After David had been king for a while he was sitting in his house and talking to Nathan, a man who told God’s words to His people.

David said to Nathan, Look at this! I live in a house made of cedar that smells so good. But the Lord is still living with us in a tent made of curtains. I want to build the Lord a house, a grand house for the Ark of His Covenant.

Nathan told David, Do what is in your heart because the Lord is with you.

Later that night the Lord said to Nathan, Go tell David, my servant, You will not build Me a house to live in because I have not lived in a house since the day I brought Israel out of Egypt until this day, but have traveled with them from one tent to another.

Did I ever ask the people who lead and feed My people to build me a house of cedars?

Tell My servant David, I took you from the sheep pen and from following after the sheep to be the ruler over My people, Israel.

And I have been with you everywhere you went and have cut off all your enemies and made your name great and important like the great men of the world.

I will set a place for My people, Israel, and plant them, and they will live in their place and not move around here and there any more.

And bad ones will not take away their stuff anymore, like they have been doing through the time of the judges.

More than this, I will press down all your enemies, and I will build you a house, a dynasty, a line of kings.

And when your days in this life are over, and it is time for you to go be with your fathers who were before you,

I will raise up one of your own sons and set up his kingdom.

He will build a house for Me and I will set his throne firm forever. His throne will last forever.

I will be his Father and he will be My son and I will keep giving My goodness to him and not take it away from him like I took it away from Saul.

I will sit him well in My house and in My kingdom forever.

And his throne will be set solid forevermore.

When David heard these words from the Lord by Nathan the prophet, he went into God’s tent to talk to Him.

He said, Who am I Lord God, and who is my family, that You have brought me to this place.

And that was just a small thing in your eyes.

You have told me what will happen to me forever and it is very good and very big.

What can I say for all this honor that you give me. You know me, you know that I don’t deserve any of this goodness.

You have done what Your heart wanted to do, and made me know it.

O Lord, there is none like You anywhere. You are the only God. There is no God but You.

And what nation on earth is like Your people that You bought for Yourself to show Your great awesomeness by driving out nations before Your people that you bought for Yourself out of Egypt.

You took us to be Your people forever and You became our God.

So now Lord, Let it happen like You said, That You be seen as wondrous as You are.

And let my family, the family of David, be set before You forever.

You alone are God and You have promised these good things to me.

May You be happy to put Your great goodness and happiness on me and my family always.

Because when you do good things and make people happy, it lasts forever.