1 Chronicles · Chapter 17

[ edit] Whanne forſoþe Dauid dwellid in his hous, he ſeyde to Naþan, þe prophete, Loo! I dwelle in a cedre hous; þe arke forſoþe of þe peſe couenaunt of þe Lord is vndir ſkynnes. And Naþan ſeiþ to Dauiþ, Alle þingis þat ben in þi hert do, God forſoþe is wiþ þee. Þan þat nyȝt is maad þe word of þe Lord to Naþan, ſeyinge, Go, and ſpeke to Dauiþ, my ſeruaunt, Þes þingis ſeiþ þe Lord, Þou ſchalt not bylde to me an hows to dwellen; ne forſoþe I dwellede in hous, fro þat tyme þat I ladde out Yrael fro þe lond of Egipt in to þis day, bot was euermore chaungynge þe places of tabernacle, and in tent wiþ al Yrael dwellynge.

Wheþer I ſpake oonly to oon of þe iugis of Yrael, to whome I hadde comaundid, þat he ſchulde feden my puple, and ſeyde, Why haſt þou not bildid up to me a cedre hous? Nowe alſo þus þou ſchalt ſpeken to my ſeruaunt Dauid, Þes þingis ſeiþ þe Lord of hooſtis, I toke þee, when in leſewes þou folowediſt þe flok, þat þou were duyke of my puple Yrael; and I was wiþ þee whiþer euer þou wentiſt, and I ſlewȝ alle þin enmyes beforn þee, and I maad to þee a name as of oon of þe grete men þat ben oft wirſchipid in þe erþe.

And I ȝaue a place to my puple Yrael; it ſchal be plauntid, and he ſchal dwelle in it, and no more he ſchal be meued, ne þe ſonis of wickidneſſe ſchuln to-tern hem, as fro þe begynnynge of þe days in whiche I ȝaue iuges to my puple Yrael; and I haue mekid alle þin enmyes. I telle þan to þee, þat þe Lord be to belden to þee an hous. And whanne þou haſt fulfillid þy days, þat þou go to þi fadirs, I ſchal reren þi ſeed aftir þee, þat ſchal ben of þi ſonys, and I ſchal ſtablen þe rewme of hym; he ſchal beelde to me an hous, and I ſchal faſtnen his ſee vnto wiþ outen ende.

I ſchal ben to hym in to fadir, and he ſchal ben to me in to ſone; and my mercy I ſchal not don awey fro hym, as I toke aweye fro hym þat was bifore þee; and I ſchal ſetten hym in my hous and in my regne vnto euermore; and þe trone of hym ſchal be moſt faſt vnto wiþ oute ende. Aftre alle þes wordis, and aftir al þis viſioun, þus ſpak Naþan to Dauid. And whanne kyng Dauid was commen, and hadde ſytten before þe Lord, he ſeide, Who am I, Lord God, and what my hous, þat þou ſchuldiſt ȝeuen to me ſyche þingus? Bot and þat lityl is ſeen in þi ſiȝte, and þerfore þou ſpeke on þe hous of þi ſeruaunt, alſo in to comyn; and þou haſt maad me heeȝ vpon alle men.

Lord God, what more ouer may Dauid adden, whanne þus þou haſt glorified þi ſeruaunt, and knowen hym? Lord, for þi ſeruaunt aftir þi herte þou haſt done al þis grete doynge, and al þi grete woundirs þou woldiſt to ben knowen. Lord, þer is noon lijc þee, and þer is noon oþer God wiþ oute þee, of al þe whiche we han herd wiþ oure eris. Who forſoþe is an oþer as þi puple Yrael, oon folk of kynde in þe lond, to þe whiche God wente, þat he delyuere and make a peple to him, and by his gretneſſe and gryſynges he caſte out nacyouns fro his face, þe whiche he hadde delyuerd fro Egipt? And þou haſt putte þy puple Yſrael to þee in to a puple in to wiþ oute eend, and þou, Lord, art maad his God.

Now þann, Lord, þe word þat þou haſt ſpoken to þi ſeruaunt, and vpon his hous, be confermed in to wiþ outen eend, and do, as þou haſt ſpoken; and þi name abijde ſtille, and be magnyfied in to euermore; and be it ſeid, Þe Lord of hooſtis, God of Yrael, and þe hous of Dauid, his ſeruaunt, abijdynge ſtille beforn hym. Þou forſoþe, Lord my God, haſt told opynly þe lityl ere of þi ſeruaunt, þat þou ſchuldiſt bilden to hym an hous; and þerfore þi ſeruaunt haþ founden truſt, þat he preye before þee.

Nowe þanne, Lord, þou ert God, and þou haſt ſpoken to þi ſeruaunt ſo fele benfetis; and þou haſt begunnen to bleſſen to þe hous of þi ſeruaunt, þat it be euer more before þee; þee forſoþe bleſſynge, bleſſid it ſchal ben in to wiþ outen end.