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God’s Covenant with David

17 As David sat in his house (palace), he said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I live in a house of cedars, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.” Then Nathan said to David, “[a]Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

But it came about that same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought Israel up [from Egypt] until this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. Wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I say a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?’”’ Now, therefore, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make your name like the name of the great ones of the earth. I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be moved again [nor tremble with fear]; and the [b]wicked will not waste (persecute) them anymore, as formerly, 10 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will humble and subdue all your enemies.

“Furthermore, I tell you that the Lord will build you a house (a blessed posterity). 11 And it shall come to pass that when your days are completed and you must go to be with your fathers [in death], I will raise up one of your descendants after you, one of your own sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.(A) 13 I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My steadfast love and mercy away from him, as I took it from him (King Saul) who was before you.(B) 14 But I will settle [c]him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forevermore.”’”(C) 15 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer in Response

16 Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house and family that You have brought me this far? 17 This was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the standard and estate of a man of high degree (prominence), O Lord God. 18 What more can David say to You for the honor granted to Your servant? For You know Your servant. 19 O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and in accordance with Your own heart, You have accomplished all this greatness, to make known all these great things. 20 O Lord, there is no one like You, nor is there any God except You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make a name for Yourself by great and awesome and terrible things, by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt? 22 You made Your people Israel Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

23 “Therefore now, O Lord, let the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house endure forever, and do as You have said. 24 Let Your name [and the character that it denotes] endure and be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, yes, a God to Israel; and the house of Your servant David is established before You.’ 25 For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build for him a house (descendants); therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. 26 And now, O Lord, You are God, and you have spoken and promised this good thing to Your servant. 27 Therefore may it please You to bless the house (descendants) of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for what You bless, O Lord, is blessed forever.”

David’s Kingdom Strengthened

18 After this it came about that David defeated and subdued the Philistines, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines. He defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David’s servants and brought tribute (gifts).

David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his [d]dominion to the Euphrates River. David took from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers (infantrymen). David also [e]hamstrung [nearly] all the chariot horses [to make them lame and useless], but left enough of them for 100 chariots.

When the Arameans (Syrians) of [f]Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of the Arameans. Then David put military outposts among the Arameans in Damascus; and the Arameans became David’s servants and brought tribute. Thus the Lord helped David wherever he went. David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. Likewise from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David brought a very large amount of bronze, with which Solomon later made the bronze Sea (large basin), the pillars, and the utensils of bronze.(D)

When Tou king of Hamath heard how David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless (congratulate) him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. And Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze. 11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord [setting them apart for sacred use], with the silver and the gold which he brought from all the nations: from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and from Amalek.

12 Also Abishai the son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister] defeated 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 He put military outposts in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. Thus the Lord helped David wherever he went.

14 So David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people. 15 Joab the son of Zeruiah was in command of the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 16 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests, and Shavsha was secretary (state scribe); 17 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in charge of the [g]Cherethites and the Pelethites [David’s bodyguards], and the sons of David were chiefs at the king’s side.

David’s Messengers Abused

19 Now it came about after this, that Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son became king in his place. David said, “I will be kind (gracious) to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father was kind to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning [the death of] his father. And the servants of David came to the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun. But the leaders of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “[h]Do you think that David has sent people to console and comfort you because he honors your father? Have his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them [cutting off half their beards], and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their buttocks, and sent them away [in humiliation]. When David was told how the men were treated, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were very humiliated and ashamed [to return]. So the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow [back], and then return.”

When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves hateful to David, Hanun and his people sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots and the king of Maacah and his troops, who came and camped before Medeba. And the Ammonites gathered together from their cities and came to battle. When David heard about it, he sent Joab and all the army of courageous men. The Ammonites came out and lined up in battle formation at the entrance of the city [Medeba], while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

Ammon and Aram Defeated

10 Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him in the front and in the rear, he chose warriors from all the choice men of Israel and put them in formation against the Arameans (Syrians). 11 The rest of the soldiers he placed in the hand of Abishai his brother, and they lined up against the Ammonites. 12 He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you. 13 Be strong and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” 14 So Joab and the people who were with him approached the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him. 15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, they also fled before Abishai, Joab’s brother, and entered the city [Medeba]. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

16 When the Arameans (Syrians) saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the [Euphrates] River, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer leading them. 17 When this was told to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan, and came upon them and drew up in formation against them. So when David drew up in battle array against the Arameans, they fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death Shophach the commander of the army. 19 When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to and served him. And the Arameans (Syrians) were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 17:2 This may have been advice expressed by Nathan rather than a prophecy; in v 4 it becomes clear that God did not tell Nathan to say this.
  2. 1 Chronicles 17:9 Lit sons of wickedness.
  3. 1 Chronicles 17:14 At this point the prophecy looks ahead from Solomon to the Messiah (Christ), whose reign will be forever; yet the reference to Solomon is not lost, and the Messiah’s reign in a sense will be the fulfillment of Solomon’s as described here.
  4. 1 Chronicles 18:3 Lit hand.
  5. 1 Chronicles 18:4 I.e. cut the tendon between the hoof and fetlock.
  6. 1 Chronicles 18:5 Heb Darmeseq.
  7. 1 Chronicles 18:17 These men were apparently foreign, professional soldiers who were hired to protect the king.
  8. 1 Chronicles 19:3 Lit In your eyes has David.

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