Parallel Bible results for "1 kings 2"

1 Kings 2

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows:

2 "I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man.

3 Observe the charge of ADONAI your God to go in his ways and keep his regulations, mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah of Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go.

4 If you do, ADONAI will fulfill what he promised me when he said, 'If your children pay attention to how they live, conducting themselves before me honestly with all their heart and being, you will never lack a man on the throne of Isra'el.'

5 "Moreover, you are aware of what Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra'el, Avner the son of Ner and 'Amasa the son of Yeter - he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.

6 Therefore, act according to your wisdom; don't let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7 "But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gil'adi. Include them with those who eat at your table, because they came and stood with me when I was fleeing from Avshalom your brother.

8 "Finally, you have with you Shim'i the son of Gera the Binyamini, from Bachurim. He laid a terrible curse on me when I was on my way to Machanayim; but he came down to meet me at the Yarden; so I swore to him by ADONAI that I would not have him put to death with the sword.

9 Now, however, you should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him - you will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood."

10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.

11 David had ruled Isra'el for forty years - seven years in Hevron and thirty-three years in Yerushalayim.

12 Shlomo sat on the throne of David his father; and his rule had become firmly established,

13 when Adoniyah the son of Haggit came to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo. She asked, "Have you come as a friend?" He answered, "Yes, as a friend."

14 Then he continued, "I have something to say to you." She said, "Go on."

15 He said, "You know that the kingdom should have been mine, that all Isra'el was looking to me to be their ruler. No matter; the kingdom has turned around and become my brother's, because ADONAI gave it to him.

16 But now I ask one favor of you; don't deny me." "Go on," she said.

17 He said, "Please speak to Shlomo the king - for he won't say 'No' to you - and ask him to give me Avishag the Shunamit as my wife."

18 Bat-Sheva said, "All right, I will speak to the king on your behalf."

19 So Bat-Sheva went to King Shlomo to speak to him on behalf of Adoniyah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne set up for the king's mother, so that she sat at his right.

20 She said, "I am asking one small favor of you; don't deny me." The king said to her, "Ask, mother; I won't deny you."

21 She said, "Let Avishag the Shunamit be given to Adoniyah your brother as his wife."

22 King Shlomo answered his mother, "Why are you asking Avishag the Shunamit for Adoniyah? Ask the kingdom for him too! After all, he's my older brother! Yes, for him, and for Evyatar the cohen and for Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah!"

23 Then King Shlomo swore by ADONAI, "May God do terrible things to me and worse if Adoniyah hasn't condemned himself to death with this request!

24 Now therefore, as ADONAI lives, who has established me, put me on the throne of David my father and set up a dynasty for me, as he promised, Adoniyah will certainly be put to death today."

25 King Shlomo commissioned B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada, and he struck him down, so that he died.

26 To Evyatar the cohen the king said, "You, get yourself to 'Anatot, to your own fields. You deserve to die; but I won't put you to death just now; since you did carry the ark of Adonai ELOHIM before David my father; and you suffered together with my father in everything he suffered."

27 So Shlomo forced Evyatar out of his task as cohen to ADONAI, so that what ADONAI had said in Shiloh about the family of 'Eli might be fulfilled.

28 When the news came to Yo'av, he fled to the tent of ADONAI and took hold of the horns of the altar; for Yo'av had given his support to Adoniyah, even though he had not supported Avshalom.

29 King Shlomo was told, "Yo'av has fled to the tent of ADONAI; he's there by the altar." Shlomo sent B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada with the order, "Go, strike him down."

30 B'nayah came to the tent of ADONAI and said to him, "The king says: leave!" He answered, "No, I'd rather die here." B'nayah brought the message back to the king, "This is what Yo'av said to me."

31 The king answered him, "Do what he said - strike him down, and bury him. In this way you will take away from me and my father's family the blood which Yo'av shed for no reason.

32 ADONAI will bring his blood back on his own head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he - he killed them with the sword without my father David's awareness: Avner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Isra'el, and 'Amasa the son of Yeter, commander of the army of Y'hudah.

33 In this way their blood will return on the head of Yo'av and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his family and his throne there will be peace forever from ADONAI."

34 So B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada went up, struck him down and killed him; he was buried in his own house in the desert.

35 The king put B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada in charge of the army instead of him, and the king replaced Evyatar with Tzadok the cohen.

36 The king summoned Shim'i and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Yerushalayim, and live there; don't go outside the city walls.

37 Know for a fact that on the day you go out and cross Vadi Kidron, you will certainly die; your blood will be on your own head."

38 Shim'i answered the king, "What you have said is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do." So Shim'i lived in Yerushalayim for a long time.

39 But after three years, two of Shim'i's slaves ran away and went to Akhish son of Ma'akhah, king of Gat. They told Shim'i, "Your slaves are in Gat."

40 So Shim'i set out, saddled his donkey and went to Akhish in Gat to look for his slaves; then Shim'i returned, bringing his slaves from Gat.

41 Shlomo was told that Shim'i had gone from Yerushalayim to Gat and back.

42 The king summoned Shim'i and said to him, "Didn't I have you swear by ADONAI and forewarn you by telling you, 'Know for a fact that on the day you leave and go anywhere outside the city, you will certainly die'? and you answered me, 'What you're saying is good; I hear it.'

