1 W hen David’s time to die was near, he told his son Solomon,

When David’s time to die was near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,

2 “ I am going the way of all the earth. So be strong. Show yourself to be a man.

I go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man;

3 D o what the Lord your God tells you. Walk in His ways. Keep all His Laws and His Word, by what is written in the Law of Moses. Then you will do well in all that you do and in every place you go.

Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may do wisely and prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,

4 T hen the Lord will keep His promise to me. He has said to me, ‘Your sons must be careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and soul. If they do, you will never be without a man on the throne of Israel.’

That the Lord may fulfill His promise to me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.

5 N ow you know what Zeruiah’s son Joab did to me. You know what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel. He killed Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether in the time of peace as if it were in the time of war. He put the blood of war on his belt and on the shoes of his feet.

You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, avenging in time of peace blood shed in war, and putting innocent blood of war on the girdle on his loins and on the sandals of his feet.

6 S o act with wisdom. Do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.

Do therefore according to your wisdom, but let not his hoary head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in peace.

7 B ut show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. Let them be among those who eat at your table. For they helped me when I ran from your brother Absalom.

But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table; for with such kindness they met me when I fled because of Absalom your brother.

8 S ee, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim. It was he who spoke bad words against me on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I promised him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

And you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.

9 S o do not let him go without being punished. For you are a wise man. You will know what you should do to him. Bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.” The Death of David

So do not hold him guiltless; for you are a wise man and know what you should do to him. His hoary head bring down to the grave with blood.

10 T hen David died and was buried in the city of David.

So David slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

11 H e had ruled over Israel forty years. Seven years he ruled in Hebron. And thirty-three years he ruled in Jerusalem.

David reigned over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 S olomon sat on the throne of his father David and things went well for the nation. Solomon Had Adonijah Killed

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

13 N ow Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba. She said, “Do you come in peace?” And he said, “Yes, in peace.”

Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. She said, Do you come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.

14 T hen he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.”

He said, I have something to say to you. And she said, Say on.

15 S o he said, “You know that the nation was mine. All Israel thought I would be king. But the nation has become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.

He said, You know that the kingdom belonged to me, and all Israel looked to me to reign. However, the kingdom has passed from me to my brother; for it was his from the Lord.

16 N ow I have one thing to ask of you. Do not say no to me.” And she said to him, “Speak.”

Now I make one request of you; do not deny me. And she said, Say on.

17 H e said, “I beg you, speak to Solomon the king. For he will not say no to you. Ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”

He said, I pray you, ask King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, to give me Abishag the Shunammite to be my wife.

18 B athsheba said, “Very well. I will speak to the king for you.”

And Bathsheba said, Very well; I will speak for you to the king.

19 S o Bathsheba went to speak to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king stood up to meet her, bowed in front of her, then sat on his throne. He had a seat brought in for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set at his right hand for her, the king’s mother.

20 S he said, “I am asking you for one small thing. Do not say no to me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother. I will not say no to you.”

Then she said, I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me. The king said to her, Ask on, my mother, for I will not refuse you.

21 S o she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

She said, Give Abishag the Shunammite to Adonijah your brother to be his wife.

22 K ing Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you asking me to give Abishag the Shunammite to Adonijah? Ask me to give him the nation also! For he is my older brother. And Abiathar the religious leader and Joab the son of Zeruiah are on his side!”

King Solomon answered his mother, And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also—for he is my elder brother— even for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah.

23 T hen King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more, if Adonijah has not asked for this against his own life.

Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not requested this against his own life.

24 T he Lord has given me my place on the throne of my father David. He has made me a house as He promised. And as the Lord lives, for sure Adonijah will be put to death today.”

Therefore, as the Lord 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, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

25 S o King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went to Adonijah and killed him. Abiathar Sent Away and Joab Is Killed

So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who attacked and he died.

26 T hen the king said to Abiathar the religious leader, “Go to your own fields at Anathoth, for you should be put to death. But I will not have you killed at this time. Because you carried the special box of the Lord God in front of my father David. And you shared in all of my father’s suffering.”

And to Abiathar the priest the king said, Get to Anathoth to your own estate; for you deserve death, but I will not put you to death now, because you bore the ark of the Lord God before my father David and were afflicted in all my father endured.

27 S o Solomon stopped Abiathar from being religious leader for the Lord any longer. This was done to keep the word of the Lord, which God had spoken about the family of Eli in Shiloh.

So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, fulfilling the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28 N ow the news came to Joab. For Joab had followed Adonijah, but he had not followed Absalom. And Joab ran to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

When the news came to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah though he had not followed Absalom, fled to the tent (tabernacle) of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.

29 K ing Solomon was told that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord, and was beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go and kill him.”

King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was at the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, strike him down.

30 B enaiah came to the tent of the Lord. He said to Joab, “The king says to come out.” But Joab said, “No! I will die here.” So Benaiah returned to the king and said, “This is what Joab said. This is how he answered me.”

So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and told Joab, The king commands, Come forth. But Joab said, No, I will die here. Then Benaiah brought the king word again, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.

31 T he king said to him, “Do as he has said. Kill him and bury him. In this way you will take away from me and my father’s house the blood of those killed by Joab without a reason.

The king said to him, Do as he has said. Strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from my father’s house the innocent blood which Joab shed.

32 T he Lord will return Joab’s acts of killing upon his own head. Because Joab killed two men who were right and good and better than he. He killed them with the sword while my father David did not know it. He killed Abner the son of Ner, captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the army of Judah.

The Lord shall return his bloody deeds upon his own head, for he fell upon two men more righteous and honorable than he and slew them with the sword, without my father knowing of it: Abner son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

33 S o their blood will be on the head of Joab and on the head of his children forever. But may there be peace from the Lord forever to David and his children, his house and his throne.”

So shall their blood return upon the head of Joab and of his descendants forever. But upon David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the Lord forever.

34 T hen Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and killed Joab. He was buried at his own house in the desert.

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed Joab, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness.

35 T he king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s place. And the king put Zadok the religious leader in the place of Abiathar. The Death of Shimei

The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army and put Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.

36 T hen the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there. Do not leave there.

The king sent for Shimei and said to him, Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not leave there.

37 F or on the day you go out and cross the river Kidron, you will 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 brook Kidron, know with certainty that you shall die; your blood shall be upon your own head.

38 S himei said to the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.

And Shimei said to the king, The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

39 B ut at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish the son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was told, “See, your servants are in Gath.”

But after three years, two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, Behold, your servants are in Gath.

40 T hen Shimei got up and made his donkey ready to travel. And he went to Achish in Gath to look for his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.

So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to King Achish to seek his servants, and brought them from Gath.

41 S olomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned.

It was told Solomon that Shimei went from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned.

42 S o the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you promise by the Lord and tell you of danger, saying, ‘You will know for sure that on the day you leave and go anywhere, you will die’? And you said to me, ‘What you have said is good.’

And the king sent for Shimei and said to him, Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, saying, Know with certainty, on the day you go out and walk abroad anywhere, you shall surely die? And you said to me, I have heard your word. It is accepted.

43 T hen why have you not kept the promise of the Lord? Why have you not done what I told you?”

Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the command with which I have charged you?

44 A nd the king said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the bad things you did to my father David. So the Lord will return your sin upon your own head.

The king also said to Shimei, You are aware in your own heart of all the evil you did to my father David; so the Lord will return your evil upon your own head.

45 B ut good will come to King Solomon. The throne of David will keep its place before the Lord forever.”

But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.

46 S o the king told Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and killed Shimei. The nation was put under the rule of Solomon.

So the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who went out and struck down Shimei, and he died. And the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.