1 Kings 2
2
1 WHEN DAVID'S time to die was near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man;
3 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 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 [to have] a man on the throne of Israel.
5 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 Do therefore according to your wisdom, but let not his hoary head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) 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 with such kindness they met me when I fled because of Absalom your brother. [II Sam. 17:27-29.]
8 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 [on my return], and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
9 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 So David slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.
11 David reigned over Israel forty years–seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Adonijah, the son of [David and] Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. She said, Do you come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
14 He said, I have something to say to you. And she said, Say on.
15 He said, You know that the kingdom belonged to me [as the eldest living son], 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 Now I make one request of you; do not deny me. And she said, Say on.
17 He said, I pray you, ask King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, to give me Abishag the Shunammite to be my wife. [I Kings 1:1-4.]
18 And Bathsheba said, Very well; I will speak for you to the king.
19 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 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 She said, Give Abishag the Shunammite to Adonijah your brother to be his wife.
22 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–[ask it] even for him and for [his supporters] Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah.
23 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 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 So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who attacked [Adonijah] and he died.
26 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 So Solomon expelled Abiathar [descendant of Eli] from being priest to the Lord, fulfilling the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. [I Sam. 2:27-36.]
28 When the news came to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah though he had not followed Absalom, [he] fled to the tent (tabernacle) of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar [before it].
29 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 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 The king said to him, Do as he has said. Strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from [me and from] my father's house the innocent blood which Joab shed.
32 The Lord shall return his bloody deeds upon his own head, for he fell upon two men more [uncompromisingly] 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 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 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed Joab, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness.
35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab's place over the army and put Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.
36 The king sent for Shimei and said to him, Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not leave there.
37 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 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 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 [runaway] servants are in Gath.
40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to King Achish to seek his servants, and brought them from Gath.
41 It was told Solomon that Shimei went from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned.
42 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 Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the command with which I have charged you?
44 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 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.
46 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.
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
1 Kings 2
2
David’s Instructions to Solomon
1 # [Gen. 47:29] When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2#Josh. 23:14 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. #See Josh. 1:6, 7Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, #Deut. 29:9; 1 Chr. 22:12, 13that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4that the Lord may #2 Sam. 7:25 establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, #Ps. 132:12 ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, #[ch. 3:6; 9:4; 2 Kgs. 20:3] to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, #ch. 8:25; 9:5; 2 Sam. 7:12, 13you shall not lack#2:4 Hebrew there shall not be cut off for you a man on the throne of Israel.’
5“Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah #2 Sam. 18:5, 12, 14; [2 Sam. 3:39] did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, #ver. 32; 2 Sam. 3:27 Abner the son of Ner, #2 Sam. 20:10and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging#2:5 Septuagint; Hebrew placing in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war#2:5 Septuagint innocent blood on the belt around his#2:5 Septuagint my; twice in this verse waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6Act therefore #[ver. 9]according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7But deal loyally with the sons of #See 2 Sam. 19:31-38 Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be #2 Sam. 9:7, 10 among those who eat at your table, #2 Sam. 17:27-29for with such loyalty#2:7 Or steadfast love they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8And there is also with you #2 Sam. 16:5 Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day #2 Sam. 17:24 when I went to Mahanaim. #2 Sam. 19:18But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, #[ver. 6] for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall #[Gen. 42:38; 44:31]bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
The Death of David
10 # ch. 1:21; Acts 2:29; 13:36 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in #ch. 3:1; 9:24the city of David. 11And the time that David reigned over Israel was #2 Sam. 5:4, 5; 1 Chr. 29:26, 27forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12#1 Chr. 29:23; 2 Chr. 1:1So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Solomon’s Reign Established
13Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, #1 Sam. 16:4“Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.” 14Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15He said, “You know that #[ch. 1:5, 25] the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, #1 Chr. 22:9, 10; 28:5-7for it was his from the Lord. 16And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.” 17And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me #ch. 1:3, 4Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”
19So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, #[Ps. 45:9]and she sat on his right. 20Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21She said, “Let #[See ver. 17 above]Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask #[See ver. 17 above] Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, #ch. 1:6; 1 Chr. 3:2, 5 for he is my older brother, and on his side #ch. 1:7are Abiathar#2:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew and for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, #See Ruth 1:17“God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! 24Now therefore #See Ruth 3:13 as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, #2 Sam. 7:11, 13; 1 Chr. 22:10as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25So King Solomon sent #2 Sam. 8:18Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
26And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to #Josh. 21:18 Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, #1 Sam. 23:6; 2 Sam. 15:24, 29 because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, #See 1 Sam. 22:20-23and because you shared in all my father’s affliction.” 27#[ver. 35] So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling #See 1 Sam. 2:27-36the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28When the news came to Joab—for Joab #ch. 1:7 had supported Adonijah although #2 Sam. 17:25; 18:2 he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the #ch. 1:50horns of the altar. 29And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31The king replied to him, #[Ex. 21:14] “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, #Num. 35:33; Deut. 19:13; 21:8, 9and thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32The Lord will #See Judg. 9:24 bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men #2 Chr. 21:13 more righteous and better than himself, #ver. 5; 2 Sam. 3:27 Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and #2 Sam. 20:9, 10Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33#[See ver. 32 above]So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.” 34Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35#ch. 4:4 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put #1 Chr. 29:22 Zadok the priest #ver. 27in the place of Abiathar.
36Then the king sent and summoned #ver. 8Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. 37For on the day you go out and cross #2 Sam. 15:23 the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. #See 2 Sam. 1:16Your blood shall be on your own head.” 38And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s servants ran away to #[1 Sam. 27:2]Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” 40Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’ 43Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?” 44The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart #See 2 Sam. 16:5-14 all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will #See 1 Sam. 25:39bring back your harm on your own head. 45But King Solomon shall be blessed, #[Prov. 25:5]and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” 46Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.
# ver. 12; [2 Chr. 1:1] So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
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