1 Chronicles 17- 1
- After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."
- 2
- Nathan replied to David, "Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you."
- 3
- That night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
- 4
- "Go and tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.
- 5
- I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another.
- 6
- Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders [1] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'
- 7
- "Now then, tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.
- 8
- I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.
- 9
- And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning
- 10
- and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies. "`I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you:
- 11
- When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
- 12
- He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.
- 13
- I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.
- 14
- I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.'"
- 15
- Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
- 16
- Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
- 17
- And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God.
- 18
- "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,
- 19
- O LORD. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
- 20
- "There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
- 21
- And who is like your people Israel--the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?
- 22
- You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
- 23
- "And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised,
- 24
- so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, `The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
- 25
- "You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you.
- 26
- O LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant.
- 27
- Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."
- [6] Traditionally judges; also in verse 10