¹ And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,

² He said to Nathan the prophet: Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins?

³ And Nathan said to the king: Go, do all that is in thy heart: because the Lord is with thee.

⁴ But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

⁵ Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?

⁶ Whereas I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt even to this day: but have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent.

⁷ In all the places that I have gone through with all the children of Israel, did ever I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁸ And now thus shalt thou speak to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel:

⁹ And I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth.

¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before,

¹¹ From the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house.

¹² And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³ He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

¹⁴ I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.

¹⁵ But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before my face.

¹⁶ And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.

¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

¹⁸ And David went in, and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?

¹⁹ But yet this hath seemed little in thy sight, O Lord God, unless thou didst also speak of the house of thy servant for a long time to come: for this is the law of Adam, O Lord God.

²⁰ And what can David say more unto thee? for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord God:

²¹ For thy word's sake, and according to thy own heart thou hast done all these great things, so that thou wouldst make it known to thy servant.

²² Therefore thou art magnified, O Lord God, because there is none like to thee, neither is there any God besides thee, in all the things that we have heard with our ears.

²³ And what nation is there upon earth, as thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for them great and terrible things, upon the earth, before the face of thy people, whom thou redeemedst to thyself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods.

²⁴ For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be an everlasting people: and thou, O Lord God, art become their God.

²⁵ And now, O Lord God, raise up for ever the word that thou hast spoken, concerning thy servant and concerning his house: and do as thou hast spoken,

²⁶ That thy name may be magnified for ever, and it may be said: The Lord of hosts is God over Israel. And the house of thy servant David shall be established before the Lord.

²⁷ Because thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, saying: I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer to thee.

²⁸ And now, O Lord God, thou art God, and thy words shall be true: for thou hast spoken to thy servant these good things.

²⁹ And now begin, and bless the house of thy servant, that it may endure for ever before thee: because thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it, and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

¹ David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

² David arose, and went with all the people who were with him, from Baale Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the Name of Yahweh of Armies who sits [above] the cherubim.

³ They set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

⁴ They brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

⁵ David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all kinds of [instruments made of] fir wood, and with harps, and with stringed instruments, and with tambourines, and with castanets, and with cymbals.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the cattle stumbled.

⁷ The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

⁸ David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken forth on Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah, to this day.

⁹ David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, "How shall the ark of Yahweh come to me?"

¹⁰ So David would not move the ark of Yahweh to be with him in the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

¹¹ The ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months: and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom, and all his house.

¹² It was told king David, saying, "Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that pertains to him, because of the ark of God." David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with joy.

¹³ It was so, that, when those who bore the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.

¹⁴ David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod.

¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶ It was so, as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought in the ark of Yahweh, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

¹⁸ When David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of Armies.

¹⁹ He dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to everyone a cake of bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed everyone to his house.

²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How glorious the king of Israel was today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"

²¹ David said to Michal, "It was before Yahweh, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. Therefore will I celebrate before Yahweh.

²² I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in my own sight. But of the handmaids of whom you have spoken, they shall honor me."

²³ Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.