the Fourth Week of Advent
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
Bishop's Bible
1 Chronicles 17
1 And it fortuned, that when Dauid dwelt in his house, he sayde to Nathan the prophete: Lo, I dwel in an house of Cedar tree, but the arke of the lordes couenaunt remayneth vnder curtaynes.2 And Nathan sayde vnto Dauid: Do all that is in thyne heart, for God is with thee.3 And the same night, it fortuned that the worde of God came to, Nathan, saying:4 Go and tell Dauid my seruaunt, thus sayth the Lorde, Thou shalt not buylde me an house to dwell in:5 For I haue dwelt in no house sence the day that I brought out the children of Israel, vnto this day: but haue gone from tent to tent, and from one habitation to an other.6 And whersoeuer I haue walked with all Israel, spake I euer one worde to any of the iudges of Israel, whom I commaunded to feede my people, saying, Why haue ye not buylt me an house of Cedar tree?7 Nowe therfore thus shalt thou say vnto my seruaunt Dauid, thus sayth the Lorde of hoastes: I toke thee from the sheepe coate, and from folowing the sheepe, that thou shouldest be captayne ouer my people Israel:8 And I haue ben with thee whyther soeuer thou hast walked, and haue weeded out all thyne enemies out of thy sight, & haue made thee a name like the name of the greatest men that are in the earth.9 And I haue ordeyned a place for my people Israel and made it fast, so that nowe they may dwell in their place, and moue no more: Neither shall the children of wickednesse vexe them any more as at the beginning.10 And sence the time that I commaunded iudges to be ouer my people Israel, I haue subdued all thyne enemies: and I told thee that the Lord would buyld thee an house.11 This also shal come to passe: when thy dayes be expired that thou must go vnto thy fathers, I will rayse vp thy seede after thee, which shalbe of thy sonnes, and I will stablishe his kingdome.12 He shall buylde me an house, and I wil stablishe his seate for euer.13 I wilbe his father, and he shalbe my sonne, and I will not take my mercie away from him, as I toke it from hym that was before thee.14 But I wil stablishe him in myne house and my kingdome for euer, and his seate shalbe sure for euermore.15 According to all these wordes, and according to al this vision, did Nathan tell king Dauid.
16 And Dauid the king came and sate before the Lord, and sayde: What am I O Lord God, and what is myne houshold, that thou hast promoted me thus farre?17 And yet this seemed litle in thyne eyes, O God: But thou hast also spoken of thy seruauntes house for a great whyle to come, and hast loked vpon me as vpon a man of hye degree, O Lorde God.18 What shall Dauid desire more of thee for the honour of thy seruaunt? For thou hast knowen thy seruaunt.19 O Lord, for thy seruauntes sake, euen according to thine owne heart, hast thou done all this magnificence, to shewe all great thinges.20 Lord there is none like thee, neither is there any God saue thou, according to al that we haue hearde with our eares.21 Moreouer, what nation on the earth is like thy people Israel, to whom God hath vouchsafed to come and redeeme them to be his owne people, and to make thee a name of excellencie & terriblenes, with casting out nations from before the people, whom thou hast deliuered out of Egypt?22 Thy people of Israel diddest thou make thyne owne people for euer, and thou becamest their God.23 Therfore now Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy seruaunt & his house, be true for euer, that thou Lord do as thou hast sayde:24 Let it come to passe, that thy name may be magnified for euer, that it may be said, The Lord of hoastes is the God of Israel, euen the God of Israel, and the house of Dauid thy seruaunt endureth stable before thee.25 For thou O my God, hast tolde thy seruaunt that thou wilt buylde him an house, and therefore thy seruaunt hath founde in his heart to pray before thee.26 And now Lorde, thou art God, & hast promised this goodnes vnto thy seruaut27 Nowe therefore let it be thy pleasure to blesse the house of thy seruaunt, that it may continue before thee for euer: For whom thou blessest O Lorde, the same is blessed for euer.