וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁב דָּוִיד בְּבֵיתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד אֶל־נָתָן הַנָּבִיא הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב בְּבֵית הָאֲרָזִים ואֲרוֹן בְּרִית־ה' תַּחַת יְרִיעוֹת

It was when David dwelled in his house, David said to Natan the prophet: Behold, I dwell in a magnificent house of cedar, which Huram king of Tyre built for me (14:1), and yet the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord is in a tent under curtains. This is unseemly. I wish to begin construction of a house for God.

וַיֹּאמֶר נָתָן אֶל־דָּוִיד כֹּל אֲשֶׁר בִּלְבָבְךָ עֲשֵׂה כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים עִמָּךְ

Natan said to David: Everything that is in your heart, do, as God is with you. Rise and fulfill the grand idea that you are contemplating.

וַיְהִי בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא וַיְהִי דְּבַר־אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נָתָן לֵאמֹר׃

Yet it was that night, when the word of God was with Natan, saying:

לֵךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל־דָּוִיד עַבְדִּי כֹּה אָמַר ה' לֹא אַתָּה תִּבְנֶה־לִּי הַבַּיִת לָשָׁבֶת

Go and tell David My servant: So says the Lord: It will not be you who will build for Me a house in which to dwell,

כִּי לֹא יָשַׁבְתִּי בְּבַיִת מִן־הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלֵיתִי אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וָאֶהְיֶה מֵאֹהֶל אֶל־אֹהֶל וּמִמִּשְׁכָּן

for I have not dwelled in a permanent house since the day that I took up Israel from Egypt to this day; I have been in one tent or another, and in a Tabernacle. The Tabernacle in Shilo was still a tent, as only its walls were made of stone; its roof was composed of the curtains of the original Tabernacle. After the destruction of Shilo, there was no permanent structure that served as a place of worship and a place for the ark.

בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי בְּכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הדָבָר דִּבַּרְתִּי אֶת־אַחַד שֹׁפְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי לִרְעוֹת אֶת־עַמִּי לֵאמֹר לָמָּה לֹא־בְנִיתֶם לִי בֵּית אֲרָזִים

Wherever, or whenever, I have made my way among all Israel, have I spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying: Why didn’t you build Me a house of cedar? Over the course of centuries, none of the judges, some of whom were great and prominent leaders, were commanded to build a Temple.

וְעַתָּה כֹּה־תֹאמַר לְעַבְדִּי לְדָוִיד כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֲנִי לְקַחְתִּיךָ מִן־הַנָּוֶה מִן־אַחֲרֵי הַצֹּאן לִהְיוֹת נָגִיד עַל עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Now, so shall you say to My servant David: So says the Lord of hosts: You were a young rural shepherd, and I took you from the pasture, from after the flock, to be a ruler over My people Israel;

וָאֶהְיֶה עִמְּךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר הָלַכְתָּ וָאַכְרִית אֶת־כָּל־אוֹיְבֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ וְעָשִׂיתִי לְךָ שֵׁם כְּשֵׁם הַגְּדוֹלִים אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ

I have been with you wherever you went and have eliminated all your enemies from before you, and I have given you a name, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth, as you are the first leader since Joshua whose name is renowned outside your own land.

וְשַׂמְתִּי מָקוֹם לְעַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְטַעְתִּיהוּ וְשָׁכַן תַּחְתָּיו וְלֹא יִרְגַּז עוֹד וְלֹא־יוֹסִיפוּ בְנֵי־עַוְלָה לְבַלֹּתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה

I will make a place for My people Israel, and I will plant it, and they will dwell in their place, and will no longer be disturbed. Some read this in the past tense: I have established My people Israel in its place, and they will no longer be fearful. During David’s reign, Israel had achieved a status of relative peace. And evil people will not wear them down, destroy them, anymore, as in the past,

וּלְמִיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי שֹׁפְטִים עַל־עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִכְנַעְתִּי אֶת־כָּל־אוֹיְבֶיךָ וָאַגִּד לָךְ וּבַיִת יִבְנֶה־לְּךָ ה'

during the days when I appointed judges over My people Israel, when the nation was subject to the domination of various enemies and most of its wars were fought to defend it from invaders and harassers. I will subdue all your enemies. This too can be read in the past tense: The situation has changed since then, as I have subdued your enemies. And I will proclaim you, and the Lord will establish a royal house, a dynasty, for you. Some read the first part of this sentence as a continuation of the previous one, and explain it slightly differently: Moreover, I have displayed you to all.

