2 Samuel 7

Chapter 7

David Plans to Build a Temple

^1aNow it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,

²that the king said to ^aNathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in ^ba house of cedar, but the ark of God ^cdwells within tent curtains.”

³Nathan said to the king, “^aGo, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

⁵“Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^aAre you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?

⁶“For ^aI have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about ^bin a tent, even in a ¹tabernacle.

⁷“^aWherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^bwhich I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’

God’s Covenant with David

⁸“Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “^aI took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^bto be ruler over My people Israel.

⁹“^aI have been with you wherever you have gone and ^bhave cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.

¹⁰“I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and ^awill plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, ^bnor will the ¹wicked afflict them any more as formerly,

¹¹even ^afrom the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and ^bI will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that ^cthe Lord will make a house for you.

¹²“^aWhen your days are complete and you ^blie down with your fathers, ^cI will raise up your ¹descendant after you, who will come forth from ²you, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³“^aHe shall build a house for My name, and ^bI will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁴“^aI will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^bwhen he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,

¹⁵but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, ^aas I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

¹⁶“^aYour house and your kingdom shall endure before ¹Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁸Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “^aWho am I, O Lord ¹God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

¹⁹“And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, ^afor You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And ^bthis is the ¹custom of man, O Lord God.

²⁰“Again what more can David say to You? For ^aYou know Your servant, O Lord God!

²¹“^aFor the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know.

²²“For this reason ^aYou are great, O Lord God; for ^bthere is none like You, and there is no God besides You, ^caccording to all that we have heard with our ears.

²³“And ^awhat one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and ^bto do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before ^cYour people whom ^dYou have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods?

²⁴“For ^aYou have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and ^bYou, O Lord, have become their God.

²⁵“Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken,

^26athat Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.

²⁷“For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have ¹made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘^aI will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found ²courage to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸“Now, O Lord God, You are God, and ^aYour words are truth, and You have ¹promised this good thing to Your servant.

²⁹“Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and ^awith Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”