II Samuel 7 · שמואל ב

And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

that the king said to Natan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtain.

And Natan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the Lord is with thee.

And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Natan, saying,

Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the Lord, shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?

For I have not dwelt in any house since that time that I brought up the children of Yisra᾽el out of Miżrayim, even to this day, but I have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

In all the places where I have walked with all the children of Yisra᾽el, did I speak a word with any of the rulers of Yisra᾽el, whom I commanded as shepherds of my people Yisra᾽el, saying, Why do you not build me a house of cedar?

Now therefore so shalt thou say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Yisra᾽el:

and I was with thee wherever thou didst go, and have cut off all thy enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like the name of the great men that are on the earth.

Moreover I have appointed a place for my people Yisra᾽el, and planted them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be troubled no more; neither shall the children of wickedness torment them any more, as at the beginning,

and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Yisra᾽el; but I will give thee rest from all thy enemies, and the Lord tells thee that he will make thee a house.

And when the days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall issue from thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build a house for my name, and I will make firm the throne of his kingdom for ever.

I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with such plagues as befall the sons of Adam:

but my covenant love shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Sha᾽ul, whom I put away before thee.

And thy house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be firm for ever.

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

Then king David went in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far?

And this was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O Lord God; but Thou hast also spoken of Thy servant’s house continuing for a great while to come. And does any man deserve such a course, O Lord God!

And what can David say more to Thee? for Thou, Lord God, knowst Thy servant.

For Thy word’s sake, and according to Thy own heart, hast Thou done all these great things, to make Thy servant know them.

Therefore Thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like Thee, neither is there any god besides Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

And what one nation in the earth is like Thy people, like Yisra᾽el, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make himself a name, and to do like the great things and terrible which Thou didst for Thy land, by driving out from before Thy people, whom Thou didst redeem to Thee from Miżrayim, the nations and their gods?

For Thou hast confirmed to Thyself Thy people Yisra᾽el to be a people to Thee for ever: and Thou, Lord, art become their God.

And now, O Lord God, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as Thou hast said,

And let Thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Yisra᾽el: and let the house of Thy servant David be established before Thee.

For Thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Yisra᾽el, hast revealed to Thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore has Thy servant found it in his heart to pray this prayer to Thee.

And now, O Lord God, Thou art the God, and let Thy words come true, as Thou hast promised this goodness to Thy servant:

therefore now let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee: for Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever.