1 After the king had settled into his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

3 And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, 5“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in? 6For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling. 7In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’

8 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the Lord of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land.

10 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 11and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies.

The Lord declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. 12And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

15 But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”

17 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire revelation.

18 Then King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD? 20What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD. 21For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant.

22 How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 23And who is like Your people Israel — the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt. 24For You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised, 26so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You. 27For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.

28 And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29Now 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 the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”

1 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

2 David also defeated the Moabites, made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.

3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore his dominion along the Euphrates River. 4David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.

5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of their men. 6Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought him tribute. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

7 And David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8And from Betah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

9 When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10he sent his son Joram to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze, 11and King David dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued— 12from Edom and Moab, from the Ammonites and Philistines and Amalekites, and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

15 Thus David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:

15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.

18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.

25 All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.

27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. 28You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.

30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. 31But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.