As David's 1 atime
to die
drew
near
, he charged
Solomon
his son
, saying
,
" aI am going the way
of all
the earth
. bBe strong
, therefore, and 1show
yourself a man
.
"Keep the charge
of the LORD
your God
, to walk
in His ways
, to keep
His statutes
, His commandments
, His ordinances
, and His testimonies
, aaccording to what is written
in the Law
of Moses
, that byou may succeed
in all
that you do
and wherever
you turn
,
so that athe LORD
may carry
out His promise
which
He spoke
concerning
me, saying
, ` bIf
your sons
are careful
of their way
, cto walk
before
Me in 1truth
with all
their heart
and with all
their soul
, 2 dyou shall not lack
a man
on the throne
of Israel
.'
"Now you also know
what
Joab
the ason
of Zeruiah
did
to me, what
he did
to the two
commanders
of the armies
of Israel
, to bAbner
the son
of Ner
, and to cAmasa
the son
of Jether
, whom he killed
; he also 1shed
the blood
of war
in peace
. And he put
the blood
of war
on his belt
2about his waist
, and on his sandals
3on his feet
.
" aSo act according to your wisdom
, and do not let his gray
hair
go
down
to 1Sheol
in peace
.
"But ashow kindness
to the sons
of Barzillai
the Gileadite
, and blet them be among those who eat
at your table
; cfor they 1assisted
me when I fled
from Absalom
your brother
.
"Behold, athere is with you Shimei
the son
of Gera
the Benjamite
, of Bahurim
; now it was he who cursed
me with a 1violent
curse
on the day
I went
to Mahanaim
. But when bhe came
down
to me at the Jordan
, I swore
to him by the LORD
, saying
, `I will not put
you to death
with the sword
.'
"Now therefore, do not let him go
unpunished
, afor you are a wise
man
; and you will know
what
you ought to do
to him, and you will bring
his gray
hair
down
to 1Sheol
with blood
."
Then aDavid slept
with his fathers
and was buried
in bthe city
of David
.
aThe days that David
reigned
over
Israel
were forty
years
: bseven
years
he reigned
in Hebron
and thirty-three
years
he reigned
in Jerusalem
.
And aSolomon sat
on the throne
of David
his father
, and his kingdom
was firmly
established
.
Now Adonijah the son
of Haggith
came
to Bathsheba
the mother
of Solomon
. And she said
, " aDo you come
peacefully
?" And he said
, "Peacefully
."
Then he said, "I have something
to say to you." And she said
, "Speak
."
So he said, "You know
that athe kingdom
was mine and bthat all
Israel
1expected
me to be king
; chowever, the kingdom
has turned
about
and become
my brother's
, dfor it was his from the LORD
.
"Now I am making
one
request
of you; do not 1refuse
me." And she said
to him, "Speak
."
Then he said, "Please
speak
to Solomon
the king
, for he will not 1refuse
you, that he may give
me aAbishag
the Shunammite
as a wife
."
Bathsheba said
, "Very
well
; I will speak
to the king
for you."
So Bathsheba went
to King
Solomon
to speak
to him for Adonijah
. And the king
arose
to meet
her, bowed
before her, and sat
on his throne
; then he ahad a throne
set
for the king's
mother
, and bshe sat
on his right
.
Then she said, "I am making
one
small
request
of you; ado not 1refuse
me." And the king
said
to her, "Ask
, my mother
, for I will not 2refuse
you."
So she said, " aLet Abishag
the Shunammite
be given
to Adonijah
your brother
as a wife
."
King Solomon
answered
and said
to his mother
, "And why
are you asking
Abishag
the Shunammite
for Adonijah
? aAsk
for him also the kingdom
-- bfor he is my older
brother
--even for him, for cAbiathar
the priest
, and for Joab
the son
of Zeruiah
!"
Then King Solomon
swore
by the LORD
, saying
, "May God
do
so
to me and more
also
, if
Adonijah
has anot spoken
this
word
against his own 1life
.
"Now therefore, as the LORD
lives
, who
has established
me and set
me on the throne
of David
my father
and awho
has made
me a house
as He promised
, surely
Adonijah
shall be put
to death
today
."
