Now when David was dwelling in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet: Behold I dwell in a house of cedar: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under skins.

Cum autem habitaret David in domo sua, dixit ad Nathan prophetam: Ecce ego habito in domo cedrina: arca autem fœderis Domini sub pellibus est.

Now that David had a palace of his own to dwell in, he said to the prophet Nathan, Here am I dwelling in a house all of cedar, while the ark that bears witness of the Lord’s covenant has nothing better than curtains of hide to cover it!

And Nathan said to David: Do all that is in thy heart: for God is with thee.

Et ait Nathan ad David: Omnia quæ in corde tuo sunt, fac: Deus enim tecum est.

And Nathan answered, Fulfil thy own purpose; the Lord is with thee.

Now that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

Igitur nocte illa factus est sermo Dei ad Nathan, dicens:

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan,

Go, and speak to David my servant: Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in.

Vade, et loquere David servo meo: Hæc dicit Dominus: Non ædificabis tu mihi domum ad habitandum.

Go and give my servant David a message from the Lord: Not thine to build me a house to dwell in.

For I have not remained in a house from the time that I brought up Israel, to this day: but I have been always changing places in a tabernacle, and in a tent,

Neque enim mansi in domo ex eo tempore quo eduxi Israël usque ad diem hanc: sed fui semper mutans loca tabernaculi, et in tentorio

House was never mine, since I rescued the sons of Israel from Egypt; still in a tabernacle, a wanderer’s home, I journeyed this way and that,

Abiding with all Israel. Did I ever speak to any one, of all the judges of Israel, whom I charged to feed my people, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

manens cum omni Israël. Numquid locutus sum saltem uni judicum Israël, quibus præceperam ut pascerent populum meum, et dixi: Quare non ædificastis mihi domum cedrinam?

ever at Israel’s side. Now to this ruler, now to that, I gave the leadership of my people Israel, and never did I reproach any of them for not building me a house of cedar.

Now therefore thus shalt thou say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee from the pastures, from following the flock, that thou shouldst be ruler of my people Israel.

Nunc itaque sic loqueris ad servum meum David: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Ego tuli te, cum in pascuis sequereris gregem, ut esses dux populi mei Israël:

This message, then, thou wilt give to my servant David from the Lord of hosts: Out in the pasture-lands, where thou wast tending the sheep, I summoned thee away to bear rule over my people Israel;

And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone: and have slain all thy enemies before thee, and have made thee a name like that of one of the great ones that are renowned in the earth.

et fui tecum quocumque perrexisti, et interfeci omnes inimicos tuos coram te, fecique tibi nomen quasi unius magnorum qui celebrantur in terra.

go where thou wouldst, I was ever at thy side, exterminating thy enemies to make room for thee, granting thee such renown as only comes to the greatest on earth.

And I have given a place to my people Israel: they shall be planted, and shall dwell therein, and shall be moved no more, neither shall the children of iniquity waste them, as at the beginning,

Et dedi locum populo meo Israël: plantabitur, et habitabit in eo, et ultra non commovebitur: nec filii iniquitatis atterent eos, sicut a principio,

Henceforth my people are to have a settled home, taking root in it and remaining in undisturbed possession of it, no longer harassed by godless neighbours, as they have been

Since the days that I gave judges to my people Israel, and have humbled all thy enemies. And I declare to thee, that the Lord will build thee a house.

ex diebus quibus dedi judices populo meo Israël, et humiliavi universos inimicos tuos. Annuntio ergo tibi, quod ædificaturus sit tibi Dominus domum.

ever since I first gave Israel judges to rule them. Now, I have crushed all thy enemies, and this too thou must know, that the Lord means to grant thy line continuance.

And when thou shalt have ended thy days to go to thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons: and I will establish his kingdom.

Cumque impleveris dies tuos ut vadas ad patres tuos, suscitabo semen tuum post te, quod erit de filiis tuis: et stabiliam regnum ejus.

So, when thy days are ended, and thou hast become part of thy race, I will grant thee for successor a son of thy own body, established firmly on his throne.

He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

Ipse ædificabit mihi domum, et firmabo solium ejus usque in æternum.

He it is that shall build me a house. I will prolong for ever his royal dynasty;

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee.

Ego ero ei in patrem, et ipse erit mihi in filium: et misericordiam meam non auferam ab eo, sicut abstuli ab eo qui ante te fuit.

he shall find in me a father, and I in him a son. I will not cancel my merciful promises to him, as I cancelled my promise to the king who went before thee.

But I will settle him in my house, and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be most firm for ever.

Et statuam eum in domo mea, et in regno meo usque in sempiternum: et thronus ejus erit firmissimus in perpetuum.

