2 Samuel 7:1–10:19
7 Now it came to pass awhen the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in ba house of cedar, cbut the ark of God dwells inside tent dcurtains.”
3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your eheart, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: f“Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house gsince the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in ha tent and in a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have imoved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded jto shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ 8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: k“I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. 9 And lI have been with you wherever you have gone, mand have 1cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will nplant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; onor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 psince the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord 2tells you qthat He will make you a 3house.
12 r“When your days are fulfilled and you srest with your fathers, tI will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 uHe shall build a house for My name, and I will vestablish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 wI will be his Father, and he shall be xMy son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the 4blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, yas I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And zyour house and your kingdom shall be established forever before 5you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: a“Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. bIs this the manner of man, O Lord God? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, cknow Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore dYou are great, 6O Lord God. For ethere is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our fears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, gthe one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before hYour people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For iYou have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; jand You, Lord, have become their God.
25 “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.
28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and kYour words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed lforever.”
8 After this it came to pass that David 1attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took 2Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.
2 Then ahe defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s bservants, and cbrought tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of dZobah, as he went to recover ehis territory at the River Euphrates. 4 David took from him one thousand chariots, 3seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David fhamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.
5 gWhen the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So hthe Lord preserved David wherever he went. 7 And David took ithe shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 Also from 4Betah and from jBerothai, 5cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.
9 When 6Toi king of kHamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 then Toi sent 7Joram his son to King David, to 8greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. 11 King David also ldedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued—12 from 9Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the mPhilistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 And David made himself a nname when he returned from killing oeighteen thousand 1Syrians in pthe Valley of Salt. 14 He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and qall the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 16 rJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; sJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 17 tZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; 2Seraiah was the 3scribe; 18 uBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the vCherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were 4chief ministers.
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
9 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may ashow him 1kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was bZiba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “At your service!”
3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show cthe kindness of God?”
And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is dlame in his feet.”
4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of eMachir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
6 Now when fMephibosheth 2the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such ga dead dog as I?”
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, h“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son ishall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had jfifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at 3my table like one of the king’s sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son kwhose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, lfor he ate continually at the king’s table. And he mwas lame in both his feet.
The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated
10 It happened after this that the aking of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 Then David said, “I will show bkindness to Hanun the son of cNahash, as his father showed kindness to me.”
So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon. 3 And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”
4 Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their …