43 Why, then, haven't you kept the oath of ADONAI and the mitzvah I charged you with?"

44 Moreover, the king said to Shim'i, "You know in your own heart all the terrible things you did to David my father; therefore ADONAI will bring back your wickedness on your own head.

45 But King Shlomo will be blessed, and the throne of David will be established before ADONAI forever."

46 So the king gave the order to B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada, and he went out and struck him down, so that he died. Thus the kingdom was established in Shlomo's hands.

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 When David was about to die, he instructed his son Solomon,

2 "I'm about to leave this world. Be strong and mature.

3 Fulfill your duty to the LORD your God. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses' Teachings. Then you'll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go.

4 [You'll succeed] because the LORD will keep the promise he made to me: 'If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.'

5 "You know what Joab (Zeruiah's son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel's army--Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.

6 Use your wisdom. Don't let that gray-haired, old man go to his grave peacefully.

7 "Be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Let them eat at your table. They helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

8 "Shimei, son of Gera from Bahurim in Benjamin, is still with you. He cursed me repeatedly when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I took an oath by the LORD and said, 'As long as I'm king, I won't have you killed.'

9 Now, don't let him go unpunished. You are wise and know what to do to him: Put that gray-haired, old man into his grave by slaughtering him."

10 David lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.

11 He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.

12 Solomon sat on his father David's throne, and his power was firmly established.

13 Then Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. "Is this a friendly visit?" she asked. "Yes," he answered.

14 Then he added, "I have a matter [to discuss] with you." "What is it?" she asked.

15 He said, "You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because the LORD gave it to him.

16 Now I want to ask you for one thing. Don't refuse me." "What is it?" she asked.

17 He said, "Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife. He will not refuse you."

18 "Very well," Bathsheba answered. "I will talk to the king for you."

19 Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him on Adonijah's behalf. The king got up to meet her and bowed down in front of her. Then he sat on his throne. He had a throne brought for his mother, and she sat at his right side.

20 "I'm asking you for one little thing," she said. "Don't refuse me." "Ask, Mother," the king told her. "I won't refuse you."

21 She replied, "Let Abishag from Shunem be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife."

22 King Solomon then said, "Why do you ask that Abishag from Shunem be given to Adonijah? That would be the same as giving him the kingship. After all, he is my older brother. The priest Abiathar and Joab (Zeruiah's son) are supporting him."

23 King Solomon took an oath by the LORD and said, "May God strike me dead if Adonijah doesn't pay with his life for this request!

24 The LORD set me on my father David's throne and gave me a dynasty as he promised. So I solemnly swear, as the LORD who has established me lives, that Adonijah will be put to death today."

25 King Solomon gave this task to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. Benaiah attacked and killed Adonijah.

26 The king told the priest Abiathar, "Go to your land in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won't kill you at this time because you carried the ark of the Almighty LORD ahead of my father David and because you shared all my father's sufferings."

27 So Solomon removed Abiathar as the LORD's priest and fulfilled the LORD's word spoken at Shiloh about Eli's family.

28 The news reached Joab. (He had supported Adonijah, although he hadn't supported Absalom.) So Joab fled to the LORD's tent and clung to the horns of the altar.

29 After King Solomon heard that Joab had fled to the altar in the tent of the LORD, Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to kill Joab.

30 When Benaiah came to the tent of the LORD, he told Joab, "The king says, 'Come out.'" "No," Joab answered, "I'll die here." So Benaiah reported to the king what Joab had said and how he had answered.

31 The king answered, "Do as he said. Kill him, and bury him. You can remove the innocent blood--the blood which Joab shed--from me and my father's family.

32 The LORD will repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel's army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah's army). Joab did this without my father's knowledge.

33 The responsibility for their blood will fall on Joab and his descendants forever. But may David, his descendants, family, and throne always receive peace from the LORD."

34 Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went and attacked Joab, killed him, and buried him at his home in the desert.

35 The king then appointed Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to replace Joab as commander of the army. King Solomon also replaced Abiathar with the priest Zadok.

36 The king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and stay there. Don't leave [the city] to go anywhere else.

37 But the day you leave and cross the brook in the Kidron Valley, you can be certain that you will die. You will be responsible for your own death."

38 "Very well," Shimei answered. "I'll do just what Your Majesty said." So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39 But after three years, two of Shimei's slaves fled to Gath's King Achish, son of Maacah. Shimei was told that his slaves were in Gath,

40 so he saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went to Gath and got his slaves.

41 After Solomon heard that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and back,

42 he summoned Shimei. Solomon asked him, "Didn't I make you take an oath by the LORD? Didn't I warn you that if you left [the city] to go anywhere, you could be certain that you would die? Didn't you say to me, 'Very well. I'll do just what you said'?

43 Why didn't you keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?

44 Shimei, you know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. The LORD is going to pay you back for the evil you have done.

45 But King Solomon is blessed, and David's dynasty will always be firmly established by the LORD."

46 Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. He went to attack and kill Shimei. Solomon's power as king was now firmly established.