2 Samuel 7
1 Forsothe it was doon, whanne the kyng Dauid hadde sete in his hows, and the Lord hadde youe reste to hym on ech side fro alle hise enemyes,
Now when the king was living in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from war on every side;
2 he seyde to Nathan the prophete, Seest thou not, that Y dwelle in an hows of cedre, and the arke of God is put in the myddis of skynnys?
The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is housed inside the curtains of a tent.
3 And Nathan seide to the kyng, Go thou, and do al thing which is in thin herte, for the Lord is with thee.
And Nathan said to the king, Go and do whatever is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.
4 Forsothe it was don in that niyt, and lo! the word of the Lord, seiynge to Nathan, Go thou,
Now that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,
5 and speke to my servaunt Dauid, The Lord seith these thingis, Whether thou schalt bilde to me an hows to dwelle ynne?
Go and say to my servant David, The Lord says, Are you to be the builder of a house, a living-place for me?
6 For Y `dwellide not in an hows fro the dai in which Y ledde the sones of Israel out of the lond of Egipt til in to this dai; but Y yede in tabernacle and in tent,
For from the day when I took the children of Israel up out of Egypt till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from place to place in a tent.
7 bi alle places, to whiche Y passyde with alle the sones of Israel? Whether Y spekynge spak to oon of the lynagis of Israel, to whom Y comaundyde, that he schulde feede my puple Israel, and seide, Whi `bildidist thou not an hows of cedre to me?
In all the places where I went with all the children of Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, to whom I gave the care of my people Israel, Why have you not made me a house of cedar?
8 And now thou schalt seie these thingis to my seruaunt Dauid, The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Y took thee fro lesewis suynge flockis, that thou schuldist be duyk on my puple Israel, and Y was with thee in alle thingis,
Then say these words to my servant David, The Lord of armies says, I took you from the fields, from keeping the sheep, so that you might be a ruler over my people, over my people Israel:
9 where euere thou yedist, and Y killide alle thin enemyes fro thi face, and Y made to thee a greet name bi the name of grete men that ben in erthe;
And I have been with you wherever you went, cutting off before you all those who were against you; and I will make your name great, like the name of the greatest ones of the earth.
10 and Y schall sette a place to my puple Israel, and Y schal plaunte hym, and Y schal dwelle with hym, and he schal no more be troblid, and the sones of wickidnesse schulen not adde, that thei turmente hym as bifor,
And I will make a resting-place for my people Israel, planting them there, so that they may be living in the place which is theirs, and never again be moved; and never again will they be troubled by evil men as they were at the first,
11 fro the dai in which Y ordenede iugis on my puple Israel; and Y schal yyue reste to thee fro alle thin enemyes. And the Lord biforseith to thee, that `the Lord schal mak an hows to thee;
From the time when I put judges over my people Israel; and I will give you peace from all who are against you. And the Lord says to you that he will make you the head of a line of kings.
12 and whanne thi daies be fillid, and thou hast slept with thi fadris, Y schal reyse thi seed aftir thee, which schal go out of thi wombe, and Y schal make `stidfast his rewme.
And when the time comes for you to go to rest with your fathers, I will put in your place your seed after you, the offspring of your body, and I will make his kingdom strong.
13 He schal bilde an hows to my name, and Y schal make stable the troone of his rewme til in to with outen ende;
He will be the builder of a house for my name, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.
14 Y schal be to hym in to fadir, and he schal be to me in to a sone; and if he schal do ony thing wickidli, Y schal chastise hym in the yerde of men, and in the woundis of the sones of men.
I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son: if he does wrong, I will give him punishment with the rod of men and with the blows of the children of men;
15 Forsothe Y schal not do awey my mercy fro hym, as Y dide awei fro Saul, whom Y remouede fro my face.
But my mercy will not be taken away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
16 And thin hows schal be feithful, and thi rewme schal be til in to with outen ende bifor my face, and thi trone schal be stidfast contynueli.
And your family and your kingdom will keep their place before me for ever: the seat of your authority will never be overturned.
17 By alle these wordys, and bi al this reuelacioun, so Nathan spak to Dauid.
So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.
18 Forsothe Dauid the kyng entride, and satt bifor the Lord, and seide, Who am Y, my Lord God, and what is myn hows, that thou brouytist me hidur to?
Then David the king went in and took his seat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have been my guide till now?
19 But also this is seyn litil in thi siyt, my Lord God; no but thou schuldist speke also of the hows of thi seruaunt in to long tyme. Forsothe this is the lawe of Adam, Lord God;
And this was only a small thing to you, O Lord God; but your words have even been about the far-off future of your servant's family, O Lord God!
20 what therfor may Dauid adde yit, that he speke to thee? For thou, Lord God, knowist thi seruaunt; thou hast do alle these grete thingis,
What more may David say to you? for you have knowledge of your servant, O Lord God.
21 for thi word, and bi thin herte, so that thou madist knowun to thi seruaunt.
Because of your word and from your heart, you have done all this great work, and let your servant see it.
22 Herfor, Lord God, thou art magnyfied, for noon is lijk thee, ne there is no God outakun thee, in alle thingis whiche we herden with oure eeris.
Truly you are great, O Lord God: there is no one like you and no other God but you, as is clear from everything which has come to our ears.
23 Sotheli what folk in erthe is as the puple of Israel, for which the Lord God yede, that he schulde ayenbie it to him in to a puple, and schulde sette to hym silf a name, and schulde do to it grete thingis, and orible on erthe, in castinge out therof the folk and `goddis therof fro the face of thi puple, which thou `ayen bouytist to thee fro Egipt?
And what other nation in the earth, like your people Israel, did a god go out to take for himself, to be his people, and to make a name for himself, and to do great and strange things for them, driving out a nation and its gods from before his people?
24 And thou confermidist to thee thi puple Israel in to a puple euerlastynge, and thou, Lord, art maad in to God to hem.
But you took and made strong for yourself your people Israel, to be your people for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.
25 Now therfor, Lord God, reise thou withouten ende the word that thou hast spoke on thi seruaunt and on his hows, and do as thou hast spoke;
And now, O Lord God, may the word which you have said about your servant and about his family, be made certain for ever, and may you do as you have said!
26 and thy name be magnyfied til in to withouten ende, and be it seid, The Lord of oostis is God on Israel; and the hows of thi seruaunt Dauid schal be stablischid byfor the Lord;
And let your name be made great for ever, and let men say, The Lord of armies is God over Israel: and let the family of David your servant be made strong before you!
27 for thou, Lord of oostis, God of Israel, hast maad reuelacioun to the eere of thi seruaunt, and seidist, Y schal bilde an hows to thee; therfor thi seruaunt foond his herte, that he schulde preie thee bi this preier.
For you, O Lord of armies, the God of Israel, have clearly said to your servant, I will make you the head of a family of kings: and so it has come into your servant's heart to make this prayer to you.
28 Now therfor, Lord God, thou art veri God, and thi wordis schulen be trewe; for thou hast spoke these goodis to thi seruaunt;
And now, O Lord God, you are God and your words are true and you have said you will give your servant this good thing;
29 therfor bigynne thou, and blesse the hows of thi seruaunt, that it be withouten ende bifor thee; for thou, Lord God, hast spoke these thingis, and bi thi blessyng the hows of thi seruaunt schal be blessid withouten ende.
So may it be your pleasure to give your blessing to the family of your servant, so that it may go on for ever before you: (for you, O Lord God, have said it, ) and may your blessing be on your servant's family line for ever!
