Chapter 17

And it came to pass as David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah under curtains.

And Nathan said to David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.

And it came to pass that night that the word of God came to Nathan saying,

Go and say to David my servant, Thus saith Jehovah: Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in;

for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day; but I have been from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

In all my going about with all Israel, did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why build ye me not a house of cedars?

And now, thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I took thee from the pasture-grounds, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel;

and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name, like unto the name of the great men that are on the earth.

And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be disturbed no more; neither shall the sons of wickedness waste them any more, as formerly,

and since the days that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I will subdue all thine enemies; and I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house.

And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

It is he who shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

I will be his father, and he shall be my son; and I will not take away my mercy from him, as I took it from him that was before thee;

and I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.

According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

And king David went in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Jehovah Elohim, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

And this hath been a small thing in thy sight, O God; and thou hast spoken of thy servant`s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, Jehovah Elohim.

What can David say more to thee for the glory of thy servant? thou indeed knowest thy servant.

Jehovah, for thy servant`s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

And who is like thy people Israel, the one nation in the earth that God went to redeem to be a people to himself, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, which thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?

And thy people Israel hast thou made thine own people for ever; and thou, Jehovah, art become their God.

And now, Jehovah, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

Let it even be established, and let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, is God to Israel; and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.

For thou, my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him a house; therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray before thee.

And now, Jehovah, thou art that God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant;

and now, let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou, Jehovah, hast blessed it, and it shall be blessed for ever.