Melachim Alef 2
2
1Now the days of Dovid drew near that he should die; and he charged Sh'lomo Bno, saying,
2I go the derech kol ha'aretz; be thou chazak therefore, and show thyself a man;
3And be shomer over the mishmeret (requirement, charge) of Hashem Eloheicha, to walk in His derakhim, to be shomer over His chukkot (decrees), and His mitzvot, and His mishpatim (ordinances), and His edot (testimonies), as it is written in the Torat Moshe, so that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and wherever thou turnest;
4So that Hashem may uphold His Davar (Word, Promise) which He spoke concerning me, saying, If thy banim are shomer over their derech, to walk before Me in emes with all their lev and with all their nefesh, there shall not yikaret l'cha (be cut off of you, fail thee) Ish on the Kisse Yisroel.
5Moreover thou knowest also what Yoav Ben Tzeruyah did to me, and what he did to the two sarim of the Tzivos Yisroel (Armies of Yisroel), unto Avner Ben Ner, and unto Amasa Ben Yeter, whom he killed, and the shefach dahm of war in shalom (peacetime), and put the dahm of milchamah (war) upon his khagorah (sword belt) that was about his loins, and on his na'alayim (sandals) that were on his raglayim.
6Do therefore according to thy chochmah, and let not his gray head go down to Sheol in shalom.
7But show chesed unto the Bnei Barzillai the Gil'adi, and let them be of those that eat at thy shulchan; for so they stood by me when I fled from before Avshalom achicha.
8And, hinei, thou hast with thee Shime'i Ben Gera the Ben-HaYemini of Bachurim, which cursed me with a kelalah (curse) nimretzet (grievous, strong) on the day when I went to Machanayim; but he came down to meet me at Yarden, and I swore a shevu'ah to him by Hashem, saying, I will not put thee to death with the cherev.
9Now therefore hold him not guiltless; for thou art an ish chacham, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his gray head bring thou down with dahm to She'ol.
10So Dovid slept with his avot, and was buried in Ir Dovid.
11And the yamim that Dovid reigned as Melech over Yisroel were arba'im shanah; sheva shanim reigned he in Chevron, and shloshim v'shalosh shanim reigned he in Yerushalayim.
12Then sat Sh'lomo upon the Kisse Dovid Aviv; and Malchuso was firmly established.
13And Adoniyah Ben Chaggit came to Bat-Sheva Em Sh'lomo. And she said, Comest thou in shalom? And he said, Shalom.
14He said moreover, I have davar to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15And he said, Thou hast da'as that the meluchah (kingdom, monarchy) was mine, and that kol Yisroel set their faces on me, that I should reign as Melech; howbeit the meluchah has veered, and is become my brotherʼs; for it was his from Hashem.
16And now I ask thee one she'elah: refuse me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
17And he said, Speak, now, unto Sh'lomo HaMelech, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Avishag HaShunammit as isha.
18And Bat-Sheva said, Tov; I will speak for thee unto HaMelech.
19Bat-Sheva therefore went unto HaMelech Sh'lomo, to speak unto him for Adoniyah. And HaMelech rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his kisse, and caused a kisse to be set for Em HaMelech; and she sat on his yamin (right hand).
20Then she said, I desire one small she'elah of thee; now, say me not nay. And HaMelech said unto her, Ask on, immi: for I will not say thee nay.
21And she said, Let Avishag HaShunammit be given to Adoniyah thy brother as isha.
22And HaMelech Sh'lomo answered and said unto immo, And why dost thou request Avishag HaShunammit for Adoniyah? Ask for him the meluchah also; for he is achi hagadol; even for him, for Evyatar HaKohen, and for Yoav Ben Tzeruyah.
23Then HaMelech Sh'lomo swore a shevu'a by Hashem, saying, Elohim do so to me, and more also, if Adoniyah have not spoken this davar against his own nefesh.
24Now therefore, Hashem Chai (as Hashemliveth), which hath established me, and set me on the Kisse Dovid Avi, and who hath made me a Bayit ([Davidic] Dynasty), as He promised, Adoniyah shall be executed this day.
25And HaMelech Sh'lomo sent by the yad Benayah Ben Yehoyada; and he struck him that he died.
26And unto Evyatar (Abiathar) HaKohen said HaMelech, Get thee to Anatot, unto thine own sadot; for ish mavet atah (You are a man deserving of death); but I will not this day put thee to death, because thou borest the Aron Adonoi Hashem before Dovid Avi, and because thou hast shared hardship in all wherein Avi endured hardship.#2:26 See 2Ti 4:5
27So Sh'lomo thrust out Evyatar (Abiathar) from being Kohen unto Hashem; in order to fulfill the Devar Hashem, which He had spoken at Shiloh concerning the Bais Eli.#2:27 See 1Sm 2:30-35
28Then news came to Yoav; for Yoav had inclined after Adoniyah, though he turned not to take sides with Avshalom. And Yoav fled unto the Ohel Hashem, and caught hold the karnot HaMizbe'ach.
