David wants to build a house for God, but God tells Nathan that David's son will build it. God promises to build David a house and establish his throne forever. David responds with a prayer of humble thanks.
1 Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house , that David said to Nathan the prophet , Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars , but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains .
2 Then Nathan said unto David , Do all that is in thine heart ; for God is with thee.
3 And it came to pass the same night , that the word of God came to Nathan , saying ,
4 Go and tell David my servant , Thus saith the LORD , Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in :
5 For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day ; but have gone from tent to tent , and from one tabernacle to another.
6 Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel , spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel , whom I commanded to feed my people , saying , Why have ye not built me an house of cedars ?
7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David , Thus saith the LORD of hosts , I took thee from the sheepcote , even from following the sheep , that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel :
8 And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked , and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth .
9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel , and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more , as at the beginning ,
10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel . Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies . Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house .
11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers , that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons ; and I will establish his kingdom .
12 He shall build me an house , and I will stablish his throne for ever .
13 I will be his father , and he shall be my son : and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:
14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever : and his throne shall be established for evermore .
15 According to all these words , and according to all this vision , so did Nathan speak unto David .
16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD , and said , Who am I, O LORD God , and what is mine house , that thou hast brought me hitherto ?
17 And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes , O God ; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come , and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree , O LORD God .
18 What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant ? for thou knowest thy servant .
19 O LORD , for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart , hast thou done all this greatness , in making known all these great things .
20 O LORD , there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears .
21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel , whom God went to redeem to be his own people , to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness , by driving out nations from before thy people , whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt ?
22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever ; and thou, LORD , becamest their God .
23 Therefore now, LORD , let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever , and do as thou hast said .
24 Let it even be established , that thy name may be magnified for ever , saying , The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel , even a God to Israel : and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.
25 For thou, O my God , hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house : therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.
26 And now, LORD , thou art God , and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant :
27 Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant , that it may be before thee for ever : for thou blessest , O LORD , and it shall be blessed for ever .