וְהָיָה כִּי־מָלְאוּ יָמֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת עִם־אֲבֹתֶיךָ וַהֲקִימוֹתִי אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה מִבָּנֶיךָ וַהֲכִינוֹתִי אֶת־מַלְכוּתוֹ

Your dynasty will last, as it will be, that when your days are completed to go with your fathers, when the time comes for you to pass away, I will set up your offspring after you who will be from your sons. A son will be born to you who will succeed you. And I will establish his kingdom, so that his reign will be firmly established. The sons of judges did not assume their fathers’ positions, with the exception of Avimelekh, who forcibly seized power. King Saul did have a son who assumed his position, but his reign was tenuous and brief.

הוּא יִבְנֶה־לִּי בָּיִת וְכֹנַנְתִּי אֶת־כִּסְאוֹ עַד־עוֹלָם

He, your son and heir, will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.

אֲנִי אֶהְיֶה־לּוֹ לְאָב וְהוּא יִהְיֶה־לִּי לְבֵן וְחַסְדִּי לֹא־אָסִיר מֵעִמּוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר הֲסִירוֹתִי מֵאֲשֶׁר הָיָה לְפָנֶיךָ

I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me; I will not remove My kindness from him, as I removed it from the one, the king, who was before you. Your dynasty, in contrast, will be eternal:

וְהַעֲמַדְתִּיהוּ בְּבֵיתִי וּבְמַלְכוּתִי עַד־הָעוֹלָם וְכִסְאוֹ יִהְיֶה נָכוֹן עַד־עוֹלָם

I will install him in My House and in My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.

כְּכֹל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וּכְכֹל הֶחָזוֹן הַזֶּה כֵּן דִּבֶּר נָתָן אֶל־דָּוִיד

In accordance with all these matters, and in accordance with this entire vision, so Natan spoke to David. Along with the negative message that Natan relayed to David that he would not be privileged to build the Temple, he informed him that his kingdom would continue, and that his son who would succeed him would build the House of God.

וַיָּבֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִיד וַיֵּשֶׁב לִפְנֵי ה' וַיֹּאמֶר מִי־אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהִים וּמִי בֵיתִי כִּי הֲבִיאֹתַנִי עַד־הֲלֹם

King David came and sat before the Lord. There are no seats in the House of God, and it is apparently prohibited to sit before God. The Sages discuss this case from a halakhic perspective, and some conclude that special permission was granted to the kings of the house of David to sit in the Temple. Alternatively, the verse means that David remained before God. And he said, in response to the prophecy: Who am I, Lord God, and who is my house, that You have brought me to this point and crowned me king over Israel?

וַתִּקְטַן זֹאת בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֱלֹהִים וַתְּדַבֵּר עַל בֵּית־עַבְדְּךָ לְמֵרָחוֹק וּרְאִיתַנִי כְּתוֹר הָאָדָם הַמַּעֲלָה ה' אֱלֹהִים

This did not suffice in Your eyes, God; that kindness was not enough for You, and You have even spoken of the establishment of Your servant’s house in the distant future, and have regarded me as a man of great distinction, worthy of initiating a royal dynasty, Lord God.

מַה־יּוֹסִיף עוֹד דָּוִיד אֵלֶיךָ לְכָבוֹד אֶת־עַבְדֶּךָ ואַתָּה אֶת־עַבְדְּךָ יָדָעְתָּ

What more can David add for You for the honor of Your servant? What additional honor could I ask of You, as You know Your servant. You are aware of my sins, flaws, and errors, and yet You chose me, as You know that my intentions were for Your sake.

