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.’

Shimei Curses David

⁵ When King David came to ^(A)Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^(B)Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came ^(C)he cursed continually. ⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷ And Shimei said as he ^(D)cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! ⁸ The Lord ^(E)has avenged on you all ^(F)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

³⁶ Then the king sent and summoned ^(A)Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. ³⁷ For on the day you go out and cross ^(B)the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. ^(C)Your blood shall be on your own head.” ³⁸ And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; 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 servants ran away to ^(D)Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” ⁴⁰ Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. ⁴¹ And 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 warn 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, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’ ⁴³ Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?” ⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart ^(E)all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will ^(F)bring back your harm on your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon shall be blessed, ^(G)and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” ⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.

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

David Pardons His Enemies

¹⁶ And ^(A)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And ^(B)Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, ¹⁸ and they crossed the ford to bring over the king's household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, ¹⁹ and said to the king, ^(C)“Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant ^(D)did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. ²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first ^(E)of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” ²¹ Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because ^(F)he cursed the Lord's anointed?” ²² But David said, ^(G)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? ^(H)Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” ^23 (I)And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.