Chapter 17

The Oracle of Nathan. ^1 (A)After David had taken up residence in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “See, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tentcloth.”^{(B) 2} Nathan replied to David, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for God is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of God came to Nathan: ⁴ Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord: It is not you who are to build the house for me to dwell in.^{(C) 5} For I have never dwelt in a house, from the day I brought Israel up, even to this day, but I have been lodging in tent or tabernacle. ⁶ As long as I have wandered about with all Israel, did I ever say a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, Why have you not built me a house of cedar? ⁷ Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel.^{(D) 8} I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. I will make your name like that of the greatest on the earth. ⁹ I will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be disturbed, nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, ¹⁰ and during all the time when 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: ¹¹ when your days have been completed and you must join your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you who will be one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.^{(E) 12} He it is who shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.^{(F) 13} I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me, and I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from the one who was before you;^{(G) 14} but I will maintain him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be firmly established forever.

^2 (A)King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my kinsmen and my people. It was my purpose to build a house of repose myself for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the footstool for the feet of our God;^[a] and I was preparing to build it. ³ But God said to me, You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man who waged wars and shed blood. ⁴ However, the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, then one family of Judah, that of my father; and finally, among all the sons of my father, it pleased him to make me king over all Israel.^{(B) 5} And of all my sons—for the Lord has given me many sons—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingship over Israel.^{(C) 6} For he said to me: It is your son Solomon who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him for my son, and I will be a father to him.^{(D) 7} I will establish his kingdom forever, if he perseveres in carrying out my commandments and ordinances as he does now.

Chapter 7

The Oracle of Nathan. ^1 (A)After the king had taken up residence in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies on every side,^{(B) 2} the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent!”^{(C) 3} Nathan answered the king, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for the Lord is with you.”^{(D) 4} But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵ Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord: Is it you who would build me a house to dwell in?^{(E) 6} I have never dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up from Egypt to this day, but I have been going about in a tent or a tabernacle. ⁷ As long as I have wandered about among the Israelites, did I ever say a word to any of the judges whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁸ Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts:^[a] I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel.^{(F) 9} I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. And I will make your name like that of the greatest on earth.^{(G) 10} I will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be disturbed, nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, ¹¹ and from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you:^{(H) 12 (I)}when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He it is^[b] who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will reprove him with a human rod and with human punishments;^{(J) 15} but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from Saul who was before you.^{(K) 16} Your house and your kingdom are firm forever before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever.^[c](L)

^17 (A)“You know that David my father, because of the wars that beset him, could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God until such time as the Lord should put his enemies under the soles of his feet. ¹⁸ But now the Lord, my God, has given me rest on all sides, without adversary or misfortune. ^19 (B)So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord, my God, as the Lord said to David my father: Your son whom I will put upon your throne in your place shall build the house for my name.

¹⁷ When David my father wished to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, ¹⁸ the Lord said to him: In wishing to build a house for my name, you did well. ¹⁹ But it is not you who will build the house, but your son, who comes from your loins; he shall build the house for my name. ²⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled the word he spoke: I have succeeded David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord has spoken, and I have built this house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ²¹ I have provided there a place for the ark in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”