2 Samuel 7

¹ Afterwarde when the King sate in his house and the Lorde had giuen him rest rounde about from all his enemies,

² That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth withinWithin the tabernacle covered with skins, (Exo_26:7).curtains.

³ Then Nathan sayde vnto the King, Go, and doe all that is in thine heart: for the Lord is with thee.

⁴ And the same night the worde of the Lorde came vnto Nathan, saying,

⁵ Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD,Meaning, he should not: yet Nathan speaking according to man's judgment and not by the spirit of prophecy permitted him.Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

⁶ For I haue dwelt in no house since the time that I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt vnto this day, but haue walked in a tent and tabernacle.

⁷ In all [the places] wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I aConcerning building a house: meaning without God's express word, nothing should be attempted.word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?

⁸ Nowe therefore so say vnto my seruant Dauid, Thus saieth the Lord of hostes, I tooke thee from the sheepecote following the sheepe, that thou mightest bee ruler ouer my people, ouer Israel.

⁹ And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee aI have made you famous through all the world.great name, like unto the name of the great [men] that [are] in the earth.

¹⁰ Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and moveHe promises them quietness, if they will walk in his fear and obedience.no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,

¹¹ And since the time that I set Iudges ouer my people of Israel) & I will giue thee rest from al thine enemies: also the Lorde telleth thee, that he will make thee an house.

¹² And when thy daies bee fulfilled, thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers, and I wil set vp thy seede after thee, which shall proceede out of thy body, and will stablish his kingdome.

¹³ He shall buyld an house for my Name, & I will stablish ye throne of his kingdome for euer.

¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with theThat is, gently, as fathers use to chastise their children.rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

¹⁵ But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I tooke it from Saul whome I haue put away before thee.

¹⁶ And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall beThis was begun in Solomon, as a figure, but accomplished in Christ.established for ever.

¹⁷ According to all these wordes, and according to all this vision, Nathan spake thus vnto Dauid.

¹⁸ Then King Dauid went in, and sate before the Lorde, and sayde, Who am I, O Lorde God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

¹⁹ And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And [is] this the manner ofDoes this not come rather from your free mercy, than from any worthiness that can be in man?man, O Lord GOD?

²⁰ And what can Dauid say more vnto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy seruant.

²¹ For thy words sake, and according to thine owne heart hast thou done all these great things, to make them knowen vnto thy seruant.

²² Wherefore thou art great, O Lorde God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that wee haue heard with our eares.

²³ And what one nation in the earth [is] like thy people, [even] like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do forO Israel.you great things and terrible, forAnd inheritance, which is Israel.thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, [from] theFrom the Egyptians and their idols.nations and their gods?

²⁴ For thou hastHe shows that God's free election is the only reason why the Israelites were chosen to be his people.confirmed to thyself thy people Israel [to be] a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.

²⁵ Nowe therefore, O Lorde God, confirme for euer the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy seruant and his house, and doe as thou hast sayde.

²⁶ And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts [is] the God over Israel: and let theThis prayer is most effective when we chiefly seek God's glory, and the accomplishment of his promise.house of thy servant David be established before thee.

²⁷ For thou, O Lord of hostes, God of Israel, hast reueiled vnto thy seruant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy seruant bene bold to pray this prayer vnto thee.

²⁸ Therefore now, O Lord God, (for thou art God, and thy words be true, and thou hast tolde this goodnes vnto thy seruant)

²⁹ 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, hastTherefore I firmly believe it will come to pass.spoken [it]: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.