1 Chronicles 17

1Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.

2Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine 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 the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:

5For I have not dwelt in an 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.footnote a

6Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?

7Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel:footnote b

8And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth.

9Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,

10And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.

11And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

12He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.

13I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:

14But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.

15According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

16And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

17And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also 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 LORD God.

18What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.

19O LORD, for thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.footnote c

20O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside 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 to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?

22For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.

23Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

24Let it even be established, that thy 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 thy servant be established before thee.

25For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.footnote d

26And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:

27Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.footnote e

God’s Covenant with David

1After David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.”

2And Nathan replied to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

3But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell. 5For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egyptfootnote a until this day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling. 6In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leadersfootnote b I appointed to shepherd My people, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’

7Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land.

9And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 10and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.
Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his Father, and he will be My son. And I will never remove My loving devotion from him as I removed it from your predecessor. 14But I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.”

15So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

16Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant and have regarded me as a man of great distinction,footnote c O LORD God. 18What more can David say to You for honoring Your servant? For You know Your servant, 19O LORD.footnote d For the sake of Your servant and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and made known all these great promises.

20O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 21And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself? You made a name for Yourself through great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt. 22For You have made Your people Israel Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

23And now, O LORD, let the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be established forever. Do as You have promised, 24so that Your name will be established and magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.’ And may the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25For You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him. Therefore Your servant has found the courage to pray before You.

26And now, O LORD, You are God! And You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27So now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”