29And it was told Melech Sh'lomo that Yoav was fled unto the Ohel Hashem; and, hinei, he is beside the Mizbe'ach. Then Sh'lomo sent Benayah Ben Yehoyada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
30And Benayah came to the Ohel Hashem, and said unto him, Thus saith HaMelech, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benayah brought HaMelech word again, saying, Thus said Yoav, and thus he answered me.
31And HaMelech said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away from me the demei chinnam (innocent blood), the shefach dahm of Yoav, even from against the Bais Avi.
32And Hashem shall return his dahm upon his own rosh, who fell upon two anashim more tzaddikim and tovim than he, and killed them with the cherev, Dovid Avi not knowing thereof: Avner Ben Ner, Sar Tzava Yisroel, and Amasa Ben Yeter, Sar Tzava Yehudah.
33Let their dahm therefore turn back upon the rosh Yoav, and upon the rosh of his zera l'olam; but upon Dovid, and upon his Zera, and upon his Bais, and upon his Kisse, let there be shalom ad olam from Hashem.
34So Benayah Ben Yehoyada went up, and fell upon him, and executed him; and he was buried in his bais (house),#2:34 i.e. in court or garden of his house in the midbar.
35And in his place HaMelech put Benayah Ben Yehoyada in charge of the Tzava (Army); and Tzadok HaKohen did HaMelech put in the place of Evyatar.
36And HaMelech sent and summoned Shime'i, and said unto him, Build thee a bayit in Yerushalayim, and dwell there, and go not go out from there anywhere.
37For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the Kidron Valley, thou shalt know for certain that mot tamut (thou shalt surely die); thy dahm shall be upon thine own rosh.
38And Shime'i said unto HaMelech, Tov HaDavar (good is the word); just as adoni HaMelech hath said, so will thy eved do. And Shime'i dwelt in Yerushalayim yamim rabbim.
39And it came to pass at the end of shalosh shanim, that two of the avadim of Shime'i ran away unto Akhish Ben Ma'achah Melech Gat. And they told Shime'i, saying, Hinei, thy avadim are in Gat.
40And Shime'i arose, and saddled his chamor, and went to Gat to Akhish to search for his avadim; and Shime'i went, and brought back his avadim from Gat.
41And it was told Sh'lomo that Shime'i had gone from Yerushalayim to Gat, and had returned.
42And HaMelech sent and summoned Shime'i, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear a shevu'ah by Hashem, and adjured thee,#2:42 i.e., under oath saying, Know for a certain, on the yom thou goest out, and walkest abroad any place whatever#2:42 outside Yerushalayim that mot tamut (thou shalt surely die)? And thou saidst unto me, Tov HaDavar Sha'ma'ti (The good word I will hear, I will obey).
43Why then hast thou not been shomer over the Shevuat Hashem, and the Mitzvah that I have charged thee with?
44HaMelech said moreover to Shime'i, Thou knowest all the ra'ah which thine lev is privy to, that thou didst to Dovid Avi; therefore Hashem shall return thy ra'ah upon thine own rosh;
45And HaMelech Sh'lomo baruch, and the Kisse Dovid shall be nakhon (secure) before Hashem ad olam.
46So HaMelech commanded Benayah Ben Yehoyada, who went and fell upon him, that he died. The mamlachah was established in the yad Sh'lomo.
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Melachim Alef 2: TOJB2011
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.
1 Kings 2
2
1The time of David's death was approaching, so he gave his son Solomon these last instructions:
2“I am about to go the way everybody on earth must go. Be brave, and act like a man. 3Do what God orders you to do, and follow his ways. Keep his rules, his commands, and his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses, so you may be successful in everything you do, and in everything you give your attention to. 4If so, then the Lord will keep his promise to me when he said: ‘If your descendants are to live right before me, faithfully and with complete commitment, then you will always have one of them on the throne of Israel.’
5In addition, you know what Joab, son of Zeruiah, did to me and what he did to Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether, the two army commanders of Israel. He murdered them, spilling the blood of war during a time of peace. He smeared the blood of war on his belt and on his sandals.#2:5. Thought by some to be a symbolic act that showed the complete destruction of the victim, ending his movement and his ability to father children. 6Do what you think is right, but don't let his gray head go down peacefully into the grave.
7But be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead. Bring them into your royal court,#2:7. Literally, “let them eat from your table.” for they helped me when I ran from your brother Absalom.
