1 Kings 2:1-46
2 And the days for David’s death drew near, and he gave his son Solomon this charge:
2 “I am going the way of all the earth; be resolute, act the man,
3 and keep the charge of your God Jehovah, walking in his ways, keeping his usages, his commandments, his laws, his lessons, as written in the code of Moses, that you may do well in everything you do or undertake;
4 that Jehovah may make good his word that he spoke of me, ‘If your sons guard their ways, walking before me loyally with all their hearts and all their souls, you shall never be without a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 *** “And you know yourself what Joab the son of Serujah did to me, what he did to two generals of Israel, Abner the son of Ner and ʽAmasa the son of Jether, killing them and avenging war-blood in peace, and putting innocent blood on my belt that is round my waist and my shoes that are on my feet;
6 and you will do as your wisdom bids you and not have his gray hair go down to the world of the dead in peace.
7 And you will befriend the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and have them among those who eat at your table; for so they received me when I was in flight before your brother Absalom.
8 And you will have on hand Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite from Bahurim: he cursed me with a virulent curse on the day that I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Jehovah ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’
9 Now do not let him go free: you are a wise man and will know what to do to him, and will send his gray hair down to the world of the dead in blood.”
10 And David went to rest with his fathers, and was buried in David’s City;
11 and the time that David had reigned over Israel was forty years: at Hebron he had reigned seven years, and at Jerusalem he had reigned thirty-three years.
12 And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingship was thoroughly settled.
13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Solomon’s mother Bath-Shebaʽ; and she said “Is all well?” and he said “Yes.”
14 And he said “I have something to speak of to you”; and she said “Speak.”
15 And he said “You know the kingship did belong to me, and all Israel were counting on me for king, but the kingship shifted and came to my brother because it was his from Jehovah;
16 now I am asking you for one thing—do not refuse me.” And she said to him “Speak.”
17 And he said “Say a word to King Solomon (for he will not refuse you) and have him give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
18 And Bath-Shebaʽ said “All right, I will speak to the king for you.”
19 * And Bath-Shebaʽ came to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king rose at her coming and did reverence to her and sat down on his throne, and a throne was set for the king’s mother and she sat down at his right hand;
20 and she said “I want to ask one little favor of you; do not refuse me”; and the king said to her “Ask; I will not refuse you.”
21 And she said “Let your brother Adonijah be given Abishag the Shunammite for his wife.”
22 And King Solomon answered his mother “And why do you ask for Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for the kingship for him, because he is my elder brother and has on his side Priest Abiathar and Joab the son of Serujah!”
23 And King Solomon swore by Jehovah “God do so to me, and more, but this word costs Adonijah his life.
24 And now, by Jehovah who established me and seated me on the throne of my father David, and who has given me a family as he promised, Adonijah shall die this day.”
25 And King Solomon sent Benajah the son of Jehojadaʽ, who cut him down; so he died.
26 And to Priest Abiathar the king said “Go to ʽAnathoth to your lands: you deserve death, but I will not put you to death today because you carried the ark of Jehovah before my father David, and because you went through all the hardships that my father went through”;
27 and Solomon ejected Abiathar from being priest to Jehovah, fulfilling Jehovah’s word that he spoke against ʽEli’s family at Shiloh.
28 And the report came to Joab—for Joab had swerved to follow Adonijah, though he had not to follow Absalom—and Joab fled to Jehovah’s tent and took hold of the horns of the altar.
29 And King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to Jehovah’s tent and was beside the altar; and Solomon sent Benajah the son of Jehojadaʽ with the order “Go and cut him down.”
30 And Benajah went into Jehovah’s tent and said to him “By order of the king, come out.” And he said “No, I will die here.” And Benajah reported to the king “So spoke Joab, and so he answered me.”
31 And the king said to him “Do as he has spoken: cut him down and bury him, and take off from me and my family innocent blood that Joab shed;
32 and Jehovah will send his blood back on his own head, because he cut down two honest men who were better than he was, and killed them with the sword without the knowledge of my father David,—Abner the son of Ner, general of the army of Israel, and ʽAmasa the son of Jether, general of the army of Judah—;
33 and their blood shall come back on Joab’s head and on the heads of his descendants forever, and David and his descendants and house and throne shall have welfare forever from Jehovah.”
34 And Benajah the son of Jehojadaʽ went up and cut him down and killed him, and he was buried at his home in the wilderness;
35 and the king put Benajah the son of Jehojadaʽ in his place over the army, and in Abiathar’s place the king put Priest Sadok.
36 And the king summoned Shimei and said to him “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there: you shall not go out from there to any place whatever,
37 and on the day when you do go out and cross Kidron Arroyo, know that you shall die; your blood will be on your own head.”
38 And Shimei said to the king “Very good: as your majesty has spoken your servant will do”; and Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 And at the end of three years two slaves of Shimei’s ran away to Akish the son of Maʽacah, the king of Gath; and people told Shimei “Your slaves are in Gath”;
40 and Shimei got up and saddled his donkey and went to Akish at Gath to look for his slaves.
And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath,
41 and Solomon was told “Shimei has gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned.”
42 And the king summoned Shimei and said to him “Did I not have you swear by Jehovah, and warn you ‘On the day when you go out and go to any place whatever, know that you shall die,’ and you said to me ‘Very good, I understand’?
43 and how comes it that you have not kept your oath by Jehovah and the command that I gave you?”
44 And the king said to Shimei “You know all the mischief that you are conscious of having done to my father David: Jehovah will send your mischief back on your own head,
45 and King Solomon shall be blessed and David’s throne shall be firm before Jehovah forever.”
46 And the king gave an order to Benajah the son of Jehojadaʽ, and he went out and cut him down; so he died.
Footnotes
^ 2:5 Var. killing them and putting war-blood into peace
^ 2:5 Var. and putting war-blood on
^ 2:5 Var. his belt that was round his waist and his shoes that were on his feet
^ 2:19 Var. and kissed her
