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 around 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 to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but 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, Go, do all that [is] in thy heart: for the LORD [is] with thee.
4 But that night, Yahweh said to Nathan,
And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came to 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 saith the LORD, Wilt thou build me a 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 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] in which I have walked with all the children of Israel have I spoken a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why do ye not build 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 so shalt thou say to my servant David, thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheep-cote, 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 thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thy enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like to 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 formerly.
And as since the time that I commanded judges [to be] over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thy enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he 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).
And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy 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 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 will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he shall 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 from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I put away 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 established for ever before thee: thy 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 to 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 king David went in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who [am] I, O LORD God? and what [is] my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto;
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 thy sight, O LORD God; but thou hast spoken also of thy 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 to thee? for thou, LORD God, knowest 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 thy word's sake, and according to thy own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy 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 thou art great, O LORD God: for [there is] none like thee, neither [is there any] God besides thee, 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 thy 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 thy land, before thy people which thou redeemedst to thee 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 thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel [to be] a people to thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art 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 thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish [it] for ever, and do as thou hast 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 thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts [is] the God over Israel: and let 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, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer to thee.
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, thou [art] that God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this goodness to thy 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 thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O LORD God, hast spoken [it]: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
