^23 (A)And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.

^(A)So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

³⁷ For on the day you go out and cross ^(A)the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. ^(B)Your blood shall be on your own head.”

⁸ And there is also with you ^(A)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day ^(B)when I went to Mahanaim. ^(C)But 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.’ ⁹ Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, ^(D)for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall ^(E)bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”

¹⁶ For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes ^(A)an oath is final for confirmation.

¹⁵ And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this ^(A)band.”

¹⁰ But Saul swore to her by the Lord, ^(A)“As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”