1. The king settled down in his palace. The Lord had given him peace and rest from all of his enemies who were around him.
2. Then the king spoke to the prophet Nathan. He said, "Here I am, living in a palace that has beautiful cedar walls. But the ark of God remains in a tent."
3. Nathan replied to the king, "Go ahead and do what you want to. The Lord is with you."
4. That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. The Lord said,
5. "Go and speak to my servant David. Tell him, 'The Lord says, "Are you the one to build me a house to live in?
6. I have not lived in a house from the day I brought the people of Israel up out of Egypt until now. I have been moving from place to place. I have been living in a tent.
7. I have moved from place to place with all of the people of Israel. I commanded their rulers to be shepherds over them. I never asked any of those rulers, 'Why haven't you built me a house that has beautiful cedar walls?' " '