Chapter 7

  And it came to pass when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest round about from all his enemies,  

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  that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of God dwells under curtains.  

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  And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee.  

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  And it came to pass that night that the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, saying,  

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  Go and say to my servant, to David, Thus saith Jehovah: Wilt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?  

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  For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but I went about in a tent and in a tabernacle.  

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  In all my going about with all the children of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye me not a house of cedars?  

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  And now, thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I took thee from the pasture-grounds, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel;  

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  and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are on the earth.  

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  And I will appoint a place for my people, for Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be disturbed no more; neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly,  

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  and since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I have given thee rest from all thine enemies; and Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house.  

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  When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.  

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  It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.  

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  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men;  

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  but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before thee.  

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  And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made firm for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.  

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  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.  

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  And king David went in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?  

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  And yet this hath been a small thing in thy sight, Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, Lord Jehovah?  

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  And what can David say more to thee? for thou, Lord Jehovah, knowest thy servant.  

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  For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, to make thy servant know [it].  

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  Wherefore thou art great, Jehovah Elohim; for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.  

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  And who is like thy people, like Israel, the one nation in the earth that God went to redeem to be a people to himself, and to make himself a name, and to do for them great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thyself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?  

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  And thou hast established to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah, art become their God.  

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  And now, Jehovah Elohim, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, fulfil it for ever, and do as thou hast said.  

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  And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.  

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  For thou, Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house; therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.  

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  And now, Lord Jehovah, thou art that God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant;  

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  and now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou, Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it; and with thy blessing shall the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.  

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