2 Samuel 7

1 And it cometh to pass, when the king sat in his house, and Jehovah hath given rest to him round about, from all his enemies,

Now when the king was living in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from war on every side;

2 that the king saith unto Nathan the prophet, 'See, I pray thee, I am dwelling in a house of cedars, and the ark of God is dwelling in the midst of the curtain.'

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 saith unto the king, 'All that [is] in thine heart — go, do, for Jehovah [is] with thee.'

And Nathan said to the king, Go and do whatever is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.

4 And it cometh to pass in that night, that the word of Jehovah is unto Nathan, saying,

Now that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

5 'Go, and thou hast said unto My servant, unto David, Thus said Jehovah, Dost thou build for Me a house for My dwelling in?

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 I have not dwelt in a house even from the day of My bringing up the sons of Israel out of Egypt, even unto this day, and am walking up and down in a tent and in a tabernacle.

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 During all [the time] that I have walked up and down among all the sons of Israel, a word have I spoken with one of the tribes of Israel which I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, 'Why have ye not built to Me a house of cedars?

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, thus dost thou say to My servant, to David: 'Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, I have taken thee from the comely place, from after the flock, to be leader over My people, over Israel;

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 and I am with thee whithersoever thou hast gone, and I cut off all thine enemies from thy presence, and have made for thee a great name, as the name of the great ones who [are] in the earth,

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 I have appointed a place for My people, for Israel, and have planted it, and it hath tabernacled in its place, and it is not troubled any more, and the sons of perverseness do not add to afflict it any more, as in the beginning,

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 even from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I have given rest to thee from all thine enemies, and Jehovah hath declared to thee that Jehovah doth make for thee a house.

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 'When thy days are full, and thou hast lain with thy fathers, then I have raised up thy seed after thee which goeth out from thy bowels, and have established his kingdom;

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 doth build a house for My Name, and I have established the throne of his kingdom unto the age.

He will be the builder of a house for my name, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.

14 I am to him for a father, and he is to Me for a son; whom in his dealings perversely I have even reproved with a rod of men, and with strokes of the sons of Adam,

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 and My kindness doth not turn aside from him, as I turned it aside from Saul, whom I turned aside from before thee,

But my mercy will not be taken away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.

16 and stedfast [is] thy house and thy kingdom unto the age before thee, thy throne is established unto the age.'

And your family and your kingdom will keep their place before me for ever: the seat of your authority will never be overturned.

17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so spake Nathan unto David.

So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.

18 And king David cometh in and sitteth before Jehovah, and saith, 'Who [am] I, Lord Jehovah? and what my house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?

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 And yet this [is] little in Thine eyes, Lord Jehovah, and Thou dost speak also concerning the house of Thy servant afar off; and this [is] the law of the Man, Lord Jehovah.

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 And what doth David add more to speak unto Thee? and Thou, Thou hast known Thy servant, Lord Jehovah.

What more may David say to you? for you have knowledge of your servant, O Lord God.

21 Because of Thy word, and according to Thy heart, Thou hast done all this greatness, to cause Thy servant to know [it].

Because of your word and from your heart, you have done all this great work, and let your servant see it.

22 Therefore Thou hast been great, Jehovah God, for there is none like Thee, and there is no God save Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

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 'And who [is] as Thy people, as Israel — one nation in the earth, whom God hath gone to redeem to Him for a people, and to make for Him a name — and to do for you the greatness — even fearful things for Thy land, at the presence of Thy people, whom Thou hast redeemed to Thee out of Egypt — [among the] nations and their gods?

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 Yea, Thou dost establish to Thee Thy people Israel, to Thee for a people unto the age, and Thou, Jehovah, hast been to them for God.

But you took and made strong for yourself your people Israel, to be your people for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.

25 'And now, Jehovah God, the word which Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, establish unto the age, and do as Thou hast spoken;

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 is great unto the age, saying, Jehovah of Hosts [is] God over Israel, and the house of Thy servant David is established before Thee,

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, Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Thou hast uncovered the ear of Thy servant, saying, A house I build for thee, therefore hath Thy servant found his heart to pray unto Thee this prayer;

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 And now, Lord Jehovah, Thou [art] God Himself, and Thy words are truth, and Thou speakest unto Thy servant this goodness,

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 And now, begin and bless the house of Thy servant, to be unto the age before Thee, for Thou, Lord Jehovah, hast spoken, and by Thy blessing is the house of Thy servant blessed — to the age.'

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!