Study Desk

Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart. For God is with you."

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, "Who am I, O God? What is my house, that You have brought me this far?

This was a small thing in Your eyes, O God. You have spoken of Your servant's house for a long time to come. You have thought of me as if I were an important man, O Lord God.

O Lord, there is no one like You. There is no God other than You, by all that we have heard with our ears.

What other nation on earth is like Your people Israel? God went to free them to be His people. You made Yourself a name by great things which filled people with fear. You drove out the nations before Your people, whom You set free from Egypt.

You made Your people Israel to be Your people forever. And You, O Lord, became their God.

Let Your name be made sure and honored forever, saying, ‘The Lord of All, the God of Israel, is Israel's God. And the house of Your servant David is made to last before You.'

For You, O my God, have made it known to Your servant that You will build a house for him. So Your servant has found strength of heart to pray to You.

And now, O Lord, You are God. You have promised this good thing to Your servant.

Be strong; let us show our strength of heart because of our people, and for the cities of our God. May the Lord do what is good in His eyes."

God was not pleased that Israel was numbered so He punished Israel.

David said to God, "I have sinned very much by doing this thing. But now I beg You, take away the sin of Your servant for I have done a very foolish thing."

The Lord said to Gad, David's man of God,

God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw the trouble and was sorry. He said to the destroying angel, "It is enough. Now take your hand away." The angel of the Lord was standing by the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David said to God, "Was it not I who said that the people must be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done a very bad thing. But what have these sheep done? O Lord my God, I beg You, let Your hand be against me and my father's house. But do not let the trouble be upon Your people."

But David could not go in front of it to pray to God. For he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

Then David said, "This is the house of the Lord God. And this is the altar of burnt gifts for Israel."

David told his men to gather the strangers who were in the land of Israel. And he had servants cut stones to build the house of God.

Then he called for his son Solomon, and gave him the work of building a house for the Lord God of Israel.

David said to Solomon, "My son, I had planned to build a house to the name of the Lord my God.