1 They brought the ark of God and put it in the middle of the tent David had pitched for it. Then they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. 2 When David finished offering burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he pronounced a blessing over the people in the Lord’s name. 3 He then handed out to each Israelite man and woman a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. 4 He appointed some of the Levites to serve before the ark of the Lord, to offer prayers, songs of thanks, and hymns to the Lord God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the leader and Zechariah second-in-command, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were to play stringed instruments, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of God’s covenant.

7 That day David first gave to Asaph and his colleagues this song of thanks to the Lord.

8 Give thanks to the Lord!

Call on his name!

Make known his accomplishments among the nations.

9 Sing to him! Make music to him!

Tell about all his miraculous deeds.

10 Boast about his holy name.

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives.

Seek his presence continually!

12 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,

his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,

13 O children of Israel, God’s servant,

you descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen ones!

14 He is the Lord our God;

he carries out judgment throughout the earth.

15 Remember continually his covenantal decree,

the promise he made to a thousand generations—

16 the promise he made to Abraham,

the promise he made by oath to Isaac!

17 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as a lasting promise,

18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion of your inheritance.”

19 When they were few in number,

just a very few, and foreign residents within it,

20 they wandered from nation to nation,

and from one kingdom to another.

21 He let no one oppress them;

he disciplined kings for their sake,

22 saying, “Don’t touch my anointed ones!

Don’t harm my prophets!”

23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Announce every day how he delivers.

24 Tell the nations about his splendor,

tell all the nations about his miraculous deeds.

25 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise,

he is more awesome than all gods.

26 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,

but the Lord made the heavens.

27 Majestic splendor emanates from him,

he is the source of strength and joy.

28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,

ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!

29 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves!

Bring an offering and enter his presence!

Worship the Lord in holy attire!

30 Tremble before him, all the earth!

The world is established, it cannot be moved.

31 Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be happy!

Let the nations say, “The Lord reigns!”

32 Let the sea and everything in it shout!

Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!

33 Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth!

34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

and his loyal love endures.

35 Say this prayer: “Deliver us, O God who delivers us!

Gather us! Rescue us from the nations!

Then we will give thanks to your holy name,

and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.”

36 May the Lord God of Israel be praised,

in the future and forevermore.

Then all the people said, “We agree! Praise the Lord.”

37 David left Asaph and his colleagues there before the ark of the Lord’s covenant to serve before the ark regularly and fulfill each day’s requirements, 38 including Obed-Edom and sixty-eight colleagues. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah were gatekeepers. 39 Zadok the priest and his fellow priests served before the Lord’s tabernacle at the worship center in Gibeon, 40 regularly offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord on the altar for burnt sacrifice, morning and evening, according to what is prescribed in the law of the Lord which he charged Israel to observe. 41 Joining them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord. (For his loyal love endures!) 42 Heman and Jeduthun were in charge of the music, including the trumpets, cymbals, and the other musical instruments used in praising God. The sons of Jeduthun guarded the entrance.

43 Then all the people returned to their homes, and David went to pronounce a blessing on his family.

17:1 When David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under a tent.” 2 Nathan said to David, “You should do whatever you have in mind, for God is with you.”

3 That night God told Nathan, 4 “Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must not build me a house in which to live. 5 For I have not lived in a house from the time I brought Israel up from Egypt to the present day. I have lived in a tent that has been in various places. 6 Wherever I moved throughout Israel, I did not say to any of the leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel, ‘Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?’”’

7 “So now, say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd to make you a leader of my people Israel. 8 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth. 9 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will live there and not be disturbed anymore. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning 10 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies.

“‘“I declare to you that the Lord will build a dynastic house for you! 11 When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build me a house, and I will make his dynasty permanent. 13 I will become his father, and he will become my son. I will never withhold my loyal love from him, as I withheld it from the one who ruled before you. 14 I will put him in permanent charge of my house and my kingdom; his dynasty will be permanent.”’” 15 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.

16 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point? 17 And you did not stop there, O God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. You have revealed to me what men long to know, O Lord God. 18 What more can David say to you? You have honored your servant; you have given your servant special recognition. 19 O Lord, for the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing in order to reveal your greatness. 20 O Lord, there is none like you; there is no God besides you! What we heard is true! 21 And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation in the earth? Their God went to claim a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great and awesome deeds when you drove out nations before your people whom you had delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods. 22 You made Israel your very own nation for all time. You, O Lord, became their God. 23 So now, O Lord, may the promise you made about your servant and his family become a permanent reality! Do as you promised, 24 so it may become a reality and you may gain lasting fame, as people say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is the God of Israel.’ The dynasty of your servant David will be established before you, 25 for you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a dynasty for him. That is why your servant has had the courage to pray to you. 26 Now, O Lord, you are the true God; you have made this good promise to your servant. 27 Now you are willing to bless your servant’s dynasty so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Lord, have blessed it and it will be blessed from now on into the future.”