God's Covenant with David

(2 Samuel 7:4-17)

1Now 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. 2Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.

3And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4Go and tell David my servant, Thus said the LORD, You shall not build me an house to dwell in: 5For 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. 6Wherever 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? 7Now 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: 8And 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. 9Also 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, 10And 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. 11And 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. 12He shall build me an house, and I will establish his throne for ever. 13I 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: 14But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for ever more. 15According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

David's Prayer

(2 Samuel 7:18-29)

16And 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? 17And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O God; for you have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God. 18What can David speak more to you for the honor of your servant? for you know your servant. 19O LORD, for your servant's sake, and according to your own heart, have you done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. 20O LORD, there is none like you, neither is there any God beside you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21And 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? 22For your people Israel did you make your own people for ever; and you, LORD, became their God.

23Therefore 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. 24Let 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. 25For 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. 26And now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this goodness to your servant: 27Now 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.