The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 02
1 Now the days of David came near
that he should die; and he commanded
Solomon his son, saying,
2 “I am going the way of allthe earth. You
be strong therefore, and show yourself a
man;
3 and keep the instruction of Yahweh
your God, to walk in his ways, to keep
his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to
that which is written in the law of Moses,
that you may prosper in allthat you do and
wherever you turn yourself.
4 Then Yahweh may establish his word
which he spoke concerning me, saying,
‘If your children are careful of their way,
to walk before me in truth with all their
heart and withalltheir soul,there shallnot
fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of
Israel.’
5 “Moreover you know also what Joab
the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what
he did to the two captains of the armies
of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to
Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed,
and shed the blood of war in peace, and
put the blood of war on his sash that was
around his waist and in his sandals that
were on his feet.
6 Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down
to Sheol† in peace.
7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among
those who eat at your table; for so they
came to me when Ifled from Absalom your
brother.
8 “Behold, there is with you Shimei the
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 Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not
put you to death with the sword.’
9 Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless,
for you are a wise man; and you will know
what you ought to do to him, and you shall
bring his gray head down to Sheol‡ with
blood.”
10 David slept with his fathers, and was
buried in David’s city.
11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven
years in Hebron, and he reigned thirtythree years in Jerusalem.
12 Solomon sat on David his father’s
throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith
came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon.
She said, “Do you come peaceably?”
He said, “Peaceably.
14 He said moreover, I have something to
tell you.” She said, “Say on.”
15 He said, “You know that the kingdom
was mine, and that all Israel set their faces
on me, that I should reign. However, the
kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from
Yahweh.
16 Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t
deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”
17 He said, “Please speak to Solomon the
king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he
give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
18 Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak
for you to the king.”
19 Bathsheba therefore went to King
Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah.
The king rose up to meet her and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne
and caused a throne to be set for the king’s
mother; and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said, “I ask one small petition
of you; don’t deny me.”
The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother,
for I will not deny you.”
21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as
wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother,
“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 for
Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
23 Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh,
saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if
Adonijah has not spoken this word against
his own life.
24 Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who
has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me
a house as he promised, surely Adonijah
shall be put to death today.”
25 King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he
died.
26 To Abiathar the priest the king said,
“Go to Anathoth,to your ownfields,for you
are worthy of death. But I will not at this
time put you to death, because you bore
the Lord§ Yahweh’s ark before David my
father, and because you were afflicted in
all in which my father was afflicted.”
27 So Solomon thrust Abiathar out from
being priest to Yahweh, that he might fulfill Yahweh’s word which he spoke
concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 This news came to Joab; for Joab had
followed Adonijah, although he didn’t follow Absalom. Joab fled to Yahweh’s Tent,
and held onto the horns of the altar.
29 King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled
to Yahweh’s Tent; and behold, he is by the
altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son
of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall on him.”
30 Benaiah came to Yahweh’s Tent, and
said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ”
He said, “No; but I will die here.”
Benaiah brought the king word again,
saying, “This is what Joab said, and this is
how he answered me.”
31 The king said to him, “Do as he has
said, and fall on him, and bury him, that
you may take away the blood, which Joab
shed without cause, from me and from my
father’s house.
32 Yahweh will return his blood on his
own head, because he fell on two men
more righteous and better than he, and
killed them with the sword, and my father
David didn’t know it: Abner the son of Ner,
captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa
the son of Jether, captain of the army of
Judah.
33 So their blood will return on the head
of Joab and on the head of his offspring†
forever. But for David, for his offspring,
for his house, and for his throne, there will
be peace forever from Yahweh.”
34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
went up and fell on him, and killed him;
and he was buried in his own house in the
wilderness.
35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the
king put Zadok the priest in the place of
Abiathar.
36 The king sent and called for Shimei,
and said to him, “Build yourself a house
in Jerusalem, and live there, and don’t go
anywhere else.
37 For ontheday yougo out andpass over
the brook Kidron, know for certain that
you will surely die. Your blood will be on
your own head.”
38 Shimei said to the king, “What you
say is good. As my lord the king has said,
so will your servant do.” Shimei lived in
Jerusalem many days.
39 At the end of three years, two of
Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, son of
Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei,
saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.”
40 Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and
went to Gath to Achish to seek his slaves;
and Shimei went and brought his slaves
from Gath.
41 Solomon was told that Shimei had
gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had
come again.
42 The king sent and called for Shimei,
and said to him, “Didn’t I adjure you by
Yahweh and warn you, saying, ‘Know for
certain that on the day you go out and walk
anywhere else, you shall surely die’? You
said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is
good.’
43 Why thenhave younot keptthe oathof
Yahweh and the comman dment that I have
instructed you with?”
44 The king said moreover to Shimei,
“Youknow inyourheart allthe wickedness
that you did to David my father. Therefore
Yahweh will return your wickedness on
your own head.
45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and
David’s throne will be established before
Yahweh forever.”
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell
on him, so that he died. The kingdom was
established in the hand of Solomon.