1And it came to pass , when David dwelt in his house , that David said to Nathan the prophet , Lo , I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah dwelleth under curtains . 2And Nathan said unto David , Do all that is in thy heart ; for God is with thee . 3And it came to pass the same night , that the word of God came to Nathan , saying , 4Go and tell David my servant , Thus saith Jehovah , Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in : 5for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel , unto this day , but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another . 6In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel , spake I a word with any of the judges of Israel , whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people , saying , Why have ye not built me a house of cedar?
The Promise of an Everlasting Kingdom
7Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David , Thus saith Jehovah of hosts , I took thee from the sheepcote , from following the sheep , that thou shouldest be prince over my people Israel : 8and I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone , and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee ; and I will make thee a name , like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 9And I will appoint a place for my people Israel , and will plant them , that they may dwell in their own place , and be moved no more ; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more , as at the first , 10and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel ; and I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house . 11And 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 , who shall be of thy sons ; and I will establish his kingdom . 12He shall build me a house , and I will establish his throne for ever . 13I will be his father , and he shall be my son : and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him , as I took it from him that was before thee ; 14but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever ; and his throne shall be established for ever .
David's Response to God's Promise
15According to all these words , and according to all this vision , so did Nathan speak unto David . 16Then David the king went in , and sat before Jehovah ; and he said, Who am I , O Jehovah God , and what is my house , that thou hast brought me thus far ? 17And this was a small thing in thine eyes , O God ; but thou hast spoken of thy servant ’s house for a great while to come , and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree , O Jehovah God . 18What can David say yet more unto thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant ? for thou knowest thy servant . 19O Jehovah , for thy servant ’s sake , and according to thine own heart , hast thou wrought all this greatness , to make known all these great things . 20O Jehovah , there is none like thee , neither is there any God besides thee , according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel , whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people , to make thee a name by great and terrible things , in driving out nations from before thy people , whom thou redeemedst out of Egypt ? 22For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever ; and thou , Jehovah , becamest their God . 23And now , O Jehovah , let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant , and concerning his house , be established for ever , and do as thou hast spoken . 24And let thy name be established and magnified for ever , saying, Jehovah of hosts is the God of Israel , even a God to Israel : and the house of David thy servant is established before thee . 25For thou , O 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 . 26And now , O Jehovah , thou art God , and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant : 27and now it hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant , that it may continue for ever before thee : for thou , O Jehovah , hast blessed , and it is blessed for ever .