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1 Kings 2
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

2 And the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged his son Solomon, saying:

2 I am going the way of all flesh: take thou courage, and shew thyself a man.

3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and observe his ceremonies, and his precepts, and judgments, and testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses: that thou mayest understand all thou dost, and whithersoever thou shalt turn thyself:

4 That the Lord may confirm his words, which he hath spoken of me, saying: If thy children shall take heed to their ways, and shall walk before me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, there shall not be taken away from thee a man on the throne of Israel.

5 Thou knowest also what Joab the son of Sarvia hath done to me, what he did to the two captains of the army of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether: whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to hell in peace.

7 But shew kindness to the sons of Berzellai the Galaadite, and let them eat at thy table: for they met me when I fled from the face of Absalom thy brother.

8 Thou hast also with thee Semei the son of Gera the son of Jemini of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse, when I went to the camp: but because he came down to meet me when I passed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying: I will not kill thee with a sword:

9 Do not thou hold him guiltless. But thou art a wise man, and knowest what to do with him, and thou shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to hell.

10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

11 And the days that David reigned in Israel, were forty years: in Hebron he reigned seven years, in Jerusalem thirty-three.

12 And Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was strengthened exceedingly.

13 And Adonias the son of Haggith came to Bethsabee the mother of Solomon. And she said to him: Is thy coming peaceable? he answered: Peaceable.

14 And he added: I have a word to speak with thee. She said to him: Speak. And he said:

15 Thou knowest that the kingdom was nine, and all Israel had preferred me to be their king: but the kingdom is transferred, and is become my brother's: for it was appointed him by the Lord.

16 Now therefore I ask one petition of thee: turn not away my face. And she said to him: Say on.

17 And he said: I pray thee speak to king Solomon (for he cannot deny thee any thing) to give me Abisag the Sunamitess to wife.

18 And Bethsabee said: Well, I will speak for thee to the king.

19 Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand.

20 And she said to him: I desire one small petition of thee, do not put me to confusion. And the king said to her: My mother, ask: for I must not turn away thy face.

21 And she said: Let Abisag the Sunamitess be given to Adonias thy brother to wife.

22 And king Solomon answered, and said to his mother: Why dost thou ask Abisag the Sunamitess for Adonias? ask for him also the kingdom: for he is my elder brother, and hath Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Sarvia.

23 Then king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: So and so may God do to me, and add more, if Adonias hath not spoken this word against his own life.

24 And now as the Lord liveth, who hath established me, and placed me upon the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, Adonias shall be put to death this day.

25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Banaias the son of Joiada, who slew him, and he died.

26 And the king said also to Abiathar the priest: Go to Anathoth to thy lands, for indeed thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst carry the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and hast endured trouble in all the troubles my father endured.

27 So Solomon cast out Abiathar, from being the priest of the Lord, that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he spoke concerning the house of Deli in Silo.

28 And the news came to Joab, because Joab had turned after Adonias, and had not turned after Solomon: and Joab fled into the tabernacle of the Lord and laid hold on the horn of the altar.

29 And it was told king Solomon, that Joab was fled into the tabernacle of the Lord, and was by the altar: and Solomon sent Banaias the son of Joiada, saying: Go, kill him.

30 And Banaias came to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him: Thus saith the king: Come forth. And he said: I will not come forth, but here I will die. Banaias brought word back to the king, saying: Thus saith Joab, and thus he answered me.

31 And the king said to him: Do as he hath said: and kill him, and bury him, and thou shalt remove the innocent blood which hath been shed by Joab, from me, and from the house of my father.

32 And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, because he murdered two men, just and better than himself: and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing it, Abner the son of Ner, general of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, general of the army of Juda.

33 And their blood shall return the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever. But to David and his seed and his house, and to his throne be peace for ever from the Lord.

34 So Banaias the son of Joiada went up, and setting upon him slew him, and he was buried in his house in the desert.

35 And the king appointed Banaias the son of Joiada in his room over the army, and Sadoc the priest he put in the place of Abiathar.

36 The king also sent, and called for Semei, and said to him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there: and go not out from thence any whither.

37 For on what day soever thou shalt go out, and shalt pass over the brook Cedron, know that thou shalt be put to death: thy blood shall be upon thy own head:

38 And Semei said to the king: The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Semei dwelt in Jerusalem, many days.

39 And it came to pass after three years, that the servants of Semei ran away to Achis the son of Maacha the king of Geth: and it was told Semei that his servants were gone to Geth.

