] who should build a temple for me to live in.
Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the LORD, Shall you build me an house for me to dwell in?
6 I have not lived in any building from the day that I brought the Israeli people up from Egypt until now. Instead, I have been living in a tent, moving from one place to another [when the Israelis] moved to other places.
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 Wherever I went with all the Israelis [as they traveled], I never said [RHQ] to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead them, “Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar [wood]?”’
In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build all of you not me an house of cedar?
8 So this is what you should say to my servant David: ‘The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels says that he took you from a pasture where you were taking care of sheep, [and appointed you] to become the ruler of my Israeli people.
Now therefore so shall you say unto my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
9 I have (been with/helped) you wherever you have gone. I have gotten rid of all your enemies as you advanced. I will enable you to become very famous, as well-known as the names of all the greatest men [who have ever lived] on the earth.
And I was with you anywhere you went, and have cut off all of your enemies out of your sight, and have made you a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
10 Formerly, during the time that I appointed leaders for my Israeli people, many violent groups oppressed the Israelis. 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 them rest from [being 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].
Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as in time past,
And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all of your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that he will make you an house.
12 When your life ends [EUP] and you go to be with your ancestors, I will appoint one of your sons to be king, and I will enable his kingdom to (be strong/resist all their enemies).
And when your days be fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, which shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He is the one who will arrange for a temple to be built for me [MTY], and I will cause his [descendants] to be kings [MTY] [of Israel] forever.
He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be [like] a father to him, and [it will be as though] he [is] a son to me [MET]. When he does something that is wrong, I will punish him as fathers punish their sons.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But I will not stop faithfully loving him as I stopped loving Saul, whom I removed from being king before you became king.
But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.
16 Your descendants will rule the kingdom [of Israel] forever. Their rule will never end. [DOU]’”
And your house and your kingdom shall be established for ever before you: your throne shall be established for ever.
17 So Nathan told David everything that Yahweh had told him.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
18 Then David went into [the Sacred Tent] and sat in the presence of Yahweh, and prayed this: “Yahweh, my God, I am not worthy [RHQ] [for you to have done all these things] for me, and my family is not worthy, either.
Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that you have brought me until now?
19 “And now, O Yahweh my God, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations.
And this was yet a small thing in your sight, O Lord GOD; but you have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
20 “Yahweh God, what more can I, David, say to you [for honoring me]? Although you know very well [what I am like], Yahweh my God, you have done things for me as though I was the most important man [on the earth]!
And what can David say more unto you? for you, Lord GOD, know your servant.
21 For my sake and because it is what you wanted to do, you have done all these great things for me.
For your word's sake, and according to your own heart, have you done all these great things, to make your servant know them.
22 “Yahweh my God, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, just as we have always heard.
Wherefore you are great, O LORD God: for there is none like you, neither is there any God beside you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 And there is no other nation in the world like Israel. Israel is the only nation on the earth whose people you went out to rescue [RHQ]. By the great and awesome things that you did, you have become famous/well-known throughout the world. As your people advanced [through this land], you expelled other people-groups [who were here in Canaan], who worshiped other gods.
And what one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for your land, before your people, which you redeemed to you from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
24 And you caused us Israeli people to be your people forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
For you have confirmed to yourself your people Israel to be a people unto you for ever: and you, LORD, are become their God.
25 “And now, Yahweh my God, [I pray that you will] cause the things that you promised to me about my descendants to be fulfilled forever, and [that you will] do the things that you said [that you would do].
And now, O LORD God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as you have said.
26 When that happens, you will become 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 of mine who will rule.
And let your name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of your servant David be established before you.
27 “Yahweh Almighty, the God whom we Israeli people [worship], you have revealed to me that you will make some of my descendants kings. For that reason, I have been brave enough to pray like this to you.
For you, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, I will build you an house: therefore has your servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto you.
28 So now, O Yahweh Almighty, because you are God, we can trust that you will do what you promise. You have promised these good things to me.
And now, O Lord GOD, you are that God, and your words be true, and you have promised this goodness unto your servant:
29 So now I ask you that if it pleases you, you will bless my descendants, in order that they may continue [to rule] forever. Yahweh God, you have promised these things, and [so I know that] you will keep blessing my descendants forever.”
Therefore now let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever before you: for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken it: and with your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed for ever.
