3
"Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever** you turn,
4
so that the LORD may carry out His promisewhich He spokeconcerning me, saying, 'If your sons are careful of their way, to walkbefore Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'
5
"Now you alsoknowwhatJoab the son of Zeruiahdid to me, what he did to the twocommanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.
7
"But showkindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8
"Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violentcurse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he camedown* to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.'
9
"Now therefore, do not let him gounpunished, for you are a wiseman; and you will knowwhat you ought to do to him, and you will bring his grayhairdown to Sheol with blood."
14
Then he said, "I have something to say to you." And she said, "Speak."
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15
So he said, "You know that the kingdom was mine and that allIsraelexpected* me to be king; however, the kingdom has turnedabout and become my brother's, for it was his from the LORD.
19
So Bathshebawent to KingSolomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the kingarose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throneset for the king'smother, and she sat on his right.
22
KingSolomonanswered and said to his mother, "And why are you askingAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom -for he is my olderbrother -even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!"
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"Now therefore, as the LORDlives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made me a house as He promised, surelyAdonijah shall be put to deathtoday."
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Then to Abiathar the priest the kingsaid, "Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at thistime, because you carried the ark of the LordGODbefore my fatherDavid, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted."
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So SolomondismissedAbiathar from beingpriest to the LORD, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD, which He had spokenconcerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
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Now the newscame to Joab, for Joab had followed*Adonijah, although he had not followed*Absalom. And Joabfled to the tent of the LORD and tookhold of the horns of the altar.
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It was toldKingSolomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then SolomonsentBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, fall upon him."
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So Benaiahcame to the tent of the LORD and said to him, "Thus the king has said, 'Come out.' " But he said, "No, for I will diehere." And Benaiahbrought the kingwordagain, saying, "ThusspokeJoab, and thus he answered me."
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The kingsaid to him, "Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, that you may remove from me and from my father'shouse the bloodwhichJoabshedwithoutcause.
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"The LORD will return his blood on his own head, because he fell upon twomenmorerighteous and betterthan he and killed them with the sword, while my fatherDavid did not know it: Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
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"So shall their bloodreturn on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendantsforever; but to David and his descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the LORDforever*."
36
Now the kingsent and called for Shimei and said to him, "Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and livethere, and do not go out from there to anyplace.
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"For on the day you go out and crossover the brookKidron, you will know for certain that you shall surelydie; your blood shall be on your own head."
39
But it came about at the end of threeyears, that two of the servants of Shimeiranaway to Achishson of Maacah, king of Gath. And they toldShimei, saying, "Behold, your servants are in Gath."
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So the kingsent and called for Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD and solemnlywarn you, saying, 'You will know for certain that on the day you depart and goanywhere, you shall surelydie '? And you said to me, 'The word which I have heard is good.'
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The king also said to Shimei, "You knowall the evilwhich you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my fatherDavid; therefore the LORD shall return your evil on your own head.
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So the kingcommandedBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.