16 aThey brought in the Ark of God and set it up inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before God. 2When David finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3And he distributed to every person in Israel—man and woman alike—to each a loaf of bread, b-a cake made in a pan, and a raisin cake.-b 4He appointed Levites to minister before the Ark of the LORD, to invoke, to praise, and to extol the LORD God of Israel: 5Asaph the chief, Zechariah second in rank, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with harps and lyres, and Asaph sounding the cymbals, 6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests, with trumpets, regularly before the Ark of the Covenant of God. 7Then, on that day, David first commissioned Asaph and his kinsmen to give praise to the LORD:
8c“Praise the LORD;
call on His name;
proclaim His deeds among the peoples.
9Sing praises unto Him;
speak of all His wondrous acts.
10Exult in His holy name;
let all who seek the LORD rejoice.
11Turn to the LORD, to His might;d
seek His presence constantly.
12Remember the wonders He has done;
His portents and the judgments He has pronounced,
13O offspring of Israel, His servant,
O descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones.
14He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are throughout the earth.
15Be ever mindful of His covenant,
the promise He gave for a thousand generations,
16that He made with Abraham,
swore to Isaac,
17and confirmed in a decree for Jacob,
for Israel, as an eternal covenant,
18saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your allotted heritage.’
19You were then few in number,
a handful, merely sojourning there,
20wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21He allowed no one to oppress them;
He reproved kings on their account,
22‘Do not touch My anointed ones;
do not harm My prophets.’
23e“Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
proclaim His victory day after day.
24Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wondrous deeds among all peoples.
25For the LORD is great and much acclaimed,
He is held in awe by all divine beings.
26All the gods of the peoples are mere idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
27Glory and majesty are before Him;
strength and joy are in His place.
28“Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
29Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name,
bring tribute and enter before Him,
bow down to the LORD majestic in holiness.
30Tremble in His presence, all the earth!
The world stands firm; it cannot be shaken.
31Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult;
let them declare among the nations, “The LORD is King!”
32Let the sea and all within it thunder,
the fields and everything in them exult;
33then shall all the trees of the forest shout for joy
at the presence of the LORD,
for He is coming to rule the earth.
34Praise the LORD for He is good;
His steadfast love is eternal.
35f-Declare:
Deliver us, O God, our deliverer,
and gather us and save us from the nations,
to acclaim Your holy name,
to glory in Your praise.
36Blessed is the LORD, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity.” And all the people said, “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”-f
37He left Asaph and his kinsmen there before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD to minister before the Ark regularly as each day required, 38as well as Obed-edom with their kinsmen—68; also Obed-edom son of Jedithun and Hosah as gatekeepers; 39also Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the Tabernacle of the LORD at the shrine which was in Gibeon; 40to sacrifice burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with what was prescribed in the Teaching of the LORD with which He charged Israel. 41With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the other selected men designated by name to give praise to the LORD, “For His steadfast love is eternal.” 42Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals to sound, and instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun were to be at the gate. 43Then all the people went every one to his home, and David returned to greet his household.
17 aWhen David settled in his palace, David said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD is under tent-cloths.” 2Nathan said to David, “Do whatever you have in mind, for God is with you.”
3But that same night the word of God came to Nathan: 4“Go and say to My servant David: Thus said the LORD: You are not the one to build
a house for Me to dwell in. 5From the day that I brought out Israel to this day, I have not dwelt in a house, but have [gone] from tent to tent and from one Tabernacle [to another]. 6As I moved about wherever Israel went, did I ever reproach any of the judges of Israel whom I appointed to care for My people Israel: Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?
7“Further, say thus to My servant David: Thus said the LORD of Hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be ruler of My people Israel, 8and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut down all your enemies before you. Moreover, I will give you renown like that of the greatest men on earth. 9I will establish a home for My people Israel and will plant them firm, so that they shall dwell secure and shall tremble no more. Evil men shall not wear them down anymore as in the past, 10ever since I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies.
And I declare to you: The LORD will build a houseb for you. 11When your days are done and you follow your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingship. 12He shall build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to Me, but I will never withdraw My favor from him as I withdrew it from your predecessor. 14I will install him in My house and in My kingship forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”
15Nathan spoke to David in accordance with all these words and all this prophecy. 16Then King David came and sat before the LORD, and he said, “What am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that You have brought me thus far? 17Yet even this, O God, has seemed too little to You; for You have spoken of Your servant’s house for the future. c-You regard me as a man of distinction,-c O LORD God. 18What more can David add regarding the honoring of Your servant? You know Your servant. 19O LORD, c-for Your servant’s sake, and of Your own accord,-c You have wrought this great thing, and made known all these great things. 20O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no other God but You, as we have always heard. 21And who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth, whom God went and redeemed as His people, winning renown for Yourself for great and marvelous deeds, driving out nations before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt. 22You have established Your people Israel as Your very own people forever; and You, O LORD, have become their God.
23“And now, O LORD, let Your promise concerning Your servant and his
