2 Samuel 7:1-16 - Yahweh Makes A Covenant With David

¹ The king settled into his palace, for the Lord gave him relief from all his enemies on all sides. ² The king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent."

³ Nathan replied to the king, "You should go and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you."

⁴ That night the Lord told Nathan, ⁵ "Go, tell my servant David: 'This is what the Lord says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in? ⁶ I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent. ⁷ Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say to any of the leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?"'

⁸ "So now, say this to my servant David: 'This is what the Lord of hosts says: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd to make you leader of my people Israel. ⁹ I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth. ¹⁰ I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will live there and not be disturbed any more. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning ¹¹ and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief from all your enemies. The Lord declares to you that he himself will build a dynastic house for you. ¹² When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent. ¹⁴ I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵ But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will stand before me permanently; your dynasty will be permanent.'"