ה' בַּעֲבוּר עַבְדְּךָ וּכְלִבְּךָ עָשִׂיתָ אֵת כָּל־הַגְּדוּלָּה הַזֹּאת לְהֹדִיעַ אֶת־כָּל־הַגְּדֻלּוֹת

Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your heart, Your will, You have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

ה' אֵין כָּמוֹךָ וְאֵין אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתֶךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַעְנוּ בְּאָזְנֵינוּ

Lord, there is no one like You; You are the King of the world, and there is no God other than You, in accordance with everything that we heard with our ears.

וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים לִפְדּוֹת לוֹ עָם לָשׂוּם לְךָ שֵׁם גְּדֻלּוֹת וְנוֹרָאוֹת לְגָרֵשׁ מִפְּנֵי עַמְּךָ אֲשֶׁר־פָּדִיתָ מִמִּצְרַיִם גּוֹיִם

Who is like Your people Israel, one nation, special, on the earth, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Yourself renown by means of great, marvelous, and awesome acts, to drive out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt. We are the first and only chosen people; not only did You redeem us from slavery in Egypt, but You banished other nations from before us.

וַתִּתֵּן אֶת־עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ לְעָם עַד־עוֹלָם וְאַתָּה ה' הָיִיתָ לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים

You made Your people Israel as a people for You forever; and You, Lord, became their God.

וְעַתָּה ה' הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ עַל־עַבְדְּךָ וְעַל־בֵּיתוֹ יֵאָמֵן עַד־עוֹלָם וַעֲשֵׂה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ

Now, Lord, all that I can ask is: Let the matter that You have spoken about Your servant and about his house be fulfilled forever, and do as You have spoken.

וְיֵאָמֵן וְיִגְדַּל שִׁמְךָ עַד־עוֹלָם לֵאמֹר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵית־דָּוִיד עַבְדְּךָ נָכוֹן לְפָנֶיךָ

Let it be fulfilled, and let Your name be glorified forever, saying: The Lord of hosts, God of Israel is God to Israel, and the house of David Your servant will be established, firm and strong, before You. You have promised that we will continue to be the chosen nation, and on the personal level You have likewise chosen the royal house of David.

כִּי אַתָּה אֱלֹהַי גָּלִיתָ אֶת־אֹזֶן עַבְדְּךָ לִבְנוֹת לוֹ בָּיִת עַל־כֵּן מָצָא עַבְדְּךָ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לְפָנֶיךָ

For You, my God, have revealed to the ear of Your servant that You wish to build him a royal house; therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You this prayer, to thank You for what You have given me, and to inquire about Your promise for the future.

וְעַתָּה ה' אַתָּה־הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים וַתְּדַבֵּר עַל־עַבְדְּךָ הַטּוֹבָה הַזֹּאת

Now, Lord, You are God, who controls everything and has the power to fulfill His promises, and You have spoken this good about Your servant;

וְעַתָּה הוֹאַלְתָּ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת־בֵּית עַבְדְּךָ לִהְיוֹת לְעוֹלָם לְפָנֶיךָ כִּי־אַתָּה ה' בֵּרַכְתָּ וּמְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם

now You have decided, and it is Your desire to bless the house of Your servant, to be before You forever; for You, Lord, have blessed, and we are blessed forever from Your blessings. David understood Natan’s prophecy as a divine endorsement from above: God has approved his good intentions and informed him that in reward for his initiative he will merit goodness and blessings. However, in practice he himself will not build the Temple, as he had hoped. The gift that he sought to bestow upon God will be accepted only later. The precise reason for the deferral is not explained to David. He is merely told that the Temple will be constructed not as an act of war; rather, it will be only after the kingdom is fully established and peace reigns in the land. The verses that follow describe how David was determined to prepare all that he could for the building of the Temple.