Nathan's Message to David
(2 Samuel 7.1-17)1 King David was now living in his palace. One day he sent for the prophet Nathan and said to him, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but the Lord's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”
2 Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because God is with you.”
3 But that night God said to Nathan, 4 “Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in. 5 From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now I have never lived in a temple; I have always lived in tents and moved from place to place. 6 In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.’
7 “So tell my servant David that I, the Lord Almighty, say to him, ‘I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world. 9-10 I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to defeat all your enemies and to give you descendants. 11 When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong. 12 He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king. 14 I will put him in charge of my people and my kingdom forever. His dynasty will never end.’”
15 Nathan told David everything that God had revealed to him.
David's Prayer of Thanksgiving
(2 Samuel 7.18-29)16 Then King David went into the Tent of the Lord's presence, sat down, and prayed, “I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, Lord God, nor is my family. 17 Yet now you are doing even more; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come, and you, Lord God, are already treating me like someone great. 18 What more can I say to you! You know me well, and yet you honor me, your servant. 19 It was your will and purpose to do this for me and to show me my future greatness. 20 Lord, there is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God. 21 There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them spread your fame throughout the world. You rescued your people from Egypt and drove out other nations as your people advanced. 22 You have made Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
23 “And now, O Lord, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would. 24 Your fame will be great, and people will forever say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel.’ And you will preserve my dynasty for all time. 25 I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, my God, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings. 26 You, Lord, are God, and you have made this wonderful promise to me. 27 I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Lord, have blessed them, and your blessing will rest on them forever.”
1 Nowe afterward when Dauid dwelt in his house, he saide to Nathan the Prophet, Beholde, I dwell in an house of cedar trees, but the Arke of the Lordes couenant remaineth vnder curtaines. 2 Then Nathan said to Dauid, Do all that is in thine heart: for God is with thee. 3 And the same night euen the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 Goe, and tell Dauid my seruant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not buylde me an house to dwell in: 5 For I haue dwelt in no house, since the day that I brought out the childre of Israel vnto this daye, but I haue bene from tent to tent, and from habitation to habitation. 6 Wheresoeuer I haue walked with all Israel spake I one word to any of the iudges of Israel (whome I commanded to feede my people) saying, Why haue ye not built mee an house of cedar trees? 7 Nowe therefore thus shalt thou say vnto my seruant Dauid, Thus saith the Lord of hostes, I tooke thee from the sheepecoat and from following the sheepe, that thou shouldest bee a prince ouer my people Israel. 8 And I haue bene with thee whithersoeuer thou hast walked, and haue destroyed all thine enemies out of thy sight, and haue made thee a name, like the name of the great men that are in the earth. 9 (Also I will appoynt a place for my people Israel, and will plant it, that they may dwell in their place, and moue no more: neither shall the wicked people vexe them any more, as at the beginning, 10 And since the time that I commanded iudges ouer my people Israel) And I wil subdue all thine enemies: therefore I say vnto thee, that the Lord wil buylde thee an house. 11 And when thy dayes shalbe fulfilled to go with thy fathers, then will I rayse vp thy seede after thee, which shalbe of thy sonnes, and will stablish his kingdome. 12 He shall builde me an house, and I will stablish his throne for euer. 13 I wil be his father, and he shalbe my sonne, aud I will not take my mercie away from him, as I tooke it from him that was before thee. 14 But I wil establish him in mine house, and in my kingdome for euer, and his throne shalbe stablished for euer, 15 According to all these wordes, and according to al this vision. So Nathan spake to Dauid. 16 And Dauid the King went in and sate before the Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 17 Yet thou esteeming this a small thing, O God, hast also spoken concerning the house of thy seruaut for a great while, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of hie degree, O Lord God. 18 What can Dauid desire more of thee for the honour of thy seruant? for thou knowest thy seruant. 19 O Lord, for thy seruantes sake, euen according to thine heart hast thou done all this great thing to declare all magnificence. 20 Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we haue heard with our eares. 21 Moreouer what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whose God went to redeeme them to be his people, and to make thy selfe a Name, and to doe great and terrible things by casting out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast deliuered out of Egypt? 22 For thou hast ordeined thy people Israel to be thine owne people for euer, and thou Lord art become their God. 23 Therefore nowe Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy seruant and concerning his house, be confirmed for euer, and doe as thou hast sayd, 24 And let thy name be stable and magnified for euer, that it may be sayd, The Lord of hostes, God of Israel, is the God of Israel, and let the house of Dauid thy seruant bee stablished before thee. 25 For thou, O my God, hast reueiled vnto the eare of thy seruant, that thou wilt builde him an house: therefore thy seruant hath bene bolde to pray before thee. 26 Therefore nowe Lord (for thou art God, and hast spoken this goodnesse vnto thy seruant) 27 Now therfore, it hath pleased thee to blesse the house of thy seruant, that it may bee before thee for euer: for thou, O Lord, hast blessed it, and it shalbe blessed for euer.