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And it came to pass as David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains of skins.
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And Nathan said to David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.
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And it came to pass in that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,
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Go and say to David my servant, Thus said the Lord, Thou shalt not build me a house for me to dwell in it.
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For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but I have been in a tabernacle and a tent,
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in all places through which I have gone with all Israel: did I ever speak to any one tribe of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why is it that ye have not built me a house of cedar?
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And now thus shalt thou say to my servant David, Thus saith the Lord Almighty, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the flocks, to be a ruler over my people Israel:
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and I was with thee in all places whither thou wentest, and I destroyed all thine enemies from before thee, and I made for thee a name according to the name of the great ones that are upon the earth.
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And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant him, and he shall dwell by himself, and shall no longer be anxious; and the son of iniquity shall no longer afflict him, as at the beginning,
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and from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel. Also I have humbled all thine enemies, and I will increase thee, and the Lord will build thee a house.
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And it shall come to pass when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
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He shall build me a house, and I will set up his throne forever.
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I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and my mercy will I not withdraw from him, as I withdrew it from them that were before thee.
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And I will establish him in my house and in his kingdom forever; and his throne shall be set up forever.
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According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so spoke Nathan to David.
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And King David came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast loved me forever?
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And these things were little in thy sight, O God: thou hast also spoken concerning the house of thy servant for a long time to come, and thou hast looked upon me as a man looks upon his fellow, and hast exalted me, O Lord God.
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What shall David do more toward thee to glorify thee? and thou knowest thy servant.
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And thou hast wrought all this greatness according to thy heart.
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O Lord, there is none like thee, and there is no God beside thee, according to all things which we have heard with our ears.
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Neither is there another nation upon the earth such as thy people Israel, whereas God led him in the way, to redeem a people for himself, to make for himself a great and glorious name, to cast out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemedst out of Egypt.
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And thou hast appointed thy people Israel as a people to thyself forever; and thou, Lord, didst become a God to them.
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And now, Lord, let the word which thou spokest to thy servant, and concerning his house, be confirmed forever, and do thou as thou hast spoken.
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And let thy name be established and magnified forever, men saying, Lord, Lord, Almighty God of Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
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For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant that thou wilt build him a house; therefore thy servant has found a willingness to pray before thee.
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And now, Lord, thou thyself art God, and thou hast spoken these good things concerning thy servant.
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And now thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, so that it should continue forever before thee: for thou, Lord, hast blessed it, and do thou bless it forever.