1 Kings 2

1 As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon,

As the day of David's death approached, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.

“I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.

3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,

Keep the commands of Yahweh your God to walk in his ways, to obey his statutes, his commandments, his decisions, and his covenant decrees, being careful to do what is written in the law of Moses, so you may prosper in all you do, wherever you go,

4 and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

so that Yahweh may fulfill his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons carefully watch their conduct, to walk before me faithfully with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never cease to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

5 Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.

You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the shoes on his feet.

6 So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. (Sheol h7585)

Deal with Joab by the wisdom you have learned, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. (Sheol h7585)

7 But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

However, show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8 Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’

Look, there is with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. Shimei came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.'

9 Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.” (Sheol h7585)

Now therefore do not let him go free from punishment. You are a wise man, and you will know what you ought to do to him. You will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood.” (Sheol h7585)

10 Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.

11 The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. He had reigned for seven years in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

13 Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.

Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peacefully?” He replied, “Peacefully.”

14 Then he said, “I have something to tell you.” “Say it,” she answered.

Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” So she replied, “Speak.”

15 “You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.

Adonijah said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel expected me to be king. But things changed, and the kingdom was given to my brother, for it was his from Yahweh.

16 So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.” “State your request,” she told him.

Now I have one request of you, and do not turn away from my face.” Bathsheba said to him, “Speak.”

17 Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not turn away from your face, so that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”

Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak to the king.”

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.

Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne brought for the king's mother. She sat at his right hand.

20 “I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”

Then she said, “I wish to ask one small request of you, for you will not turn away from my face.” The king answered her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn away from your face.”

21 So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why do you not ask the kingdom for him also, for he is my elder brother—for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah?”

23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.

Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

24 And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah will be put to death today.”

25 So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Benaiah found Adonijah and put him to death.

26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”

Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields. You are worthy of death, but I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord Yahweh before David my father and suffered in every way my father suffered.”

27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to Yahweh, that he might fulfill the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.

The news came to Joab, for Joab had supported Adonijah, though he had not supported Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh and took hold of the horns of the altar.

29 It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”

It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was now beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, execute him.”

30 And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”

So Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh and said to him, “The king says, 'Come out.'” Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah returned to the king, saying, “Joab said he wanted to die at the altar.”

31 And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.

The king said to him, “Do as he has said. Kill him and bury him so that you may take away from me and from my father's house the blood that Joab shed without cause.

32 The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.

May Yahweh return his blood on his own head, because he attacked two men more righteous and better than himself and killed them with the sword, Abner son of Ner, the captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, the captain of the army of Judah, without my father David knowing it.

33 Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”

So may their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But to David and his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne, may there be peace forever from Yahweh.”

34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.

Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and attacked Joab and killed him. He was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

35 And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.

The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and he put Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place.

36 Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.

Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any other place.

37 On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”

For on the day you go out, and pass over the Kidron Valley, know you for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.”

38 “The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

So Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my master the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

39 After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”

But at the end of three years, two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maacah, the king of Gath. So they told Shimei, saying, “See, your servants are in Gath.”

40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.

Then Shimei arose, saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to seek his servants. He went and brought his servants back from Gath.

41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,

When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,

42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’

the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and testify to you, saying, 'Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any other place, you will surely die'? Then you said to me, 'What you say is good.'

43 So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”

Why then have you not kept your oath to Yahweh and the command that I gave you?”

44 The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.

The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to my father David. Therefore Yahweh will return your wickedness on your own head.

45 But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”

But King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever.”

46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.

Then the king gave a command to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. He went out and put Shimei to death. So the rule was well established in Solomon's hand.