1. Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”
2. Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3. But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
4. “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.
5. For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
6. Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar–’ ” ’