8Don't you forget Shimei, son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who cursed me with painful words when I went to Mahanaim. When he met me at the Jordan I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will not kill you with the sword.’ 9So don't leave him unpunished. You're a wise man and you know what you have to do to him—send him down into the grave with blood on his gray head.”
10Then David died and was buried in the City of David. 11His reign over Israel lasted forty years; seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12Solomon took over as king, sitting on the throne of his father David, and his hold on his kingdom was secure.
13Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to see Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. She asked him, “Have you come here with good intentions?”#2:13. “With good intentions”: literally, “peaceably.” Knowing the previous history, Bathsheba was right to ask such a question. However, her acceptance of Adonijah's request is surprising, unless she saw what it might lead to. He replied, “Yes, with good intentions.”
14“I have something I'd like to ask of you,” he continued.
“Go on,” she said.
15“You know that the kingdom was mine,” he declared, “and everyone in Israel was looking forward to me being their next king. But everything was turned upside down, and the kingdom passed to my brother, because that's what the Lord wanted. 16Now I've just one request to ask of you—please don't say no.”
“Tell me,” she said.
17He went on, “Please talk to King Solomon for me because he won't turn you down. Ask him to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife.”
18“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will talk to the king for you.”
19So Bathsheba went to talk to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king got up from his throne to meet her, and bowed before her. Then he sat back down and ordered another throne brought in for his mother. She sat to his right.
20“I have just one small request to ask of you,” she said. “Please don't say no.”
The king replied, “Ask away, dear mother. I won't say no to you.”
21“Please give Abishag from Shunem to your brother Adonijah as his wife,” she replied.
22King Solomon answered his mother, “Why on earth are you asking me to give Abishag to Adonijah? You might as well ask me to give my brother the kingdom! He is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab, son of Zeruiah, are on his side!”
23Then King Solomon vowed before the Lord, “May God punish me, really punish me, if what Adonijah has asked for doesn't cost him his life. 24So I vow, as the Lord lives, who affirmed me as king and placed me on the throne of my father David, making me the head of a dynasty as he promised, Adonijah shall be executed today.”
25King Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, who carried out the king's orders and executed Adonijah.
26In the case of Abiathar, the high priest, the king told him, “Go home and take care of your fields. You should be condemned to death, but I will not kill you right now because you carried the Ark of the Lord God ahead of my father David and went through all his hard times with him.” 27So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, and so fulfilled what the Lord had said at Shiloh regarding the descendants of Eli.#2:27. See 1 Samuel 2:30-35; 1 Samuel 3:11-14.
28When Joab heard the news he ran to the Lord's Tent and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. (He had not supported Absalom's rebellion but he had supported Adonijah.) 29When King Solomon was told that Joab was seeking sanctuary#2:29. Sanctuary: this only applied if the killing of another was accidental. This clearly was not the case for Joab's deliberate murders. by the altar, he sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to execute him.
30Benaiah went to the Lord's Tent and called to Joab, “The king orders you to come out!”
“No! I'll die here!” Joab replied.
Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said. 31“Do as he says,” the king told Benaiah. “Strike him down and bury him. In that way you will remove from me and my family the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32The Lord will pay him back for the blood he shed, for without my father David's knowledge, he killed two good men who were better than he was. With his sword he killed Abner, son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa, son of Jether, commander of Judah's army. 33May the responsibility for shedding their blood come back on Joab and his descendants forever; but may the Lord give peace and prosperity#2:33. “Peace and prosperity”: the word “shalom” includes both these concepts. to David, his descendants, his family, and his dynasty forever.”
34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada returned and killed Joab. He was buried at his home in the wilderness.
35The king appointed Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to take over Joab's role as army commander, and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.
36Then the king summoned Shimei and told him, “Go and build yourself a house in Jerusalem and stay there, but don't leave and go anywhere else. 37You should know for certain that the day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley you will die. Your death will be your own responsibility.”
38“What Your Majesty says is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has ordered.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves escaped to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” 40So Shimei saddled up his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to look for his slaves. He found them and brought them back from Gath.
41Solomon was informed that Shimei had left Jerusalem to go to Gath, and had then returned.
42The king summoned Shimei and asked him, “Didn't I vow to you by the Lord, didn't I warn you that the day you left and went somewhere else that you should know for certain that you would die? Didn't you reply to me, ‘What Your Majesty says is fair; I'll do as you ordered’? 43So why haven't you kept your vow to the Lord, and obeyed my orders?”
44The king also told Shimei, “Deep down you know all the evil things you did to my father David. That's why the Lord will repay you for your evil. 45But I, King Solomon, will be blessed and David's dynasty will be kept safe in the presence of the Lord forever.”
46The king ordered Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to execute Shimei, so he went and killed Shimei. In this way Solomon's hold on the kingdom was made secure.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com