2 Samuel 7

¹ When the king had settled into his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

² the king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside a tent."

³ Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."

⁴ But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:

⁵ "Go and say to my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?

⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up from Egypt until this day, but I have been moving about in a tent, in a tabernacle.

⁷ Wherever I moved about among all the Israelites, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribal leaders of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

⁸ "Now then, say this to my servant David: 'This is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.

⁹ I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies before you. I will make your name great, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

¹⁰ I will appoint a place for my people Israel and plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. Violent people will not continue to afflict them as before,

¹¹ ever since the day I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.

¹² When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod used by men and with blows inflicted by humans.

¹⁵ But my loyal love will not depart from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will endure before me forever; your throne will be established forever."

¹⁷ Nathan reported to David all these words and this entire vision.

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?

¹⁹ And even this was too small in your eyes, Lord GOD, for you have also spoken about your servant's house for a great while to come. And this is instruction for humanity, Lord GOD!

²⁰ What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Lord GOD.

²¹ For the sake of your word and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, to make it known to your servant.

²² Therefore you are great, LORD God, for there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²³ And who is like your people Israel — the one nation on earth that God went to redeem as a people for himself, to make a name for himself, and to do great and awesome things for them, before your people whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt — from nations and their gods?

²⁴ You established your people Israel for yourself as your people forever, and you, LORD, became their God.

²⁵ "Now, LORD God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house — establish it forever and do as you have said.

²⁶ Let your name be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel,' and let the house of your servant David be established before you.

²⁷ For you, LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you.

²⁸ And now, Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are truth, and you have spoken this good thing to your servant.

²⁹ Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you. For you, Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed forever."