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¹ And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Yahweh had given him rest from all his enemies round about,² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside curtains.³ And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart; for Yahweh is with you.

⁴ And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying,⁵ Go and tell my slave David, Thus says Yahweh, Shall you build me a house for me to dwell in?⁶ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the sons of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.⁷ In all places wherein I have walked with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar?⁸ Now therefore thus you shall say to my slave David, Thus says Yahweh of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be leader over my people, over Israel;⁹ and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones that are in the earth.¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them anymore, as at the first,¹¹ and [as] from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover Yahweh tells you that Yahweh will make you a house.¹² When your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, that shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.¹³ He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of man;¹⁵ but my loving-kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before you: your throne shall be established forever.¹⁷ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁸ Then David the king went in, and sat before Yahweh; and he said, Who am I, O Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?¹⁹ And this was yet a small thing in your eyes, O Lord Yahweh; but you have spoken also of your slave's house for a great while to come; and this is the law of man, O Lord Yahweh!²⁰ And what more can David say to you? for you know your slave, O Lord Yahweh.²¹ For your word's sake, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, to make your slave know it.²² Therefore you are great, O Yahweh God: for there is none like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.²³ And what other nation on earth is like your people Israel, whose God went and redeemed a people for himself, and made a name for himself, and did great and awesome things for you to drive out nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed to yourself from Egypt?²⁴ And you established to yourself your people Israel to be a people to you forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God.²⁵ And now, O Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your slave, and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do as you have spoken.²⁶ And let your name be magnified forever, saying, Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of your slave David shall be established before you.²⁷ For you, O Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed to your slave, saying, I will build you a house: therefore has your slave found in his heart to pray this prayer to you.²⁸ And now, O Lord Yahweh, you are God, and your words are truth, and you have promised this good thing to your slave:²⁹ now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your slave, that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord Yahweh, have spoken it: and with your blessing let the house of your slave be blessed forever.