40 And Semei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Achis to Geth to seek his servants, and he brought them out of Geth.

41 And it was told Solomon that Semei had gone from Jerusalem to Geth, and was come back.

42 And sending he called for him, and said to him: Did I not protest to thee by the Lord, and tell thee before: On what day soever thou shalt go out and walk abroad any whither, know that thou shalt die? And thou answeredst me: The word that I have heard is good.

43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I laid upon thee?

44 And the king said to Semei: Thou knowest all the evil, of which thy heart is conscious, which thou didst to David my father: the Lord hath returned thy wickedness upon thy own head:

45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever.

46 So the king commanded Banaias the son of Joiada: and he went out and struck him, and he died.

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1 Kings 2
New American Standard Bible 1995

David’s Charge to Solomon

2 As David’s [a](A)time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(B)I am going the way of all the earth. (C)Be 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, (D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (E)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (F)the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(G)If your sons are careful of their way, (H)to walk before Me in [c]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, [d](I)you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Now you also know what Joab the (J)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (K)Abner the son of Ner, and to (L)Amasa 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 (M)So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to [h]Sheol in peace. 7 But (N)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (O)let them be among those who eat at your table; (P)for they [i]assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 Behold, (Q)there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a [j]violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (R)he came down 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 go unpunished, (S)for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to [k]Sheol with blood.”

Death of David

10 Then (T)David slept with his fathers and was buried in (U)the city of David. 11 (V)The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: (W)seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 12 And (X)Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “(Y)Do you come peacefully?” 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 (Z)the kingdom was mine and (AA)that all Israel [l]expected me to be king; (AB)however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, (AC)for it was his from the Lord. 16 Now I am making one request of you; do not [m]refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not [n]refuse you, that he may give me (AD)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

Adonijah Executed

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he (AE)had a throne set for the king’s mother, and (AF)she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; (AG)do not [o]refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not [p]refuse you.” 21 So she said, “(AH)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? (AI)Ask for him also the kingdom—(AJ)for he is my older brother—even for him, for (AK)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has (AL)not spoken this word against his own [q]life. 24 Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and (AM)who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon (AN)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “(AO)Go to Anathoth to your own field, (AP)for you [r]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because (AQ)you carried the ark of the Lord [s]God before my father David, and because (AR)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill (AS)the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Joab Executed

28 Now the news came to Joab, (AT)for Joab had followed Adonijah, (AU)although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and (AV)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon (AW)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “(AX)Go, fall upon him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king said to him, “(AY)Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, (AZ)that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. 32 (BA)The Lord will return his blood on his own head, (BB)because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: (BC)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (BD)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (BE)So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his [t]descendants forever; but to David and his [u]descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then (BF)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (BG)in the wilderness. 35 (BH)The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (BI)Zadok the priest (BJ)in the place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Now the king sent and called for (BK)Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. 37 For on the day you go out and (BL)cross over the [v]brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall surely die; (BM)your 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 Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.

39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away (BN)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? 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 command which I [w]have laid on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(BO)You know all the evil which [x]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (BP)the Lord shall return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and (BQ)the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” 46 (BR)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died.

(BS)Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 2:1 Lit days
  2. 1 Kings 2:2 Lit become a man
  3. 1 Kings 2:4 Or faithfulness
  4. 1 Kings 2:4 Lit there shall not be cast off to you a man from before Me
  5. 1 Kings 2:5 Lit made
  6. 1 Kings 2:5 Lit that was about
  7. 1 Kings 2:5 Lit that were on
  8. 1 Kings 2:6 I.e. the nether world
  9. 1 Kings 2:7 Lit came near to
  10. 1 Kings 2:8 Or grievous
  11. 1 Kings 2:9 I.e. the nether world
  12. 1 Kings 2:15 Lit set their faces on me
  13. 1 Kings 2:16 Lit turn away my face
  14. 1 Kings 2:17 Lit turn away your face
  15. 1 Kings 2:20 Lit turn away my face
  16. 1 Kings 2:20 Lit turn away your face
  17. 1 Kings 2:23 Lit soul
  18. 1 Kings 2:26 Lit are a man of death
  19. 1 Kings 2:26 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  20. 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
  21. 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
  22. 1 Kings 2:37 Or wadi
  23. 1 Kings 2:43 Lit commanded
  24. 1 Kings 2:44 Lit your heart acknowledges
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Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)

New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation