1 As David's[a]1time to diedrewnear, he chargedSolomon his son, saying,
2
"2I am going the way of all the earth. 3Be strong, therefore, and [b]show yourself a man.
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, 4according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that 5you may succeed in all that you do and wherever** you turn,
4
so that 6the LORD may carry out His promisewhich He spokeconcerning me, saying, '7If your sons are careful of their way, 8to walkbefore Me in [c]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, [d]9you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'
5
"Now you alsoknowwhatJoab the 10son of Zeruiahdid to me, what he did to the twocommanders of the armies of Israel, to 11Abner the son of Ner, and to 12Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also [e]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt[f]about his waist, and on his sandals[g]on his feet.
6
"13So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his grayhairgodown to Sheol in peace.
7
"But 14showkindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and 15let them be among those who eat at your table; 16for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8
"Behold, 17there 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 18he 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, 19for you are a wiseman; and you will knowwhat you ought to do to him, and you will bring his grayhairdown to Sheol with blood."
Death of David
10 Then 20Davidslept with his fathers and was buried in 21the city of David.
11
22The days that DavidreignedoverIsrael were fortyyears: 23sevenyears he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three*years he reigned in Jerusalem.
12
And 24Solomonsat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmlyestablished.
13
Now Adonijah the son of Haggithcame to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, "25Do you comepeacefully?" And he said, "Peacefully."
14
Then he said, "I have something to say to you." And she said, "Speak."
15
So he said, "You know that 26the kingdom was mine and 27that allIsraelexpected* me to be king; 28however, the kingdom has turnedabout and become my brother's, 29for it was his from the LORD.
16
"Now I am makingonerequest of you; do not refuse me." And she said to him, "Speak."
17
Then he said, "Pleasespeak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me 30Abishag the Shunammite as a wife."
18
Bathshebasaid, "Verywell; I will speak to the king for you."
Adonijah Executed
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 31had a throneset for the king'smother, and 32she sat on his right.
20
Then she said, "I am makingonesmallrequest of you; 33do not refuse me." And the kingsaid to her, "Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you."
21
So she said, "34Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife."
22
KingSolomonanswered and said to his mother, "And why are you askingAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? 35Ask for him also the kingdom -36for he is my olderbrother -even for him, for 37Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!"
23
Then KingSolomonswore by the LORD, saying, "May Goddoso to me and more also, ifAdonijah has 38not spokenthisword against his own life.
24
"Now therefore, as the LORDlives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and 39who has made me a house as He promised, surelyAdonijah shall be put to deathtoday."
25
So KingSolomon40sentBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.
26
Then to Abiathar the priest the kingsaid, "41Go to Anathoth to your own field, 42for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at thistime, because43you carried the ark of the LordGODbefore my fatherDavid, and because44you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted."
27
So SolomondismissedAbiathar from beingpriest to the LORD, in order to fulfill45the word of the LORD, which He had spokenconcerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Executed
28 Now the newscame to Joab, 46for Joab had followed*Adonijah, 47although he had not followed*Absalom. And Joabfled to the tent of the LORD and 48tookhold of the horns of the altar.
29
It was toldKingSolomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon49sentBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, "50Go, fall upon him."
30
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."
31
The kingsaid to him, "51Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, 52that you may remove from me and from my father'shouse the bloodwhichJoabshedwithoutcause.
32
"53The LORD will return his blood on his own head, 54because he fell upon twomenmorerighteous and betterthan he and killed them with the sword, while my fatherDavid did not know it: 55Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and 56Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
33
"57So 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*."
34
Then 58Benaiah the son of Jehoiadawent up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house59in the wilderness.
35
60The kingappointedBenaiah the son of Jehoiadaover the army in his place, and the kingappointed61Zadok the priest62in the place of Abiathar.
Shimei Executed
36 Now the kingsent and called for 63Shimei and said to him, "Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and livethere, and do not go out from there to anyplace.
37
"For on the day you go out and 64crossover the brookKidron, you will know for certain that you shall surelydie; 65your blood shall be on your own head."
38
Shimei then said to the king, "The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do." So Shimeilived in Jerusalemmanydays.
39
But it came about at the end of threeyears, that two of the servants of Shimeiranaway66to Achishson of Maacah, king of Gath. And they toldShimei, saying, "Behold, your servants are in Gath."
40
Then Shimeiarose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimeiwent and brought his servants from Gath.
41
It was toldSolomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.
42
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.'
43
"Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandwhich I have laid on you?"
44
The king also said to Shimei, "67You knowall the evilwhich you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my fatherDavid; therefore 68the LORD shall return your evil on your own head.
45
"But KingSolomon shall be blessed, and 69the throne of David shall be establishedbefore the LORDforever*."
46
70So the kingcommandedBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died. 71Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.