It happened that the king settled in his house. (Now Yahweh had given rest to him from all his enemies all around.) And the king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, please, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of the tent." Nathan said to the king, "Go and do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you." But it happened that night, the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying, "Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh: "Are you the one to build for me a house for my dwelling? For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought up the Israelites from Egypt until this day; rather, I was going about in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all of my going about among all the Israelites, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why did you not build me a cedar house?’"’ So then, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture from following the sheep to be a leader over my people, over Israel, and I have been with you everywhere you went. I have cut off all of your enemies from in front of you, and I will make a great name for you, as the name of the great ones who are on the earth. I will make a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them so that they can dwell in their own place. They will not tremble any longer, and the children of wickedness will not afflict them again, as in the former days. In the manner that I appointed judges over my people Israel, I will give you rest from all your enemies. And Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will build a house for you. When your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you who will go out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son for me, whom I will punish when he does wrong, with a rod of men and with blows of the human beings. But my loyal love shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever."’"

According to all these words and according to all this vision, this Nathan spoke to David. Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, "Who am I, my lord Yahweh, and what is my house that you have brought me up to this place? Still, this was insignificant in your eyes, my lord Yahweh, and also you have spoken about the house of your servant from afar, and this may be the teaching of humans, my lord Yahweh. What more can David say to you? You know your servant, my lord Yahweh. Because of your word and according to your heart, you have done all of this great thing, in order to let your servant know. Therefore you are great, my lord Yahweh, for there is no one like you, and there is no god except you, in all that we have heard with our ears. Who is like your people, like Israel? Israel is the one nation on earth whose God led them, in order to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to do for you the great and awesome things for your land in the presence of your people whom he redeemed for himself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods. You have established your people Israel for yourself as a people forever, and you, O Yahweh, have become their God. So then, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do just as you have promised. Your name shall be great forever, and they will say, ‘Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David shall be established before you. For you, O Yahweh of hosts, are God of Israel! You have revealed to the ear of your servant, ‘I will build a house for you’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. Now, my Lord Yahweh, you alone are God, and your words are true. You have promised this good to your servant. So then, be content and bless the house of your servant to be forever in your presence, for you, my Lord Yahweh, have spoken, and because of your blessing, may the house of your servant be blessed forever."

It happened afterwards that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the hands of the Philistines. When he defeated Moab, he measured them with the cord, making them lie on the ground. He measured two cords to kill and the third cord to let live. So Moab became servants of David, bringing tribute. Then David struck down Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at the Euphrates River. David captured from him one thousand and seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but from them he spared a hundred chariot horses. When Aram of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of Aram. David placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, so Aram became servants of David, bringing tribute. Yahweh protected David everywhere he went.

David took the small round gold shields which had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and he brought them to Jerusalem. From Betah and from Berothai, the towns of Hadadezer, King David took very many bronze items.

When Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. He brought with him objects of silver and objects of gold and objects of bronze. King David dedicated them also to Yahweh along with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from all of the nations which he had subdued; from Aram and from Moab and from the Ammonites and from the Philistines and from Amalek and from the plunder of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah. So David made a name for himself when he returned from defeating Aram in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand. He put garrisons in Edom; all over Edom he put garrisons, and all of Edom became servants of David. Yahweh protected David wherever he went.

David reigned over all of Israel, and he was administering justice and righteousness for all his people. Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary. Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests and Seraiah was scribe. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were priests.

And as David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains." And Nathan said to David, "Whatever is in your heart, do, for God is with you."

And it happened that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, "Go and say to David my servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh, "You are not to build a house for me to live in, for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought out Israel unto this day. I have been from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. In every place I have moved about, did I say one word with the judges of Israel I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?’"’ So now, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut down your enemies from before you and will make a name for you, like the name of the great ones on the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place and be in anguish no longer. And wicked men will no longer wear them down as before, from the day that I commanded judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue your enemies, and I declare to you that Yahweh will build for you a house. And it shall be that when your days are fulfilled to go and sleep with your ancestors, then I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I myself will be a father to him, and he himself will be a son to me. And I will not remove my steadfast love from him as I took it away from whoever was before you. And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever."’" According to all these words and according to all this revelation, thus did Nathan speak to David.

Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, "Who am I, O Yahweh God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small matter in your eyes, O God. And you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time and have shown me future generations to come, O Yahweh God. What more can David do to you for honoring your servant? Now you know your servant. O Yahweh, for the sake of your servant and according to your heart you have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things. O Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God except you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation upon earth whom God went to redeem for himself, to establish for you a reputation for great and awesome things, to drive out nations from before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? And you made your people Israel an everlasting nation for yourself. And you, O Yahweh, became their God. So now, O Yahweh, let the word that you spoke to your servant and to his house be established forever, that you might do what you have spoken. And let your name be established and be magnified forever, saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God, and may the house of David your servant be established before you.’ For you, my God, have informed your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore, your servant has found courage to pray before you. So now, O Yahweh, you yourself are God, and you have spoken to your servant this good thing. And now may you begin to bless the house of your servant to continue forever before you, for you, O Yahweh, have blessed. And it will be blessed forever."

A song of ascents.

Now when Festus set foot in the province, after three days he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought charges against Paul to him, and were urging him, asking for a favor against him, that he summon him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to do away with him along the way. Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself was about to go there in a short time. So he said, "Let those among you who are prominent go down with me, and if there is any wrong in the man, let them bring charges against him."

And after he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down on the judgment seat and gave orders for Paul to be brought. And when he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges that they were not able to prove, while Paul said in his defense, "Neither against the law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I sinned with reference to anything!" But Festus, because he wanted to do a favor for the Jews, answered and said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there concerning these things?" But Paul said, "I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where it is necessary for me to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. If then I am doing wrong and have done anything deserving death, I am not trying to avoid dying. But if there is nothing true of the things which these people are accusing me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!" Then Festus, after discussing this with his council, replied, "You have appealed to Caesar—to Caesar you will go!"

Now after some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. And while they were staying there many days, Festus laid out the case against Paul to the king, saying, "There is a certain man left behind by Felix as a prisoner, concerning whom when I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented evidence, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. To them I replied that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up any man before the one who had been accused met his accusers face to face and received an opportunity for a defense concerning the accusation. Therefore, when they had assembled here, I made no delay; on the next day I sat down on the judgment seat and gave orders for the man to be brought. When they stood up, his accusers began bringing no charge concerning him of the evil deeds that I was suspecting, but they had some issues with him concerning their own religion, and concerning a certain Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive. And because I was at a loss with regard to the investigation concerning these things, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and to be judged there concerning these things. But when Paul appealed that he be kept under guard for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I gave orders for him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar." So Agrippa said to Festus, "I want to hear the man myself also." "Tomorrow," he said, "you will hear him."

So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pageantry and entered into the audience hall, along with military tribunes and the most prominent men of the city. And when Festus gave the order, Paul was brought in. And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole population of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he must not live any longer. But I understood that he had done nothing deserving death himself, and when this man appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him. I do not have anything definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all—and especially before you, King Agrippa—so that after this preliminary hearing has taken place, I may have something to write. For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not to indicate the charges against him."