2 Samuel 7

When the king was settled in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I live in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains within a tent curtain.” Nathan said to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up from Egypt until today. I have moved about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ Now say to my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD of hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies before you. I will make your name great, like the names of the great ones on the earth. 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. Wicked men will no longer afflict them as they did in the past, from 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. When your days are fulfilled 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. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and the blows of human beings. But my kindness will not depart from him as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will be secure forever before you; your throne will be established forever.’” Nathan spoke to David according to all these words and all this vision. 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? Yet even this was a small thing in your eyes, Lord GOD, for you have also spoken of your servant’s house far into the future. This is instruction for mankind, Lord GOD. What more can David say to you? You know your servant, Lord GOD. For the sake of your word and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness and made it known to your servant. Therefore you are great, Lord GOD. There is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all we have heard with our ears. Who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem as a people for himself, to make a name for himself and to do great and awesome things for you all, for your land, before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? You established your people Israel as your own people forever, and you, LORD, became their God. Now, LORD God, establish forever the word you have spoken concerning your servant and his house, and do as you have said. May your name be magnified forever, so that people say, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel.’ And may the house of your servant David be established before you. For you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. Now, Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true. You have promised this good to your servant. Now be pleased to bless your servant’s house, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing your servant’s house will be blessed forever.”

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