¹ Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remains under curtains. ² Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart; for God [is] with you. ³ And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ Go and tell David my servant, So says the LORD, you will not build me a house to dwell in ⁵ For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle [to another]. ⁶ Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spoke I a word to any of the judges of Israel, who I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedars? ⁷ Now therefore so will you say to my servant David, So says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over my people Israel ⁸ And I have been with you wherever you have walked, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth. ⁹ Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they will dwell in their place, and will be moved no more; neither will the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning, ¹⁰ And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you a house. ¹¹ And it will come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He will build me a house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before you ¹⁴ But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom forever: and his throne will be established for evermore. ¹⁵ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David. ¹⁶ And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that you have brought me to this day? ¹⁷ And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O God; for you have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God. ¹⁸ What can David speak more to you for the honour of your servant? for you know your servant. ¹⁹ O LORD, for your servant's sake, and according to your own heart, have you done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. ²⁰ O LORD, there is none like you, neither is there any God beside you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ And what one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, who God went to redeem to be his own people, to make you a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before your people, who you have redeemed out of Egypt? ²² For your people Israel did you make your own people for ever; and you, LORD, becomes their God. ²³ Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as you have said. ²⁴ Let it even be established, that your name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David your servant be established before you. ²⁵ For you, O my God, have told your servant that you will build him a house: therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray before you. ²⁶ And now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this goodness to your servant ²⁷ Now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may be before you forever: for you blessest, O LORD, and it will be blessed forever.