2 Samuel 7-8

New King James Version

God’s Covenant with David^(A)

7 Now it came to pass ^(B)when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, ² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in ^(C)a house of cedar, ^(D)but the ark of God dwells inside tent ^(E)curtains.”

³ Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your ^(F)heart, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(G)“Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house ^(H)since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in ^(I)a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ Wherever I have ^(J)moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded ^(K)to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ ⁸ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(L)“I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. ⁹ And ^(M)I have been with you wherever you have gone, ^(N)and have ^[a]cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will ^(O)plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; ^(P)nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, ^11 (Q)since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord ^[b]tells you ^(R)that He will make you a ^[c]house.

^12 (S)“When your days are fulfilled and you ^(T)rest with your fathers, ^(U)I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (V)He shall build a house for My name, and I will ^(W)establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (X)I will be his Father, and he shall be ^(Y)My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the ^[d]blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, ^(Z)as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And ^(AA)your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before ^[e]you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Thanksgiving to God^(AB)

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: ^(AC)“Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. ^(AD)Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? ²⁰ Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, ^(AE)know Your servant. ²¹ For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. ²² Therefore ^(AF)You are great, ^[f]O Lord God. For ^(AG)there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ^(AH)ears. ²³ And who is like Your people, like Israel, ^(AI)the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before ^(AJ)Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? ²⁴ For ^(AK)You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; ^(AL)and You, Lord, have become their God.

²⁵ “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. ²⁶ So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸ “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and ^(AM)Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed ^(AN)forever.”

David’s Further Conquests^(AO)

8 After this it came to pass that David ^[g]attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took ^[h]Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

² Then ^(AP)he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s ^(AQ)servants, and ^(AR)brought tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^(AS)Zobah, as he went to recover ^(AT)his territory at the River Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, ^[i]seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David ^(AU)hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

^5 (AV)When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So ^(AW)the Lord preserved David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took ^(AX)the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from ^[j]Betah and from ^(AY)Berothai,^[k] cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

⁹ When ^[l]Toi king of ^(AZ)Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ then Toi sent ^[m]Joram his son to King David, to ^[n]greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. ¹¹ King David also ^(BA)dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued— ¹² from ^[o]Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the ^(BB)Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ And David made himself a ^(BC)name when he returned from killing ^(BD)eighteen thousand ^[p]Syrians in ^(BE)the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and ^(BF)all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David’s Administration^(BG)

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. ^16 (BH)Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; ^(BI)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ^17 (BJ)Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ^[q]Seraiah was the ^[r]scribe; ^18 (BK)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the ^(BL)Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ^[s]chief ministers.