< 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,
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 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?
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 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, all that is in thy heart go and do; for the Lord is with thee.
4 Forsothe it was don in that niyt, and lo! the word of the Lord, seiynge to Nathan, Go thou,
And it came to pass during that night, That the word of the Lord came unto 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 unto my servant, unto David, Thus hath said the Lord, Wilt thou indeed build me a house for my dwelling?
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 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 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 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 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,
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 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 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 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 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,
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;
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 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.
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 schal bilde an hows to my name, and Y schal make stable the troone of his rewme til in to with outen ende;
He it is that shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom 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 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 Forsothe Y schal not do awey my mercy fro hym, as Y dide awei fro Saul, whom Y remouede fro my face.
But my kindness shall not depart from him, as I caused it to depart from Saul, whom I removed from before thee.
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 thy house and thy kingdom shall be steadfast for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 By alle these wordys, and bi al this reuelacioun, so Nathan spak to Dauid.
In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
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 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 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 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 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,
And what can David add yet more to speak unto thee? since thou, O Lord Eternal, knowest well thy servant?
21 for thi word, and bi thin herte, so that thou madist knowun to thi seruaunt.
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 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.
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 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 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 thou confermidist to thee thi puple Israel in to a puple euerlastynge, and thou, Lord, art maad in to God to hem.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Eternal, thou art the [true] God, and thy words must become the truth, and thou hast spoken unto thy servant this goodness:
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.
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.