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The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

^1 (C1)Now it happened when David inhabited his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "Behold, I inhabit a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains."² So Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you."

³ Now it happened in the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,⁴ "Go and say to David My servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "^(C1)You shall not build Me a house to inhabit;⁵ for I have not inhabited a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, ^(C1)but I have been from tent to tent and from one ^(F1)dwelling place to another.⁶ "Wherever I have gone about with all Israel, did I speak a word ^(C1)with even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'

David's House Will Be Established Forever

¹⁰ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. And I tell you that Yahweh will build a house for you.¹¹ "And it will be that when your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.¹² "He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.¹³ "^(C1)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; and I will not remove My lovingkindness from him, ^(C2)as I removed it from him who was before you.¹⁴ "But I will cause him to stand in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever."'"¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh's Name

¹⁶ Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh and said, "^(C1)Who am I, O Yahweh God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?¹⁷ "And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Yahweh God.¹⁸ "Again what more can David say to You concerning the glory bestowed on Your slave? You know Your slave.¹⁹ "O Yahweh, ^(C1)for the sake of Your slave, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.²⁰ "O Yahweh, there is none like You, and there is no God besides 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 for Himself as a people, to make You a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt?²² "^(C1)Yet You gave Your people Israel to be Your own people forever, and You, O Yahweh, have become their God.

²³ "So now, O Yahweh, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your slave and concerning his house ^(F1)endure forever, and do as You have spoken,²⁴ that Your name ^(F1)endure and be magnified forever, by saying, 'Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your ^(F2)servant is established before You.'²⁵ "For You, O my God, have revealed in the hearing of Your slave that You will build for him a house; therefore Your slave has found courage to pray before You.²⁶ "So now, O Yahweh, You are God, and You have ^(F1)promised this good thing to Your slave.²⁷ "So now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your slave, that it may be forever before You. For You, O Yahweh, have blessed, and it is blessed forever."