1 Chronicles 17:1-27 God Establishes His Covenant with DavidAfter David had settled down to live in his palace, he spoke with the prophet Nathan. “Look, here I am living in this cedar palace, but the ark of the LORD’s covenant remains surrounded by curtains!”

ISV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ God Establishes His Covenant with David
After David had settled down to live in his palace, he spoke with the prophet Nathan. “Look, here I am living in this cedar palace, but the ark of the LORD’s covenant remains surrounded by curtains!”
² “Do everything you have in mind,” Nathan replied to David, “because God is with you.”
³ But later that same night, this message came to Nathan from God: ⁴ “Go tell David, my servant, ‘This is what the LORD says: “‘“You won’t be building a house for me to inhabit, will you? ⁵ After all, I haven’t lived in a house from the day I brought out Israel until today. Instead, I’ve lived from tent to tent and from one place to another. ⁶ Wherever I’ve moved within all of Israel, did I ever ask even one judge of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, ‘Why haven’t you built me a cedar house?’”’ ⁷ “Now therefore this is what you are to tell my servant David: ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “I took you from the pasture myself—from tending sheep—to become Commander-in-Chief over my people Israel. ⁸ “‘“Furthermore, I have remained with you everywhere you have gone, annihilating all your enemies right in front of you. I will make your reputation great, like the reputation of the great ones who have lived on earth. ⁹ I will establish a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure location where they will never be disturbed anymore. Wicked people will not oppress them as happened in the past, ¹⁰ during the time I had commanded judges to administer my people Israel. I’ll also grant you deliverance from all your enemies. “‘“I’m also announcing to you that the LORD also will himself build a house for you. ¹¹ It will come about that when your life is complete and you go to join your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who is related to one of your sons, and I will fortify his kingdom. ¹² He will build a temple dedicated to me, and I will make his throne last forever. ¹³ I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me. I will never remove my gracious love from him as I did from the one who preceded you. ¹⁴ I will confirm him in my Temple and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will remain secure forever.”’”
¹⁵ Using precisely these words, Nathan communicated this complete oracle to David.
¹⁶ David’s Prayer
Then King David went in, sat down in the presence of the LORD, and said: “Who am I, LORD God, and what is my household, since you have brought me to this? ¹⁷ Furthermore, this is a small thing to you, God, and yet you have spoken concerning your servant’s household for a great while to come, and you have seen in me the fulfillment of man’s purpose, LORD God. ¹⁸ “What more can David say to you about how you are honoring your servant, and you surely know your servant. ¹⁹ LORD, for the sake of your servant, and consistent with your heart, you have done all of these great things and are now making these great things known. ²⁰ “LORD, there is no one like you, and we have heard from no god other than you. ²¹ What other one nation on the earth is like your people Israel, God, which you have redeemed from slavery to become your own people, making a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You did awesome miraculous deeds, driving out nations that stood in their way. ²² You took your people Israel to be your very own people forever, and you, LORD, have become their God. ²³ “And now, LORD, let what you have spoken concerning your servant and his household be done forever—and let it be done just as you’ve promised. ²⁴ May your name be made great and honored forever: The LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, is God for Israel, and may the family of David your servant stand before you forever. ²⁵ “Because of you, my God, I have been bold to pray to you, as you have told your servant that you will build him a dynasty. ²⁶ And now, LORD, you are God, and you have promised all of these good things to your servant. ²⁷ Furthermore, it has pleased you to bless the dynasty of your servant, so that it will continue in place forever in your presence, because when you, LORD, grant a blessing, it is an eternal blessing.”