1. Now it came to pass, as David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan, the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord under curtains.
2. Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thy heart for God is with thee.
3. And it came to pass the same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
4. Go and tell David my slave, Thus hath the Lord said, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in,
5. for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
6. Wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedars?
7. Now, therefore, thus shalt thou say unto my slave David, Thus hath the Lord of the hosts said, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the sheep that thou should be ruler over my people Israel;
8. and I have been with thee wherever thou hast walked and have cut off all thy enemies from before thee and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth.