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And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet: "Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD dwelleth under curtains."
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And Nathan said unto David: "Do all that is in thy heart;
for God is with thee."
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And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
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"Go and tell David My servant: Thus saith the LORD: Thou shalt not build Me a house to dwell in;
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for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day;
but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
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In all places wherein I have walked among all Israel, spoke I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar?
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Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto My servant David: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over My people 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 I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth.
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And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disquieted no more;
neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,
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even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel;
and I will subdue all thine enemies.
Moreover I tell thee that the LORD will build thee a house.
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And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons;
and I will establish his kingdom.
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He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.
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I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son;
and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee;
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but I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom for ever;
and his 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 unto David.
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Then David the king went in, and sat before the LORD;
and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far?
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And this was a small thing in Thine eyes, O God;
but Thou hast spoken of Thy servant"s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me after the manner of a man of high degree, O LORD God.
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What can David say yet more unto Thee concerning the honour which is done to Thy servant?
for Thou knowest Thy servant.
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O LORD, for Thy servant"s sake, and according to Thine own heart, hast Thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
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O LORD, 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 Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people, to make Thee a name by great and tremendous things, in driving out nations from before Thy people, whom Thou didst redeem out of Egypt.
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For Thy people Israel didst Thou make Thine own people for ever;
and Thou, LORD, becamest their God.
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And now, O LORD, let the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as Thou hast spoken.
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Yea, let it be established, and let Thy name be magnified for ever, that it may be said: The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel;
and the house of David Thy servant shall be established before Thee.
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For Thou, O my God, hast revealed to Thy servant that Thou wilt build him a house;
therefore hath Thy servant taken heart to pray before Thee.
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And now, O LORD, Thou alone art God, and hast promised this good thing unto Thy servant;
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and now it hath pleased Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee;
for Thou, O LORD, hast blessed, and so let Thy servant be blessed for ever."