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 dwelt 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 a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwelleth 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, all that is in thy heart go and do; for the Lord is with thee.
4 But that night, Yahweh said to Nathan,
And it came to pass during 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 say unto my servant, unto David, Thus hath said the Lord, Wilt thou indeed build me a house for my dwelling?
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.
For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even until this day; but have been moving about 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 where I moved about among all the children of Israel, did I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I ordained to feed my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built for me a 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, thus shalt thou say unto my servant, to David, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheep-cote, from behind the flocks, to be a 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 have been with thee whithersoever thou didst go, and I have cut off all thy enemies from thy presence, and I have made thee a great name, like the name of the great who are on 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].
And I have procured a place for my people, for 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 afflict them any more as aforetimes,
And [as it was] since the day that I ordained judges to be over my people Israel; and I have caused thee to rest from all thy enemies; and the Lord telleth thee that he, the Lord, will make thee a 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).
When thy days will be completed, and thou wilt sleep with thy fathers: then will I set up thy seed after thee, who shall proceed out of thy body, 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 it is that shall build a 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 too will be to him as a father, and he shall indeed be to me as a son: so that when he committeth iniquity, I will chastise him with the rod of men, and with the plagues of the children of man;
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 kindness shall not depart from him, as I caused it to depart from Saul, whom I removed from before thee.
16 Your descendants will rule the kingdom [of Israel] forever. Their rule will never end. [DOU]’”
And thy house and thy kingdom shall be steadfast for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 So Nathan told David everything that Yahweh had told him.
In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with 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 down before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord Eternal? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me as far as hitherward?
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 too small a thing in thine eyes, O Lord Eternal; and thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a distant time. And is this the desert of man, O Lord Eternal?
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 add yet more to speak unto thee? since thou, O Lord Eternal, knowest well thy servant?
21 For my sake and because it is what you wanted to do, you have done all these great things for me.
For the sake of thy word, and in accordance with thy own heart, hast thou done all this great thing, so as to let thy servant know it.
22 “Yahweh my God, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, just as we have always heard.
Therefore art thou great, O Eternal God; for there is none like thee, and there is no God beside thee, in accordance with 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 who is like thy people, like Israel, the only nation on the earth, which God went to redeem for himself as a people, and to acquire for himself a name, and to do for you this great deed, and fearful things for thy land [to drive out], from before thy people which thou hast redeemed for thyself from Egypt, nations and their gods.
24 And you caused us Israeli people to be your people forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
For thou hast established for thyself thy people Israel as a people unto thee for ever; and thou, O Lord, art indeed 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 Eternal God, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, stand firm for ever, and do as thou hast spoken.
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 thy name be magnified unto everlasting, that men may say, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and may the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
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 thou, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, saying, A house will be built up for thee; therefore hath thy servant found the heart to pray unto thee this prayer.
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 Eternal, thou art the [true] God, and thy words must become the truth, and thou hast spoken unto thy servant this goodness:
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.”
And now let it please thee and bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord Eternal, hast spoken it; and from thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
