16 They^(A) brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent David had pitched for it.^(B) Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God’s presence.

The Lord’s Covenant with David

17 When David^(A) had settled into his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “Look! I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under tent curtains.”^(B)

² So Nathan told David, “Do all that is on your mind, for God is with you.”

³ But that night^(C) the word of God came to Nathan: ⁴ “Go to David my servant and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.^{(D) 5} From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until today I have not dwelt in a house; instead, I have moved from one tent site to another, and from one tabernacle location to another.^[a](E)