1Ch 17 | EE | STEP | David’s king’s house was now his home. Then he spoke to Nathan the prophet. ‘Now I am living in a house that men have made from the wood of cedar trees. But the LORD‘s Covenant Box is in a tent’, he said.

1 Chronicles 17

David wants to build a house for the LORD

1 David’s king’s house was now his home. Then he spoke to Nathan the prophet. ‘Now I am living in a house that men have made from the wood of cedar trees. But the LORD‘s Covenant Box is in a tent’, he said.

2 Nathan replied to David, ‘God is with you. So do anything that you want to do about that.’ ^{▼▼17:2 The events in this chapter happened after the wars that are in the next chapter.}

God speaks to Nathan

3 But the LORD spoke to Nathan that night. He said, 4 ‘Go and speak to my servant David. This is what the LORD says. “You are not the right man to build a house for me to live in. 5 I have not lived in a house since I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt. I have moved from one place to another and I have lived in different tents. 6 I told the Israelites‘leaders that they must be like shepherds to my people. But I did not say in any of those places, ‘You should have built a house of cedar for me.’”

7 Now tell David my servant that the LORD of many Armies is saying to him, “I took you when you were in the fields with your father’s sheep. And I made you the ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you in all the places that you have gone. And I have killed all your enemies before they reached you. Now I will make your name great. It will be as great as the names of earth’s greatest men. 9 And I will give to my people Israel a place to stay and to grow. Then they can have their own land and other people will not be able to send them away. Wicked people have attacked them and they have hurt them. But they will not continue to do that. 10 They have done that all the time. They have done it since I chose leaders over my people Israel. But I will cause your enemies to be quiet. I am telling you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11 When it is the right time, you will die. And people will bury you where they buried your ancestors. Then I will cause a man from among your sons to be king instead. I will make his kingdom strong and safe and I will keep it strong and safe. 12 He will build a house for me. And I will make his kingdom strong and safe for all time. 13 I will be like a father to him and he will be like my son. I will not take my kind love away from him as I took it away from the king before you. 14 He will rule my people and my kingdom for all time. His kingdom will be safe for all time.”’

15 Nathan told David all the words that the LORD had said to him. He told him everything that God had shown to him. ^{▼▼17:15 The LORD promised to build a ‘house’ for David (verse 10). That meant that he would give to David a family with many descendants. They would be an important clan.}

David prays to the LORD

16 Then King David went in and he sat down in front of the LORD. Then he said, ‘I am not great or important and my clan is not great or important. But you have already done very many good things for me, LORD God. 17 But you are my God and you have decided to do many more things for me. You have promised things to me about my future descendants. You, LORD God, have caused me to seem like a very great man. 18 You know your servant. You have promised to make me very great. And I cannot say any more about that.

19 You have decided to promise these great things to me, LORD. And you are telling me that I will become very great. 20 There is nobody like you, LORD. And you are the only God. Our ancestors have always told us that. 21 Israel is a very special nation. There is no other nation on earth like it. We were slaves in Egypt and you chose to save us for yourself. You did great things and you pushed out our enemies. So the people in all the nations knew that you are very great. And it made them all afraid of you. 22 You chose Israel to be your own people for all time. And you, LORD have become the God of Israel.

23 Now, LORD please do the things that you have promised to me, your servant, about my descendants. Please do not let anyone change those things. 24 Do that so that your name will always be great. So then people will say, “The LORD of Many Armies is Israel’s God.” And David’s descendants will always be your servants.

25 You have told me, your servant, that you will build a house for me. So I was not afraid to pray to you. 26 You LORD really are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now it has given you pleasure to bless your servant. You have said that I will continue to have descendants for all time. You have blessed my descendants, LORD and so you certainly will do good things for them for all time.’