1 Chronicles 17

17 ¹ After David settled in his house, he told Nathan the prophet, "Look, I live in a cedar house, but the ark of our Father's covenant sits under tent curtains."

² Nathan replied to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for our Father is with you."

³ But that night the word of our Father came to Nathan:

⁴ Go tell David my servant: 'This is what your Father says: You are not the one to build me a house to live in.' ⁵ I haven't lived in a house from the day I brought Israel up to now — I've moved tent to tent, dwelling to dwelling. ⁶ Wherever I moved with all Israel, did I ever speak a word to any of Israel's judges, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, asking, 'Why haven't you built me a cedar house?'

⁷ So tell my servant David: 'This is what the Father of heaven's armies says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.' ⁸ I've been with you everywhere you went, and cut off all your enemies before you. Now I'll make your name like the name of earth's greatest ones. ⁹ I will appoint a place for my people Israel and plant them there, to live in their own home, never disturbed again. Wicked people will no longer wear them down as before, ¹⁰ Since I appointed judges over my people Israel, I will subdue all your enemies. I tell you: your Father will build you a house. ¹¹ When your days end and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise your offspring after you, one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He is the one who will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his Father; he will be my son. I won't remove my covenant love from him as I removed it from the one before you. ¹⁴ I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will stand firm forever.

¹⁵ Nathan reported to David all these words and this entire vision.

David Sits Before Our Father in Wonder

¹⁶ Then King David went in, sat before our Father, and said, 'Who am I, my Father, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?' ¹⁷ And as if this were a small thing in your eyes, my Father — you have spoken of your servant's house reaching into the distant future, and you have looked on me as the greatest of men, my Father. ¹⁸ What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. ¹⁹ My Father, for your servant's sake and by your own heart, you have done all these great things, revealing all these great promises. ²⁰ My Father, none is like you, no Father besides you, as all we've heard with our ears. ²¹ Who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth our Father went to redeem as a people for himself, making yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, driving out nations before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? ²² You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, my Father, became their Father. ²³ Now, my Father, let the word you spoke about your servant and his house stand forever; do as you have spoken. ²⁴ Let it stand, and your name grow great forever, so it's said, 'The Father of heaven's armies is our Father over Israel.' Let your servant David's house be established before you. ²⁵ For you, my Father, revealed to your servant that you will build him a house — so your servant found courage to pray before you. ²⁶ Now, my Father, you are our Father; you promised your servant this good thing. ²⁷ Now you have chosen to bless your servant's house, so it may continue before you forever; for you, my Father, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever."