^17:16David went in, sat before the Lord, and said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family,²⁵ that you should have brought me to this point? ^17:17And you did not stop there, O God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family.²⁶ You have revealed to me what men long to know,²⁷ O Lord God. ^17:18What more can David say²⁸ to you? You have honored your servant; you have given your servant special recognition.²⁹^17:19O Lord, for the sake of your servant and according to your will,³⁰ you have done this great thing in order to reveal your greatness.³¹^17:20O Lord, there is none like you; there is no God besides you! What we heard is true!³²^17:21And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation³³ in the earth? Their God³⁴ went to claim³⁵ a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great and awesome deeds³⁶ when you drove out³⁷ nations before your people whom you had delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods.³⁸^17:22You made Israel your very own nation for all time.³⁹ You, O Lord, became their God. ^17:23So now, O Lord, may the promise you made about your servant and his family become a permanent reality!⁴⁰ Do as you promised,⁴¹^17:24so⁴² it may become a reality⁴³ and you may gain lasting fame,⁴⁴ as people say,⁴⁵ ‘The Lord who commands armies is the God of Israel.’⁴⁶ David’s dynasty⁴⁷ will be established before you, ^17:25for you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a dynasty⁴⁸ for him. That is why your servant has had the courage to pray to you.⁴⁹^17:26Now, O Lord, you are the true God;⁵⁰ you have made this good promise to your servant.⁵¹^17:27Now you are willing to bless your servant’s dynasty⁵² so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Lord, have blessed it and it will be blessed from now on into the future.”⁵³

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Footnotes

25 Heb “house.”
26 Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
27 The translation “You have revealed to me what men long to know” is very tentative; the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The text appears to read literally, “and you see me like the searching of man, that which is upward,” which is nonsensical. The translation above assumes the following: (1) The Qal verb translated “you see me” is repointed as a Hiphil, “you showed me,” (2) תּוֹר (tor) is understood in the sense of “searching, exploring,” and (3) הַמַּעֲלָה (hamma’alah) is taken in a temporal sense of “that which lies beyond.” Thus one could translate, “you have shown me what men search for, what lies beyond.”
28 The word “say” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
29 Heb “for honoring your servant, and you, your servant, know.”
30 Heb “heart.”
31 Heb “to make known all the great deeds.”
32 The Hebrew text reads literally, “in all which we heard with our ears,” but בְּכֹל (békhol, “in all”) should probably be emended to כְּכֹל (kékhol, “according to all”).
33 Heb “a nation, one.”
34 Heb “whose God,” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
35 Heb “redeem” or “deliver.”
36 Heb “to make for yourself a name [with] great and awesome [deeds].”
37 Heb “to drive out.”
38 Heb “from Egypt, nations.” The parallel text in 2 Sam 7:23 reads “from Egypt, nations and its gods.”
39 Heb “and you made your people Israel your own for a people permanently.”
40 Heb “and now, O Lord, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, may it be established permanently.”
41 Heb “as you have spoken.”
42 Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result: “so it might become a reality.”
43 Heb “so it might be established.”
44 Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result (parallel to the previous purpose/result clause): “[so] … you might gain lasting fame.”
45 Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
46 Heb “the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], the God of Israel, Israel’s God.” The phrases אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (’elohey yisra’el, “God of Israel”) and אֱלֹהִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל (’elohim léyisra’el, “Israel’s God”) are probably alternative readings that have been conflated in the text.
47 Heb “the house of David.”
48 Heb “house.”
49 Heb “That is why your servant found to pray before you.” Perhaps the phrase אֶת לִבּוֹ (’et libbo, “his heart”) should be supplied as the object of the verb “found.”
50 Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
51 Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
52 Heb “house.”
53 Heb “for you, O Lord, have blessed and [it is] blessed permanently.”