1 Chronicles 17

1 After David had taken up residence in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, See, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD dwells under tentcloth.
2 Nathan replied to David, Do, therefore, whatever you desire, for God is with you.
3 But that same night the word of God came to Nathan:
4 Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the LORD: It is not you who are to build a house for me to dwell in.
5 For I have never dwelt in a house, from the time when I led Israel onward, even to this day, but I have been lodging in tent or pavilion
6 as long as I have wandered about with all of Israel. Did I ever say a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to guide my people, such as, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'
7 Therefore, tell my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you might become ruler over my people Israel.
8 I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. I will make your name great like that of the greatest on the earth.
9 I will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there henceforth undisturbed; nor shall wicked men ever again oppress them, as they did at first,
10 and during all the time when I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that I, the LORD, will build you a house;
11 so that when your days have been completed and you must join your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who will be one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
12 He it is who shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.
13 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me, and I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from him who preceded you;
14 but I will maintain him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be firmly established forever.
15 All these words and this whole vision Nathan related exactly to David.
16 Then David came in and sat in the LORD'S presence, saying: Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me as far as I have come?
17 And yet, even this you now consider too little, O God! For you have made a promise regarding your servant's family reaching into the distant future, and you have looked on me as henceforth the most notable of men, O LORD God.
18 What more can David say to you? You know your servant.
19 O LORD, for your servant's sake and in keeping with your purpose, you have done this great thing.
20 O LORD, there is no one like you and there is no God but you, just as we have always understood.
21 Is there, like your people Israel, whom you redeemed from Egypt, another nation on earth whom a god went to redeem as his people? You won for yourself a name for great and awesome deeds by driving out the nations before your people.
22 You made your people Israel your own forever, and you, O LORD, became their God.
23 Therefore, O LORD, may the promise that you have uttered concerning your servant and his house remain firm forever. Bring about what you have promised,
24 that your renown as LORD of hosts, God of Israel, may be great and abide forever, while the house of David, your servant, is established in your presence.
25 Because you, O my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house, your servant has made bold to pray before you.
26 Since you, O LORD, are truly God and have promised this good thing to your servant,
27 and since you have deigned to bless the house of your servant, so that it will remain forever--since it is you, O LORD, who blessed it, it is blessed forever.

1 Chronicles 18

1 After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and he took Gath and its towns away from the control of the Philistines.
2 He also defeated Moab, and the Moabites became his subjects, paying tribute.
3 David then defeated Hadadezer, king of Zobah toward Hamath, when the latter was on his way to set up his victory stele at the river Euphrates.
4 David took from him twenty thousand foot soldiers, one thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen. Of the chariot horses, David hamstrung all but one hundred.
5 The Arameans of Damascus came to the aid of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, but David also slew twenty-two thousand of their men.
6 Then David set up garrisons in the Damascus region of Aram, and the Arameans became his subjects, paying tribute. Thus the LORD made David victorious in all his campaigns.
7 David took the golden shields that were carried by Hadadezer's attendants and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 He likewise took away from Tibhath and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, large quantities of bronze, which Solomon later used to make the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.
9 When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah,
10 he sent his son Hadoram to wish King David well and to congratulate him on having waged a victorious war against Hadadezer; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. He also sent David gold, silver and bronze utensils of every sort.
11 These also King David consecrated to the LORD along with all the silver and gold that he had taken from the nations: from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, also slew eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
13 He set up garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's subjects. Thus the LORD made David victorious in all his campaigns.
14 David reigned over all Israel and dispensed justice and right to all his people.
15 Joab, son of Zeruiah, was in command of the army; Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was herald;
16 Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, son of Abiathar, were priests; Shavsha was scribe;
17 Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were the chief assistants to the king.

1 Chronicles 19

1 Afterward Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died and his son succeeded him as king.
2 David said, I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, for his father treated me with kindness. Therefore he sent envoys to him to comfort him over the death of his father. But when David's servants had entered the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun,
3 the Ammonite princes said to Hanun, Do you think David is doing this--sending you these consolers--to honor your father? Have not his servants rather come to you to explore the land, spying it out for its overthrow?
4 Thereupon Hanun seized David's servants and had them shaved and their garments cut off half-way at the hips. Then he sent them away.
5 When David was informed of what had happened to his men, he sent messengers to meet them, for the men had been greatly disgraced. Remain at Jericho, the king told them, until your beards have grown again; and then you may come back here.
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had put themselves in bad odor with David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram Naharaim, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.
7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots along with the king of Maacah and his army, who came and encamped before Medeba. The Ammonites also assembled from their cities and came out for war.
8 When David heard of this, he sent Joab and his whole army of warriors against them.
9 The Ammonites marched out and lined up for a battle at the gate of the city, while the kings who had come to their help remained apart in the open field.
10 When Joab saw that there was a battle line both in front of and behind him, he chose some of the best fighters among the Israelites and set them in array against the Arameans;
11 the rest of the army, which he placed under the command of his brother Abishai, then lined up to oppose the Ammonites.
12 And he said: If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you must come to my help; and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I will save you.
13 Hold steadfast and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; then may the LORD do what seems best to him.
14 Joab therefore advanced with his men to engage the Arameans in battle; but they fled before him.
15 And when the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also took to flight before his brother Abishai, and reentered the city. Joab then returned to Jerusalem.
16 Seeing themselves vanquished by Israel, the Arameans sent messengers to bring out the Arameans from the other side of the River, with Shophach, the general of Hadadezer's army, at their head.
17 When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and met them. With the army of David drawn up to fight the Arameans, they gave battle.
18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David slew seven thousand of their chariot fighters and forty thousand of their foot soldiers; he also killed Shophach, the general of the army.
19 When the vassals of Hadadezer saw themselves vanquished by Israel, they made peace with David and became his subjects. After this, the Arameans refused to come to the aid of the Ammonites.