1 Kings 2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David’s Instruction to Solomon
2 When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying:(A) 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous,(B) 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.(C) 4 Then the Lord will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.’(D)
5 “Moreover, you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war and putting innocent blood[a] on the belt around my[b] waist and on the sandals on my[c] feet.(E) 6 Act, therefore, according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.(F) 7 Deal loyally, however, with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from your brother Absalom.(G) 8 There is also with you Shimei son of Gera, a Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a terrible curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’(H) 9 Therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you must bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”(I)
Death of David
10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.(J) 11 The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.(K) 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.(L)
Solomon Consolidates His Reign
13 Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.”(M) 14 Then he said, “May I have a word with you?” She said, “Go on.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to reign; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.(N) 16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Go on.” 17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”(O) 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king on your behalf.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne and had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.(P) 20 Then 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.”(Q) 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”(R) 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom as well! For he is my elder brother, and the priest Abiathar and Joab son of Zeruiah are on his side!”(S) 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, “So may God do to me, and more also, for Adonijah has devised this scheme at the risk of his life!(T) 24 Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of my father David and who has made me a house as he promised, today Adonijah shall be put to death.”(U) 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he struck him down, and he died.
26 The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David and because you shared in all the hardships my father endured.”(V) 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.(W)
28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah though he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and grasped the horns of the altar.(X) 29 When it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and now is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”(Y) 30 So 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.” 31 The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.(Z) 32 The Lord will 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 more righteous and better than he: Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.(AA) 33 So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but to David, and to his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.”(AB) 34 Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and killed him, and he was buried at his own house near the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of Abiathar.(AC)
36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever.(AD) 37 For on the day you go out and cross the Wadi Kidron, know for certain that you shall die; your blood shall be on your own head.”(AE) 38 And Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. When it was told Shimei, “Your slaves are in Gath,”(AF) 40 Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Achish in Gath, to search for his slaves; Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath.(AG) 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42 the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly adjure 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, ‘The sentence is fair; I accept.’ 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I charged you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the evil that you did to my father David, so the Lord will bring back your evil on your own head.(AH) 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”(AI) 46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.
So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.(AJ)
1 Kings 2
Evangelical Heritage Version
David’s Charge to Solomon
2 The day of David’s death was approaching, so he gave the following commands to his son Solomon:
2 I am about to go the way of all the earth. Now, be strong and act like a man! 3 Fulfill your duties to the Lord your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his statutes, his commands, his ordinances, and his decrees as they are written in the Law of Moses, so that you may have success in everything you do and everywhere you turn, 4 in order that the Lord may keep this word that he spoke to me: “If your sons are careful to walk before me faithfully with their whole heart and soul, then you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.”
5 Furthermore, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to two commanders of the army of Israel, to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, spilling blood in peacetime as if it were happening in war. He spattered that blood on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet, as if it were war. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.
7 Keep faith with[a] the sons of Barzillai from Gilead, and let them eat at your table, because they did the same for me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
8 Watch out for Shimei son of Gera from Bahurim of the tribe of Benjamin, since he is still with you. He cursed me bitterly on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, “I will not kill you with the sword.” 9 But now, do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man. You will know what you should do to him. Bring his gray hair down to the grave in blood.
David’s Death
10 David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. 11 David was king over Israel for forty years. He was king in Hebron for seven years, and he was king in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.
Adonijah Schemes Against Solomon
12 Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David, and his kingship was firmly established.
13 Adonijah son of Haggith came to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba. She said to him, “Do you come in peace?”
“Yes, in peace,” he answered. 14 Then he said, “May I have a word with you?”
She said, “Yes. Speak up.”
15 He said, “You know that the kingship was mine, and all Israel looked for me to be king. But things changed, and the kingship went to my brother instead, because the Lord gave it to him. 16 But now, I am asking you for one request. Do not turn me away.”
She said, “Tell me what it is.”
17 He said, “Ask King Solomon (for he will not turn you down) to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife.”
18 Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king met her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and also set up a throne for the king’s mother, and she sat at his right hand.
20 She said, “I am asking you for one small request. Do not turn me down.”
The king answered her, “Ask, mother, for I will not turn you down.”
21 She said, “Please give Abishag from Shunem to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask for Abishag from Shunem to be given to Adonijah? You might as well ask for the kingship for him. After all, he is my brother, my older brother! Yes, request it for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, “May God punish me severely and double it,[b] if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request that he has made! 24 Now, as surely as the Lord lives, who has appointed me and seated me on the throne of my father David and has established my house just as he said he would, Adonijah will die today!” 25 Then King Solomon gave an order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and killed him.
Solomon Makes His Kingship Secure
26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to your estate in Anathoth because you deserve to die. But I will not kill you today because you carried the Ark of the Lord God before my father David and because you shared in all my father’s sufferings.” 27 So Solomon drove Abiathar out from serving as priest for the Lord to fulfill the word of the Lord which had been spoken against the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news reached Joab, he fled to the Tent of the Lord and held on to the horns of the altar, for he had supported Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom. 29 When King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the Tent of the Lord and that he was there by the side of the altar, Solomon sent word to ⎣Joab, saying, “What happened to you that caused you to flee to the altar?” Joab said, “Because I was afraid of you, I fled to the Lord.” So Solomon sent word to⎦ Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go! Strike him down!”[c]
30 Benaiah went to the Tent of the Lord and called to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”
Joab answered, “No. I will die here.”
So Benaiah reported back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how I responded.”
31 The king said to him, “Do just as he said. Strike him dead and bury him. Remove from me and from my father’s house the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32 The Lord has brought the blood he shed back on his own head, because he struck down two men who were more righteous and better than he was. He killed them with the sword, but my father David did not know about it. The blood of Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah, 33 has come back on Joab’s head and on the heads of his descendants forever. But for David and his descendants and his house and his throne, there will be peace forever from the Lord.”
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and killed him. He buried him at his house in the wilderness. 35 Then the king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army. He placed Zadok the priest into Abiathar’s position.
36 The king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there. Do not go out of the city—ever! 37 On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure that you will die. Your blood will be on your own head.”
38 Shimei said to the king, “Your decision is good. Your servant will do just as my lord the king has said.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for some time. 39 At the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Achish son of Ma’akah, the king of Gath. Shimei was told, “Listen! Your slaves are in Gath.”
40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and went to Achish of Gath to look for his slaves. Then he brought them back from Gath.
41 Solomon was told that Shimei had left Jerusalem and had gone to Gath and returned. 42 The king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not swear to you by the Lord and warn you that you could be sure that on the day you dared to go out of Jerusalem you would die? And didn’t you answer me, ‘Your decision is good. I have heard what you said’? 43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “In your heart you know all the evil that you did to my father David. Now the Lord has brought your evil back on your own head. 45 Now may King Solomon be blessed, and may David’s throne be firmly established before the Lord forever.”
46 Then the king gave a command to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. He went out and struck down Shimei and killed him. In this way the kingship was firmly established in the hands of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 2:7 Literally do mercy or faithfulness with. The Hebrew expression denotes a covenant relationship.
- 1 Kings 2:23 Literally may God do all this to me and even more
- 1 Kings 2:29 In this verse, the words in half-brackets are not present in the Hebrew text but do appear in the Greek text. These words lie between two occurrences of the words Solomon sent word to, so the Hebrew copyist’s eye may have skipped from the first occurrence of these words to the second.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.