2 Samuel

7:1		Now when the king was living in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from war on every side;
7:2		The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is housed inside the curtains of a tent.
7:3		And Nathan said to the king, Go and do whatever is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.
7:4		Now that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,
7:5		Go and say to my servant David, The Lord says, Are you to be the builder of a house, a living-place for me?
7:6		For from the day when I took the children of Israel up out of Egypt till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from place to place in a tent.
7:7		In all the places where I went with all the children of Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, to whom I gave the care of my people Israel, Why have you not made me a house of cedar?
7:8		Then say these words to my servant David, The Lord of armies says, I took you from the fields, from keeping the sheep, so that you might be a ruler over my people, over my people Israel:
7:9		And I have been with you wherever you went, cutting off before you all those who were against you; and I will make your name great, like the name of the greatest ones of the earth.
7:10		And I will make a resting-place for my people Israel, planting them there, so that they may be living in the place which is theirs, and never again be moved; and never again will they be troubled by evil men as they were at the first,
7:11		From the time when I put judges over my people Israel; and I will give you peace from all who are against you. And the Lord says to you that he will make you the head of a line of kings.
7:12		And when the time comes for you to go to rest with your fathers, I will put in your place your seed after you, the offspring of your body, and I will make his kingdom strong.
7:13		He will be the builder of a house for my name, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.
7:14		I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son: if he does wrong, I will give him punishment with the rod of men and with the blows of the children of men;
7:15		But my mercy will not be taken away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
7:16		And your family and your kingdom will keep their place before me for ever: the seat of your authority will never be overturned.
7:17		So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.
7:18		Then David the king went in and took his seat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have been my guide till now?
7:19		And this was only a small thing to you, O Lord God; but your words have even been about the far-off future of your servant's family, O Lord God!
7:20		What more may David say to you? for you have knowledge of your servant, O Lord God.
7:21		Because of your word and from your heart, you have done all this great work, and let your servant see it.
7:22		Truly you are great, O Lord God: there is no one like you and no other God but you, as is clear from everything which has come to our ears.
7:23		And what other nation in the earth, like your people Israel, did a god go out to take for himself, to be his people, and to make a name for himself, and to do great and strange things for them, driving out a nation and its gods from before his people?
7:24		But you took and made strong for yourself your people Israel, to be your people for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.
7:25		And now, O Lord God, may the word which you have said about your servant and about his family, be made certain for ever, and may you do as you have said!
7:26		And let your name be made great for ever, and let men say, The Lord of armies is God over Israel: and let the family of David your servant be made strong before you!
7:27		For you, O Lord of armies, the God of Israel, have clearly said to your servant, I will make you the head of a family of kings: and so it has come into your servant's heart to make this prayer to you.
7:28		And now, O Lord God, you are God and your words are true and you have said you will give your servant this good thing;
7:29		So may it be your pleasure to give your blessing to the family of your servant, so that it may go on for ever before you: (for you, O Lord God, have said it,) and may your blessing be on your servant's family line for ever!