The Second Book of Samuel

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- Chapter 7 -

(1 Chronicles 17:1–15)

The king began to live in his palace. By now Yahweh had caused the enemy people groups to stop attacking Israel.

One day David said to the prophet Nathan, “It is not right that I am here, living in a beautiful house made of cedar wood, but the chest that contains God’s Ten Commandments is kept in a tent!”

Then Nathan said to the king, “Yahweh is helping you, so do about the sacred chest whatever you think is right.”

But that night, Yahweh spoke to Nathan:

“Go and tell my servant, David, that this is what Yahweh says to him: He is not the one who will build a temple for me to live in.

I have not lived in any building from the day that I brought the Israelites up from Egypt until now. Instead, I have been living in my sacred tent, moving from one place to another with the people.

Wherever I went with the Israelites as they traveled, I never said to any of the leaders whom I appointed to lead them, ‘Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?’

So tell my servant David that Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, says that he took him from a pasture and from taking care of sheep, and appointed him to become the ruler of my Israelite people.

Remind him I have been with him wherever he has gone. I have gotten rid of all his enemies who attacked him. I will make him very famous, as well known as the names of all the greatest men who have ever lived on the earth.

Formerly, during the time that I appointed leaders for my Israelite people, many violent groups oppressed them. But this will not happen anymore.

I have chosen a place where my people can live peacefully and where no one will disturb them anymore. I will make all their enemies stop attacking them. And I will defeat all their enemies. Tell David that I declare to him that I, Yahweh, will enable his descendants to rule after him.

When he dies and is buried, I will appoint one of his own sons to be king, and I will make him to be a very powerful king.

He is the one who will arrange for a temple to be built for me. I will make his rule over Israel to last forever.

I will be like a father to him, and it will be as though he is a son to me. When he does something that is wrong, I will punish him as fathers punish their sons.

But I will never stop faithfully loving him as I stopped loving Saul, whom I removed from being king before David became king.

David’s descendants will rule the kingdom of Israel forever. Their rule will never end.”

So Nathan told David everything that Yahweh had told him.

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

(1 Chronicles 17:16–27)

When David heard Nathan’s message, he went into the sacred tent and sat in Yahweh’s presence, and prayed this: “Yahweh, my God, I am not worthy of all the things that you have done for me, and my family is not worthy either.

And now, O Yahweh my God, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations.

O Yahweh God, what more can I, David, say to you for honoring me? Although you know very well what I am like, Yahweh my God, you have acted toward me as though I were the most important man on the earth!

You have done all these great things to teach me, and you have done them just because you wanted to do them and because you decided to do them.

O Yahweh my God, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, just as we have always heard.

And there is no other nation in the world like Israel. Israel is the only nation on the earth whose people you went out to rescue, as you rescued them from Egypt. Then you made them belong to you yourself. And for doing all these things, you are now well known throughout the world. As your people advanced through this land, you drove out other people groups who were in Canaan, along with their gods.

You caused us Israelites to be your people forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!

And now, Yahweh my God, I pray that you will cause the things that you promised to me about my descendants to come true and be true forever, and that you will do the things that you said that you would do.

When that happens, you will become famous forever, and people will exclaim, ‘Yahweh, the commander of angel armies, is the God who rules Israel.’ And you will cause that there will forever be descendants of mine who will rule.

Yahweh, the God whom we Israelite people worship, you have revealed to me that you will make some of my descendants kings. For that reason, I have been brave enough to pray like this to you.

So now, O Yahweh, because you are God, we can trust that you will do what you promise. You have promised these good things to me.

So now I ask you that if it pleases you, you will bless my descendants, in order that they may continue to rule forever. Yahweh God, you have promised these things, so I know that if you do these things, you will keep blessing my descendants forever.”

(1 Chronicles 17:1–15)

When the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around,

the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but God’s ark dwells within curtains.”

Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

That same night, the LORD’s word came to Nathan, saying,

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘The LORD says, “Should you build me a house for me to dwell in?

For I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt, even to this day, but have moved around in a tent and in a tabernacle.

In all places in which I have walked with all the children of Israel, did I say a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”’

Now therefore tell my servant David this: ‘The LORD of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel.

I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.

I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be moved no more. The children of wickedness will not afflict them any more, as at the first,

and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD tells you that the LORD will make you a house.

When your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men;

but my loving kindness will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.

Your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.”’”

Nathan spoke to David all these words, and according to all this vision.

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

(1 Chronicles 17:16–27)

Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD; and he said, “Who am I, Lord

(a)

GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?

This was yet a small thing in your eyes, Lord GOD, but you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come; and this among men, Lord GOD!

What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Lord GOD.

For your word’s sake, and according to your own heart, you have worked all this greatness, to make your servant know it.

Therefore you are great, LORD God. For there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

What one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, and to make himself a name, and to do great things for you, and awesome things for your land, before your people, whom you redeemed to yourself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?

You established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever; and you, LORD, became their God.

“Now, LORD God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do as you have spoken.

Let your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of Armies is God over Israel; and the house of your servant David will be established before you.’

For you, LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer to you.

“Now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are truth, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.

Now therefore, let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Lord GOD, have spoken it. Let the house of your servant be blessed forever with your blessing.”

Footnotes

(a)7:18 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”