Sovereignty undisturbed I will give him among this people of mine, in this kingdom of mine, for ever; his throne, to endless time, is secure.

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

Juxta omnia verba hæc, et juxta universam visionem istam, sic locutus est Nathan ad David.

All this message, all this revelation, was handed on by Nathan to king David.

And king David came and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou shouldst give such things to me?

Cumque venisset rex David, et sedisset coram Domino, dixit: Quis ego sum, Domine Deus, et quæ domus mea, ut præstares mihi talia?

And David went into the Lord’s presence, and betook himself to prayer: Lord God, he said, that one such as I am, sprung from such a house as mine, should receive such gifts!

But even this hath seemed little in thy sight, and therefore thou hast also spoken concerning the house of thy servant for the time to come: and hast made me remarkable above all men, O Lord God.

sed et hoc parum visum est in conspectu tuo, ideoque locutus es super domum servi tui etiam in futurum: et fecisti me spectabilem super omnes homines, Domine Deus.

But it was not enough, thou wouldst do more, wouldst foretell the destiny of thy servant’s line in days far hence; Lord God, thou hast honoured me as no man ever yet was honoured.

What can David add more, seeing thou hast thus glorified thy servant, and known him?

Quid ultra addere potest David, cum ita glorificaveris servum tuum, et cognoveris eum?

No words can thy servant David find; such glory thou dost grant, such favour thou dost shew him.

O Lord, for thy servant’s sake, according to thy own heart, thou hast shewn all this magnificence, and wouldst have all the great things to be known.

Domine, propter famulum tuum juxta cor tuum fecisti omnem magnificentiam hanc, et nota esse voluisti universa magnalia.

Lord, thou wilt have thy great deeds known, and it has been thy pleasure to do great things in thy servant’s behalf;

O Lord there is none like thee: and there is no other God beside thee, of all whom we have heard of with our ears.

Domine, non est similis tui, et non est alius deus absque te, ex omnibus quos audivimus auribus nostris.

none is like thee, Lord, thou alone art God, read we the history of past days aright.

For what other nation is there upon earth like thy people Israel, whom God went to deliver, and make a people for himself, and by his greatness and terrors cast out nations before their face whom he had delivered out of Egypt?

Quis enim est alius, ut populus tuus Israël, gens una in terra, ad quam perrexit Deus ut liberaret et faceret populum sibi, et magnitudine sua atque terroribus ejiceret nationes a facie ejus, quem de Ægypto liberarat?

Can any other nation say, like thy people Israel, that its God came to buy it back for himself as his own people, as thou didst, in rescuing us from Egypt, in dispossessing the nations, through thy dread power, to make room for us?

And thou hast made thy people Israel to be thy own people for ever, and thou, O Lord, art become their God.

Et posuisti populum tuum Israël tibi in populum usque in æternum, et tu, Domine, factus es Deus ejus.

So thou didst pledge this people of Israel to be thy people eternally, and thou, Lord, didst become their God.

Now therefore, O Lord, let the word which thou hast spoken to thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

Nunc igitur Domine, sermo quem locutus es famulo tuo et super domum ejus confirmetur in perpetuum, et fac sicut locutus es.

This promise then, Lord, which thou hast made concerning thy servant and his line, do thou for ever fulfil; make thy word good,

And let thy name remain and be magnified for ever: and let it be said: The Lord of hosts is God of Israel, and the house of David his servant remaineth before him.

Permaneatque et magnificetur nomen tuum usque in sempiternum, et dicatur: Dominus exercituum Deus Israël, et domus David servi ejus permanens coram eo.

so that thy name may for ever live, for ever be glorified. In one breath let men say, Israel has the Lord of hosts for its God, and, Through his favour, the dynasty of his servant David ever abides.

For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, that thou wilt build him a house: and therefore thy servant hath found confidence to pray before thee.

Tu enim, Domine Deus meus, revelasti auriculam servi tui, ut ædificares ei domum: et idcirco invenit servus tuus fiduciam, ut oret coram te.

O Lord my God, thou hast given me secret knowledge of thy will, promised me a long posterity; what wonder that I am emboldened to make this prayer before thee?

And now O Lord, thou art God: and thou hast promised to thy servant such great benefits.

Nunc ergo Domine, tu es Deus, et locutus es ad servum tuum tanta beneficia.

So be it, Lord; thou art God, and it is thy word that promises thy servant such bounty;

And thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be always before thee: for seeing thou blessest it, O Lord, it shall be blessed for ever.

Et cœpisti benedicere domui servi tui, ut sit semper coram te: te enim, Domine, benedicente, benedicta erit in perpetuum.

thou dost vouchsafe to bless his line and keep it always under thy protection; through this blessing of thine my race shall be blessed for ever.