2 Samuel 7
1 Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,
2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, ``See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains."
3 Nathan said to the king, ``Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you."
4 But in the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
5 ``Go and say to My servant David, `Thus says the LORD, ``Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?
6 ``For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.
7 ``Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, `Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'
8 ``Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, `Thus says the LORD of hosts, ``I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.
9 ``I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.
10 ``I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly,
11 even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you.
12 ``When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 ``He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 ``I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,
15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 ``Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"
17 In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
18 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 You have brought me this far?
19 ``And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord GOD.
20 ``Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD!
21 ``For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know.
22 ``For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 ``And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods?
24 ``For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.
25 ``Now therefore, O LORD God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken,
26 that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, `The LORD of hosts is God over Israel'; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.
27 ``For You, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, `I will build you a house'; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You.
28 ``Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.
29 ``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 may the house of Your servant be blessed forever."
2 Samuel 8
1 Now after this it came about that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines.
2 He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.
3 Then David defeated Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as he went to restore his rule at the River.
4 David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; and David hamstrung the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for 100 chariots.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 Arameans.
6 Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And the LORD helped David wherever he went.
7 David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 From Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze.
9 Now when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer,
10 Toi sent Joram his son to King David to 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, of gold and of bronze.
11 King David also dedicated these to the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued:
12 from Aram and Moab and the sons of Ammon and the Philistines and Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 So David made a name for himself when he returned from killing 18,000 Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
14 He put garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD helped David wherever he went.
15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people.
16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.
17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary.
18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers.
2 Samuel 9
1 Then David said, ``Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"
2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, ``Are you Ziba?" And he said, `` I am your servant."
3 The king said, ``Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, ``There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet."
4 So the king said to him, ``Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, ``Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar."
5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, ``Mephibosheth." And he said, ``Here is your servant!"
7 David said to him, ``Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly."
8 Again he prostrated himself and said, ``What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?"
9 Then the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, ``All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson.
10 ``You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, ``According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king's table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.
