David’s Thanksgiving Prayer for God’s Promise of a Dynasty

¹⁸Then King David came and sat before the Lord, and he said, “What am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that You have brought me thus far? ¹⁹Yet even this, O Lord God, has seemed too little to You; for You have spoken of Your servant’s house also for the future. May that be the law for the people, O Lord God. ²⁰What more can David say to You? You know Your servant, O Lord God. ²¹For Your word’s sake and of Your own accord You have wrought this great thing, and made it known to Your servant. ²²You are great indeed, O Lord God! There is none like You and there is no other God but You, as we have always heard. ²³And who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth, whom God went and redeemed as His people, winning renown for Himself and doing great and marvelous deeds for them^a[and] for Your land—[driving out] nations and their gods before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt. ²⁴You have established Your people Israel as Your very own people forever; and You, O Lord, have become their God.

²⁵“And now, O Lord God, fulfill Your promise to Your servant and his house forever; and do as You have promised. ²⁶And may Your name be glorified forever, in that men will say, ‘The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷Because You, O Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him, Your servant has ventured to offer this prayer to You. ²⁸And now, O Lord God, You are God and Your words will surely come true, and You have made this gracious promise to Your servant. ²⁹Be pleased, therefore, to bless Your servant’s house, that it abide before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken. May Your servant’s house be blessed forever by Your blessing.”