1. And it happened, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I am living in a house of cedars, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under curtains.
2. And Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.
3. And it happened on that night, the Word of God came to Nathan, saying,
4. Go, and you shall say to My servant David, So says Jehovah, You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in;
5. for I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought Israel up until this day, but I have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
6. Wherever I have walked up and down among all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, Why have you not built a house of cedars for Me?
7. And now you shall say this to My servant, to David, So says Jehovah of Hosts, I have taken you from the pasture from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel;
8. and I have been with you wherever you have walked; and I have cut off all your enemies from before you; and have made for you a name like the name of the great ones in the earth.
9. And I will prepare a place for My people Israel, and he will plant, and he will dwell in his place, and shall not be made to tremble any more; nor shall the sons of wickedness waste him any more, as at the first;
10. yea, even from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will humble all your enemies; and I declare to you that Jehovah shall build a house for you;
11. and it shall be, when your days have been fulfilled to go away with your fathers, that I shall raise up your seed after you, who shall be of your sons, and I shall establish his kingdom.
12. He shall build a house for Me, and I shall establish his throne forever;
13. I shall be a Father to him, and he shall be a son to Me; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it away from him who was before you;
14. and I will make him stand in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be made to stand forever.
15. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
16. And David the king came in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, O Jehovah, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far?
17. And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken to Your servant's house for a great while to come, and have looked upon me as a type of the Man who is on high, O Jehovah God!
18. What can David add still more to You concerning the honor being put on Your servant? For You know Your servant.
19. O Jehovah, for Your servant's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
20. O Jehovah, there is none like You; and there is no God except You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21. And what one nation in the earth is as Your people Israel, whom God has brought out to ransom to Himself for a people, to make for Yourself a great and fearful name, to cast out the nations from before Your people, whom You have ransomed out of Egypt.
22. Yea, You have chosen Your people Israel for Yourself, for a people forever, and You, O Jehovah, have been God to them.
23. And now, O Jehovah, the Word that You have spoken as to Your servant, and as to his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have spoken;
24. let it even be established, and Your name be great forever, saying, Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel is God to Israel; and the house of Your servant David shall be made to stand before You.
25. For You, O my God, You have uncovered the ear of Your servant, to build a house for him; on this account Your servant has found to pray before You.
26. And now, O Jehovah, You are God Himself, and You speak this goodness concerning Your servant.
27. And now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, to be forever before You; for You, O Jehovah, have blessed; yea, it is blessed forever!