So King Solomon
asent
Benaiah
the son
of Jehoiada
; and he fell
upon him so that he died
.
Then to Abiathar the priest
the king
said
, " aGo
to Anathoth
to your own field
, bfor you 1deserve
to die
; but I will not put
you to death
at this
time
, because
cyou carried
the ark
of the Lord
2GOD
before
my father
David
, and because
dyou were afflicted
in everything
with which
my father
was afflicted
."
So Solomon dismissed
Abiathar
from being
priest
to the LORD
, in order to fulfill
athe word
of the LORD
, which
He had spoken
concerning
the house
of Eli
in Shiloh
.
Now the news came
to Joab
, afor Joab
had followed
Adonijah
, balthough he had not followed
Absalom
. And Joab
fled
to the tent
of the LORD
and ctook
hold
of the horns
of the altar
.
It was told King
Solomon
that Joab
had fled
to the tent
of the LORD
, and behold
, he is beside
the altar
. Then Solomon
asent
Benaiah
the son
of Jehoiada
, saying
, " bGo
, fall
upon him."
So Benaiah came
to the tent
of the LORD
and said
to him, "Thus
the king
has said
, `Come
out.' " But he said
, "No
, for I will die
here
." And Benaiah
brought
the king
word
again
, saying
, "Thus
spoke
Joab
, and thus
he answered
me."
The king said
to him, " aDo
as he has spoken
and fall
upon him and bury
him, bthat you may remove
from me and from my father's
house
the blood
which
Joab
shed
without
cause
.
" aThe LORD will return
his blood
on his own head
, bbecause
he fell
upon two
men
more
righteous
and better
than
he and killed
them with the sword
, while my father
David
did not know
it: cAbner
the son
of Ner
, commander
of the army
of Israel
, and dAmasa
the son
of Jether
, commander
of the army
of Judah
.
" aSo shall their blood return
on the head
of Joab
and on the head
of his 1descendants
forever
; but to David
and his 1descendants
and his house
and his throne
, may there be peace
from the LORD
forever
."
Then aBenaiah the son
of Jehoiada
went
up and fell
upon him and put
him to death
, and he was buried
at his own house
bin the wilderness
.
aThe king appointed
Benaiah
the son
of Jehoiada
over
the army
in his place
, and the king
appointed
bZadok
the priest
cin the place
of Abiathar
.
Now the king sent
and called
for aShimei
and said
to him, "Build
for yourself a house
in Jerusalem
and live
there
, and do not go
out from there
to any
place
.
"For on the day you go
out and across
over
the 1brook
Kidron
, you will know
for certain
that you shall surely
die
; byour blood
shall be on your own head
."
Shimei then said
to the king
, "The word
is good
. As my lord
the king
has said
, so
your servant
will do
." So Shimei
lived
in Jerusalem
many
days
.
But it came about at the end
of three
years
, that two
of the servants
of Shimei
ran
away
ato Achish
son
of Maacah
, king
of Gath
. And they told
Shimei
, saying
, "Behold
, your servants
are in Gath
."
Then Shimei arose
and saddled
his donkey
, and went
to Gath
to Achish
to look
for his servants
. And Shimei
went
and brought
his servants
from Gath
.
It was told Solomon
that Shimei
had gone
from Jerusalem
to Gath
, and had returned
.
So the king sent
and called
for Shimei
and said
to him, "Did I not make you swear
by the LORD
and solemnly
warn
you, saying
, `You will know
for certain
that on the day
you depart
and go
anywhere
, you shall surely
die
'? And you said
to me, `The word
which I have heard
is good
.'
"Why then have you not kept
the oath
of the LORD
, and the command
which
I 1have laid
on you?"
The king also said
to Shimei
, " aYou know
all
the evil
which
1you acknowledge
in your heart
, which
you did
to my father
David
; therefore bthe LORD
shall return
your evil
on your own head
.
"But King Solomon
shall be blessed
, and athe throne
of David
shall be established
before
the LORD
forever
."
aSo the king commanded
Benaiah
the son
of Jehoiada
, and he went
out and fell
upon him so that he died
.
bThus the kingdom was established
in the hands
of Solomon
.