1 Chronicles 17:1–18:13
17 And as David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains.” 2 And Nathan said to David, “Whatever is in your heart, do, for God is with you.”
3 And it happened that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and say to David my servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You are not to build a house for me to live in, 5 for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought out Israel unto this day. I have been from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. 6 In every place I have moved about in all Israel, did I say one word with any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ 7 So now, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel, 8 and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut down all your enemies from before you and will make a name for you, like the name of the great ones on the earth. 9 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them,a and theyb shall dwell in theirc place and be in anguish no longer. And wicked men will no longer wear them down as before, 10 from the day that I commanded judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies, and I declare to you that Yahweh will build for you a house.d 11 And it shall be that when your days are fulfilled to go and sleep with your ancestors,e then I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I myself will be a father to him, and he himself will be a son to me. And I will not remove my steadfast love from him as I took it away from whoever was before you. 14 And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.” ’ ” 15 According to all these words and according to all this revelation, thus did Nathan speak to David.
16 Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, “Who am I, O Yahweh God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? 17 And this was a small matter in your eyes, O God. And you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time and have shown me ⌊future generations to come⌋,f O Yahweh God. 18 ⌊What more⌋g can David do to you for honoring your servant? Now you know your servant. 19 O Yahweh, for the sake of your servant and according to your heart you have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things. 20 O Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God except you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation upon earth whom God went to redeem for himself as a people, to establish for you a reputationh for great and awesome things, to drive out nations from before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 And you made your people Israel an everlasting nation for yourself. And you, O Yahweh, became their God. 23 So now, O Yahweh, let the word that you spoke to your servant and to his house be established forever, that you might do what you have spoken. 24 And let your name be established and be magnified forever, saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God, and may the house of David your servant be established before you.’ 25 For you, my God, ⌊have informed⌋i your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore, your servant has found courage to pray before you. 26 So now, O Yahweh, you yourself are God, and you have spoken to your servant this good thing. 27 And now may you begin to bless the house of your servant ⌊to continue forever⌋j before you, for you, O Yahweh, have blessed. And it will be blessed forever.”
David’s Victory over His Enemies
18 And it happened that after David struck the Philistines and subdued them, he captured Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 And he struck Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bearing tribute. 3 And David struck Hadadezer, king of Zobah-Hamath, as he went to set up his monument at the Euphrates River. 4 And David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left one hundred of them to remain for chariots. 5 And when the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, David struck down twenty-two thousand men of Aram. 6 Then David set up garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bearing tribute. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went. 7 And David took small round shields of gold that were upon the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David captured very much bronze. Solomon made the bronze sea with it along with the columns and objects of bronze.
9 And when Tou the king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer the king of Zobah, 10 he sent Hadoram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou ⌊had been at war⌋a with Hadadezer. And he brought with him all the objects of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David dedicated these also to Yahweh, along with the silver and gold that he had taken from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 And Abishai son of Zeruiah defeated eighteen thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. 13 And he put garrisons in Edom, and all Edom became servants to David. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went.