1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the
LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 That
the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar,
but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3 And
Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with
thee.
4 And
it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go
and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house
for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas
I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up
the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a
tent and in a tabernacle.
7 In
all the places wherein
I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the
tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build
ye not me an house of cedar?
8 Now
therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of
hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler
over my people, over Israel:
9 And
I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies
out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the
great men that are in
the earth.
10 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 beforetime,
11 And
as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused
thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will
make thee an house.
12 And
when thy days 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
shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom
for ever.
14 I
will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will
chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But
my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from
Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And
thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy
throne shall be established for ever.
17 According
to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto
David.
18 Then
went king David 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
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 And
what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.
21 For
thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these
great things, to make thy servant know them.
22 Wherefore
thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God
beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 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 For
thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a
people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.
25 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 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 For
thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I
will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray
this prayer unto thee.
28 And
now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and
thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
29 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.
