Chronological Plan

¹Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.”

³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.”

⁴But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:

⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?

⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.

⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”

⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;

⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,

¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.

¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings.

¹⁵But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

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

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

¹⁹And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord GOD!

²⁰And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD!

²¹Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it.

²²Therefore you are great, O LORD God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²³Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them, by driving out before his people nations and their gods?

²⁴And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever; and you, O LORD, became their God.

²⁵And now, O LORD God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised.

²⁶Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David will be established before you.

²⁷For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.

²⁸And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant;

²⁹now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

¹Now when David settled in his house, David said to the prophet Nathan, “I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.”

²Nathan said to David, “Do all that you have in mind, for God is with you.”

³But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:

⁴Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: You shall not build me a house to live in.

⁵For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought out Israel to this very day, but I have lived in a tent and a tabernacle.

⁶Wherever I have moved about among all Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁷Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel;

⁸and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies before you; and I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

⁹I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall wear them down no more, as they did formerly,

¹⁰from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house.

¹¹When your days are fulfilled to go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹²He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

¹³I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you,

¹⁴but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.

¹⁵In accordance with all these words and all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁶Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

¹⁷And even this was a small thing in your sight, O God; you have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come. You regard me as someone of high rank, O LORD God!

¹⁸And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? You know your servant.

¹⁹For your servant’s sake, O LORD, and according to your own heart, you have done all these great deeds, making known all these great things.

²⁰There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²¹Who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and terrible things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt?

²²And you made your people Israel to be your people forever; and you, O LORD, became their God.

²³“And now, O LORD, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as you have promised.

²⁴Thus your name will be established and magnified forever in the saying, ‘The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God’; and the house of your servant David will be established in your presence.

²⁵For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him; therefore your servant has found it possible to pray before you.

²⁶And now, O LORD, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant;

²⁷therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you. For you, O LORD, have blessed and are blessed forever.”