God’s Covenant with David (1 Chronicles 17:1–15)
1 UDB The king began to live in his palace. By now Yahweh had caused the enemy peoples to stop attacking Israel. BSB BSB: After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,
2 UDB One day, David said to the prophet Nathan, "It is not right that I am here, living in a beautiful house made of cedar wood, but the chest that contains God's Ten Commandments is kept in a tent!" BSB BSB: he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
3 UDB Then Nathan said to the king, "Yahweh is helping you, so do about the sacred chest whatever you think is right." BSB BSB: And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 UDB But that night, Yahweh spoke to Nathan: BSB BSB: But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
5 UDB "Go and tell my servant David that this is what Yahweh says to him: He is not the one who will build a temple for me to live in. BSB BSB: “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in?
6 UDB I have not lived in any building from the day that I brought the Israelites up from Egypt until now. Instead, I have been living in my sacred tent, moving from one place to another with the people. BSB BSB: For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling.
7 UDB Wherever I went with the Israelites as they traveled, I never said to any of the leaders whom I appointed to lead them, 'Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?' BSB BSB: In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’
8 UDB So tell my servant David that Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says that he took him from a pasture and from taking care of sheep and appointed him to become the ruler of my Israelite people. BSB BSB: Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel.
9 UDB Remind him I have been with him wherever he has gone. I have gotten rid of all of his enemies who attacked him. I will make him very famous, as well known as the names of all the greatest men who have ever lived on the earth. BSB BSB: I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land.
10 UDB Formerly, during the time that I appointed leaders for my Israelite people, many violent groups oppressed them. But this will not happen anymore. I have chosen a place where my people can live peacefully and where no one will disturb them anymore. I will make all their enemies stop attacking them. And I will defeat all their enemies. Tell David that I declare to him that I, Yahweh, will enable his descendants to rule after him. BSB BSB: And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning
13 UDB He is the one who will arrange for a temple to be built for me. I will make his rule over Israel to last forever. BSB BSB: He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 UDB I will be a Father to him, and he is a son to me. When he does something that is wrong, I will punish him as fathers punish their sons. BSB BSB: I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 UDB But I will never stop faithfully loving him as I stopped loving Saul, whom I removed from being king before David became king. BSB BSB: But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
17 UDB So Nathan told David everything that Yahweh had told him. BSB BSB: So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire revelation.
David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 17:16–27)
18 UDB When David heard Nathan's message, he went into the sacred tent and sat in Yahweh's presence and prayed this: "Yahweh my God, I am not worthy of all the things that you have done for me, and my family is not worthy either. BSB BSB: Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
19 UDB This was a small thing in your sight, Yahweh God! You have spoken about what will happen to your servant's family for many years to come, and you have shown your servant his future generations, Yahweh God! BSB BSB: And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD?
20 UDB What more can I, David, say to you for honoring me? You know all about your servant, Yahweh God! BSB BSB: What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD.
21 UDB You have promised what you would do in the future, and you have promised to accomplish all of your purposes! You have done this great thing, and you have revealed it to your servant. BSB BSB: For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant.
22 UDB O Yahweh my God, you are great. There is no one like you. Only you are God, just as we have always heard. BSB BSB: How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.
23 UDB And there is no other nation in the world like Israel. Israel is the only nation on the earth whose people you went out to rescue, as you rescued them from Egypt. Then you made them belong to yourself. And for doing all these things, you are now well known throughout the world. As your people advanced through this land, you drove out other peoples who were in Canaan, along with their gods. BSB BSB: And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt.
24 UDB You caused us Israelites to be your people forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God! BSB BSB: For You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.
25 UDB And now, Yahweh my God, I pray that you will make sure that the things that you promised to your servant about his royal line—that those promises will be true and will be true forever, and that you will do all the things that you said you would do. BSB BSB: And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised,
26 UDB When that happens, you will become famous forever, and people will exclaim, 'Yahweh, the commander of angel armies, is the God who rules Israel.' And you will make sure that there will be descendants of mine who will rule forever. BSB BSB: so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You.
27 UDB Yahweh, the God whom we Israelite people worship, you have revealed to me that you will build your servant a royal line of descendants. For that reason, I have been brave enough to pray like this to you. BSB BSB: For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.
28 UDB So now, O Yahweh, because you are God, we can trust that you will do what you promise. You have promised these good things to David your servant. BSB BSB: And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.
29 UDB So now I ask you that if it pleases you, you will bless the royal line of your servant David so that it may continue to rule forever. Yahweh God, you have promised this royal line, so I know that if you do these things, you will keep blessing the house of your servant forever." BSB BSB: Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
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