Spirit Nation

The Holy Bible - God's Word for All Generations

Home > 2 Samuel > Chapter 7

2 Samuel Chapter 7

Other Translations

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him an inheritance on every side [free] from all his enemies round about him;
2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, Behold now, I live in a house of cedar, and the ark of the Lord dwells in the midst of a tent.
3 And Nathan said to the king, Go and do all that [is] in thine heart, for the Lord [is] with thee.
4 And it came to pass in that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,
5 Go, and say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord, Thou shalt not build me a house for me to dwell in.
6 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt to this day, but I have been walking in a lodge and in a tent,
7 wheresoever I went with all Israel. Have I ever spoken to any of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to tend my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar?
8 And now thus shalt thou say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord Almighty, I took thee from the sheep-cote, that thou shouldest be a prince over my people, over Israel.
9 And I was with thee wheresoever thou wentest, and I destroyed all thine enemies before thee, and I made thee renowned according to the renown of the great ones on the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell by themselves, and shall be no more distressed; and the son of iniquity shall no more afflict them, as he [has done] from the beginning,
11 from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thine enemies, and the Lord will tell thee that thou shalt build a house to him.
12 And it shall come to pass when thy days shall have been fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, even thine own issue, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build for me a house to my name, and I will set up his throne even for ever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And when he happens to transgress, then will I chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men.
15 But my mercy I will not take from him, as I took it from those whom I removed from my presence.
16 And his house shall be made sure, and his kingdom for ever before me, and his throne shall be set up for ever.
17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
18 And king David came in, and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord, my Lord, and what [is] my house, that thou hast loved me hitherto?
19 Whereas I was very little before thee, O Lord, my Lord, yet thou spokest concerning the house of thy servant for a long time [to come]. And [is] this the law of man, O Lord, my Lord?
20 And what shall David yet say to thee? and now thou knowest thy servant, O Lord, my Lord.
21 And thou hast wrought for thy servant's sake, and according to thy heart thou hast wrought all this greatness, to make it known to thy servant,
22 that he may magnify thee, O my Lord; for there is no one like thee, and there is no God but thou among all of whom we have heard with our ears.
23 And what other nation in the earth [is] as thy people Israel? whereas God was his guide, to redeem for himself a people to make thee a name, to do mightily and nobly, so that thou shouldest cast out nations and [their] tabernacles from the presence of thy people, whom thou didst redeem for thyself out of Egypt?
24 And thou hast prepared for thyself thy people Israel to be a people for ever, and thou, Lord, art become their God.
25 And now, O my Lord, the Almighty Lord God of Israel, confirm the word for ever which thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and his house: and now as thou hast said,
26 Let thy name be magnified for ever.
27 Almighty Lord God of Israel, thou hast uncovered the ear of thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore thy servant has found [in] his heart to pray this prayer to thee.
28 And now, O Lord my Lord, thou art God; and thy words will be true, and thou hast spoken these good things concerning thy servant.
29 And now begin and bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord, my Lord, hast spoken, and the house of thy servant shall be blessed with thy blessing so as to continue for ever.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 When the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around,
2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but God’s ark dwells within curtains.”
3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 That same night, the LORD’s word came to Nathan, saying,
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘The LORD says, “Should you build me a house for me to dwell in?
6 For I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt, even to this day, but have moved around in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 In all places in which I have walked with all the children of Israel, did I say a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”’
8 Now therefore tell my servant David this: ‘The LORD of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel.
9 I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.
10 I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be moved no more. The children of wickedness will not afflict them any more, as at the first,
11 and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD tells you that the LORD will make you a house.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men;
15 but my loving kindness will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.
16 Your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.”’”
17 Nathan spoke to David all these words, and according to all this vision.
18 Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD; and he said, “Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?
19 This was yet a small thing in your eyes, Lord GOD, but you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come; and this among men, Lord GOD!
20 What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Lord GOD.
21 For your word’s sake, and according to your own heart, you have worked all this greatness, to make your servant know it.
22 Therefore you are great, LORD God. For there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 What one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, and to make himself a name, and to do great things for you, and awesome things for your land, before your people, whom you redeemed to yourself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
24 You established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever; and you, LORD, became their God.
25 “Now, LORD God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do as you have spoken.
26 Let your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of Armies is God over Israel; and the house of your servant David will be established before you.’
27 For you, LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found in his heart 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, let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Lord GOD, have spoken it. Let the house of your servant be blessed forever with your blessing.”

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).