1 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."

2 Nathan replied to David, "Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you."

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

4 "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.

5 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another.

6 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders "whom I commanded to shepherd my people, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

7 "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.

8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth.

9 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning

10 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies. "'I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you:

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

12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.

14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.'"

15 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, LORD God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

18 "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,

19 LORD. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

20 "There is no one like you, LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

21 And who is like your people Israel —the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?

22 You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God.

23 "And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised,

24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, 'The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

25 "You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you.

26 You, LORD, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant.

27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."

1 Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, See, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remains under curtains.

2 Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.

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 said the LORD, You shall not build me an house to dwell in:

5 For I have not dwelled in an house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

6 Wherever I have walked with all Israel, spoke I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have you not built me an house of cedars?

7 Now therefore thus shall you say to my servant David, Thus said the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over my people Israel:

8 And I have been with you wherever you have walked, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you 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 your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you an house.

11 And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

12 He shall build me an house, and I will establish 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 you:

14 But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for ever more.

15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me till now?

17 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O God; for you have also spoken of your servant' house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

18 What can David speak more to you for the honor of your servant? for you know your servant.

19 O LORD, for your servant' sake, and according to your own heart, have you done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

20 O LORD, there is none like you, neither is there any God beside you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

21 And what one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make you a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before your people whom you have redeemed out of Egypt?

22 For your people Israel did you make your own people for ever; and you, LORD, became their God.

23 Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as you have said.

24 Let it even be established, that your 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 your servant be established before you.

25 For you, O my God, have told your servant that you will build him an house: therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray before you.

26 And now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this goodness to your servant:

27 Now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may be before you for ever: for you bless, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.