God’s Agreement with David

7 King David lived in his house. The Lord had given him rest from all those around him who hated him. At this time, ² the king said to Nathan, the man who spoke for God, “See now, I live in a house of cedar wood. But the special box of God stays within tent curtains.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “Go and do all that is in your mind. For the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says, “Are you the one who should build a house for Me to live in? ⁶ I have not lived in a house since the day I brought the people of Israel from Egypt to this day. But I have been moving about with a tent to live in. ⁷ In all the places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I say anything about this to any of the families of Israel which I told to shepherd My people? Did I say to any of them, ‘Why have you not built a house of cedar wood for Me?’”’ ⁸ So now tell My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of All says, “I took you from following the sheep in the field to be the ruler of My people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you in all the places you have gone. I have destroyed from in front of you all those who fought against you. I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ I will choose a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be troubled again. The sinful will not bring trouble to them any more, as they did before ¹¹ since the day I told special people to rule My people Israel. I will give you rest from all those who hate you. And the Lord makes known to you that He will make a house for you. ¹² When your days are done and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your son after you, who will be born from you. And I will build his nation. ¹³ He will build a house for My name, and I will build the throne of his nation to last forever. ¹⁴ I will be a Father to him and he will be a son to Me. When he sins, I will punish him with the stick of men. And I will let the sons of men hit him. ¹⁵ But My loving-kindness will not leave him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I took away from you. ¹⁶ Your house and your nation will be made sure before Me forever. Your throne will be built to last forever.”’” ¹⁷ Nathan said to David all these words of this special dream.

David’s Prayer

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ Yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken of Your servant’s family in the future. And this is the way of man, O Lord God. ²⁰ What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God. ²¹ Because of Your Word and Your own heart, You have done all these great things to let Your servant know. ²² For this reason You are great, O Lord God. There is none like You. And there is no God but You, by all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ What other nation on earth is like Your people Israel. God went to make them free to be His people and to make a name for Himself. You did a great thing for Yourself and great things for Your land. You did them before Your people whom You have made free from Egypt, from nations and their gods. ²⁴ For You have made for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever. O Lord, You have become their God. ²⁵ Now, O Lord God, make sure forever the word which You have spoken about Your servant and his family. Do as You have said. ²⁶ And Your name will be honored forever. It will be said, ‘The Lord of All is God over Israel.’ May the family of Your servant David be made strong before You. ²⁷ For You, O Lord of All, the God of Israel, have shown this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So Your servant has found strength of heart to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ And now, O Lord God, You are God. Your Words are truth. And You have promised this good thing to Your servant. ²⁹ So now may it please You to bring good to the house of Your servant, that it may last forever before You. For You have spoken, O Lord God. May Your good come to the family of Your servant forever.”

David Wins Other Battles

8 After this David won the battle against the Philistines. And he took the most important city from the Philistines. ² He won the battle against Moab, and had them lie down on the ground in straight groups. Two groups were put to death, and one group was kept alive. The Moabites became servants to David and paid taxes to him.

³ Then David won the battle against Hadadezer the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as he went to get his power again at the Euphrates River. ⁴ David took 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. He cut the legs of some of the war-wagon horses, but saved enough of them for 100 war-wagons. ⁵ When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of them. ⁶ Then he put groups of soldiers in Damascus of Syria. The Syrians became servants to David and were made to pay taxes to him. The Lord helped David every place he went. ⁷ David took the coverings of gold which were carried by Hadadezer’s army, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ And he took a very large amount of brass from Hadadezer’s cities, Betah and Berothai.

⁹ Now Toi king of Hamath heard that David had won the battle against the whole army of Hadadezer. ¹⁰ So Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to greet him and pray that good would come to him, because David had fought against Hadadezer and had won. Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him objects of silver, gold and brass. ¹¹ David set these apart to the Lord, together with the silver and gold he had set apart from all the nations he had taken in battle. ¹² He had taken silver and gold from Syria, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the things taken from Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ So David’s name was very respected when he returned from killing 18,000 Syrians in the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ And he put groups of soldiers in Edom. In all Edom he put soldiers, and all the Edomites became servants to David. The Lord helped David every place he went.

¹⁵ So David ruled all of Israel. He did what was right and good and fair for all his people. ¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was the head of the army. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud wrote down the important things of the nation. ¹⁷ Ahitub’s son Zadok and Abiathar’s son Ahimelech were religious leaders. Seraiah was the writer. ¹⁸ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada ruled the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And David’s sons were the king’s helpers.