God’s Covenant with David

17 Now when David settled in his house, David said to the prophet Nathan, “I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”^{(A) 2} Nathan said to David, “Do all that you have in mind, for God is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to live in.^{(B) 5} For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought out Israel to this very day, but I have lived in a tent and a tabernacle.^{[a](C) 6} Wherever I have moved about among all Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’^{(D) 7} Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel, ⁸ and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies before you, and I will make for you a name like the name of the great ones of the earth. ⁹ I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and be disturbed no more, and evildoers shall wear them down no more, as they did formerly, ¹⁰ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel, and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house.^{(E) 11} When your days are fulfilled to go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you,^{(F) 14} but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”^{(G) 15} In accordance with all these words and all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁶ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?^{(H) 17} And even this was a small thing in your sight, O God; you have also spoken of your servant’s house into the distant future. You regard me as someone of high rank,^[b] O Lord God! ¹⁸ And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? You know your servant. ¹⁹ For your servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all these great deeds, making known all these great things.^{(I) 20} There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ Who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? ²² And you made your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.^{(J) 23} And now, O Lord, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as you have promised. ²⁴ Thus your name will be established and magnified forever in the saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God,’ and the house of your servant David will be established in your presence.^{(K) 25} For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him; therefore your servant has found it possible to pray before you. ²⁶ And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; ²⁷ therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord, have blessed and are blessed^[c] forever.”

David’s Kingdom Established and Extended

18 Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them; he took Gath and its villages from the Philistines.^(L)

² He defeated Moab, and the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.

³ David also struck down King Hadadezer of Zobah, toward Hamath,^[d] as he went to set up a monument at the River Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left one hundred of them. ⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Arameans.^{(M) 6} Then David put garrisons^[e] in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ David took the gold shields that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a vast quantity of bronze; with it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.^(N)

⁹ When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of King Hadadezer of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet him and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him. Now Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. He sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze;^{(O) 11} these also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.^{(P) 13} He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people. ¹⁵ Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;^{(Q) 16} Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary; ¹⁷ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were the chief officials in the service of the king.^(R)

Defeat of the Ammonites and Arameans

19 Some time afterward, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him.^{(S) 2} David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. When David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to console him, ³ the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think, because David has sent consolers to you, that he is honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”^{(T) 4} So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at their waists, and sent them away,^{(U) 5} and they departed. When David was told about the men, he sent messengers to them, for they felt greatly humiliated. The king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”

⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and cavalry from Aram-naharaim, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.^{(V) 7} They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah with his army, who came and camped before Medeba. And the Ammonites were mustered from their cities and came to battle.^{(W) 8} When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the warriors.^{(X) 9} The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰ When Joab saw that the line of battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans; ¹¹ the rest of his troops he put in the charge of his brother Abishai, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites.^{(Y) 12} He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.^{(Z) 13} Be strong, and let us be courageous for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” ¹⁴ So Joab and the troops who were with him advanced toward the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him.^{(AA) 15} When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, Joab’s brother, and entered the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ But when the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the River, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.^{(AB) 17} When David was informed, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, came to them, and drew up his forces against them. When David set the battle in array against the Arameans, they fought with him.^{(AC) 18} The Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers and also Shophach the commander of their army.^{(AD) 19} When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites any more.^(AE)