1 Chronicles, 17

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.

1. Once David was living in his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, "Here am I living in a house of cedar, while the ark of Yahweh's covenant dwells beneath a tent cloth."

2. Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that [is] in thine heart; for God [is] with thee.

2. Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your mind, for God is with you."

3. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,

3. But that very night Yahweh said to Nathan,

4. Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:

4. "Go and tell my servant David, 'Yahweh says this: You yourself are not to build a temple for me to live 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].

5. I have never lived in a temple from the day I brought Israel out until today, but went from tent to tent, from one shelter 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?

6. In all my journeying with the whole of Israel, did I say to any one of the rulers of Israel whom I had appointed as shepherds of my people: Why do you not build me a temple of cedar wood?

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:

7. This you must say to my servant David: This is the word of Yahweh Sabaoth: I took you from following the sheep, to be leader of 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.

8. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make your name as great as the name of the greatest on 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,

9. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall live in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did

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.

10. in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel. For now I will subdue all their enemies. Moreover I tell you that I will build you a 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.

11. And when your days are ended and you must die and be buried with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will make his kingdom strong.

12. He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.

12. He will build a temple for me and I will make his throne firm forever.

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:

13. I will be a father to him and he a son to me. I will not withdraw my support from him, as I withdrew it from Saul.

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

14. I will put him in charge of my people and his kingdom shall be established forever."

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

15. Nathan told David accordingly all these words and this vision.

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?

16. King David then went in and, seated before Yahweh, said: "I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, Yahweh God, nor is my family.

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.

17. Yet in your eyes, O God, this is still not enough. For you have made a promise for my descendants reaching into the distant future and you have looked on me as a great man.

18. What can David [speak] more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.

18. What more can I say to you? For you know your servant David.

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.

19. You yourself have done this because you have looked kindly on your servant and you wanted to show your own greatness.

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.

20. O Yahweh, there is none like you, no God except you alone, that we have ever heard of.

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?

21. Is there another people on the earth like your people Israel, whom you rescued from slavery in Egypt to make them your own people, giving yourself a name for great and terrible things by driving nations out before your people whom you rescued from Egypt?

22. For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.

22. You made your people Israel your own people forever; and you, Yahweh, have become 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.

23. Now, Yahweh, let the promise you have made to me and to my descendants be always kept.

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.

24. May this promise hold good and your name be exalted forever; may they say, 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, is God for Israel.' And let my descendants be established before you forever.

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.

25. O my God, you have just made known to me that you will build me a house; because of this I have to offer this prayer in your presence.

26. And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:

26. Yes, Yahweh, you are God indeed, and you have made this kind promise to me.

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.

27. Be pleased, then, to bless my house so that they may remain forever in your favor. You, Yahweh, are the one who blesses, and your blessing will rest on them forever."