1 Kings 2
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 2
David’s Parting Words before Death. 1 As David’s death drew near, he instructed Solomon, his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all upon the earth. Be strong, and show yourself to be a man. 3 [a]Observe the ordinances of the Lord, your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and what he witnessed in writing in the law of Moses. In this way you will prosper in whatever you do and wherever you go. 4 The Lord will keep the promise he made about me saying, ‘If your descendants heed their way and they walk before me faithfully with all of their heart and all of their soul, there will always be one of yours upon the throne of Israel.’
5 [b]“Now, you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the army of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood during peacetime as if it were a time of war. The blood of battle is upon the belt around his waist and the sandals upon his feet. 6 Deal with him as you think wise, but do not let his gray head go down into Sheol in peace. 7 Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. Let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from Absalom, your brother.
8 “Now, you also have Shimei, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim. He cursed me terribly on the day I traveled to Mahanaim, yet he also came down to meet me at the Jordan. I swore an oath to him by the Lord saying, ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9 You should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man; you will know what to do with him. Bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
10 David slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. 11 David had reigned over Israel for forty years. He reigned in Hebron for seven years, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.
12 Solomon Affirms His Power. Then Solomon sat on the throne of David, his father, and his reign was firmly established.
13 Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. She asked him, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “In peace.” 14 Then he added, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine. All of Israel looked to me to reign. But things changed, and the kingdom is my brother’s, for it is his from the Lord. 16 Now I beg one thing from you; do not deny me.” She said, “Speak.” 17 He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, and ask him to give me Abishag as a wife.” 18 Bathsheba answered, “Very well, I will speak to the king for you.”
19 Bathsheba, therefore, went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her and bowed down to her. He sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother, so that she sat on his right hand.[c] 20 She said, “I desire to make one small request of you. Please do not deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not deny you.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother saying, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah? Why not ask for the kingdom for him, for he is my older brother? Ask it for him and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab, the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore an oath by the Lord saying, “May God do this to me and more if Adonijah has not spoken this thing at the cost of his life. 24 Now, therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and has set me upon the throne of David, my father, and who has built a house for me as he promised, this very day Adonijah will be put to death.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he fell upon him, so that he died.
26 The king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you really deserve to die now. I will not put you to death, however, because you have carried the Ark of the Lord, the God, before David, my father, and because you suffered whatever my father suffered.” 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar as priest of the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 The news came to Joab (for Joab had followed Adonijah although he had not followed Absalom), and Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord and took hold of the horns on the altar. 29 King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and he is by the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall upon him.”
30 Benaiah arrived at the tabernacle of the Lord and said to him, “Thus says the king, ‘Come out.’ ” He answered, “No, I will die here!” Benaiah brought a report back to the king saying, “This is what Joab said; this is how he answered me.” 31 So the king said to him, “Do what he said, fall upon him and bury him, so that you may remove the innocent blood that Joab shed from me and the house of my father.[d] 32 Thus the Lord will bring the blood back upon his own head. He struck down two men who were more righteous and better than he: Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah. He slew them with the sword, even though my father did not know about it. 33 Their blood shall come back upon the head of Joab and upon the heads of his descendants forever. But there will be peace forever from the Lord upon David, upon his house, and upon his throne.”
34 So Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up and fell upon him and slew him and buried him in his house in the desert. 35 The king assigned Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, as his replacement to command the army, and the king replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.[e]
36 The king then sent for and summoned Shimei and he said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, but do not leave it to go anywhere. 37 On the same day that you cross over the Kidron Brook, know that you will surely die, and your blood will be upon your own head.” 38 Shimei said to the king, “What you have said is good. Your servant will do what my lord, the king, has said.” Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 Three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, the son of Maacah, the king of Gath. Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 Shimei rose up, and saddled his donkey, and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went and brought his slaves back from Gath. 41 Solomon was told that Shimei had traveled from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back again. 42 The king sent for and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make an oath by the Lord and warn you, saying, ‘The day that you go forth and travel anywhere, know that you will surely die?’ You answered me, ‘The word that I have heard is good.’ 43 Why have you not observed the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?”
44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart about all of the evil that you did to my father; therefore, the Lord will requite your wickedness upon your own head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and the throne of David will be secure before the Lord forever.” 46 So the king gave a command to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the reign was firmly established in the hands of Solomon.[f]
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 2:3 King David advised Solomon to be true to the One who had promised him and his descendants to remain in power. This promise hinged on their obedience to the Lord and ultimately would be broken by their disobedience.
- 1 Kings 2:5 King David continues to share the political strategy that he has learned and that will enable Solomon to secure his throne. In modern terms: keep your friends close and your enemies closer. In some cases, it might be necessary to eliminate those who will not serve God.
- 1 Kings 2:19 The king’s mother had an official rank and special powers. She was known as the “Great Mother.” For this reason her name is constantly given in the notices on the various kings.
- 1 Kings 2:31 Joab had a history of murdering those who threatened his position. As David’s general, the blame ultimately rested with the King. Now Solomon wants to clear his father’s name by transferring the guilt to the rightful place.
- 1 Kings 2:35 It is the king who appoints or replaces the high priest. The latter is one of his officials (2 Sam 8:17).
- 1 Kings 2:46 Although he was very much like his father—a man of peace—Solomon followed his father’s advice concerning his enemies (vv. 5-9) and had Joab, Shimei, and Adonijah killed in order to avoid more bloodshed.
1 Kings 2
English Standard Version
David's Instructions to Solomon
2 (A)When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 (B)“I am about to go the way of all the earth. (C)Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, (D)that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may (E)establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, (F)‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, (G)to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, (H)you shall not lack[a] a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah (I)did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, (J)Abner the son of Ner, (K)and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging[b] in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war[c] on the belt around his[d] waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore (L)according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of (M)Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be (N)among those who eat at your table, (O)for with such loyalty[e] they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you (P)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day (Q)when I went to Mahanaim. (R)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, (S)for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall (T)bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
The Death of David
10 (U)Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in (V)the city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was (W)forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 (X)So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Solomon's Reign Established
13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, (Y)“Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that (Z)the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, (AA)for it was his from the Lord. 16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.” 17 And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me (AB)Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king's mother, (AC)and she sat on his right. 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.” 21 She said, “Let (AD)Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask (AE)Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, (AF)for he is my older brother, and on his side (AG)are Abiathar[f] the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, (AH)“God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! 24 Now therefore (AI)as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, (AJ)as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon sent (AK)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to (AL)Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, (AM)because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, (AN)and because you shared in all my father's affliction.” 27 (AO)So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling (AP)the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab (AQ)had supported Adonijah although (AR)he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the (AS)horns of the altar. 29 And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 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, (AT)“Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, (AU)and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32 The Lord will (AV)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 (AW)more righteous and better than himself, (AX)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (AY)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (AZ)So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.” 34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 (BA)The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put (BB)Zadok the priest (BC)in the place of Abiathar.
36 Then the king sent and summoned (BD)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 (BE)the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. (BF)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 (BG)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 (BH)all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will (BI)bring back your harm on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, (BJ)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.
(BK)So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 2:4 Hebrew there shall not be cut off for you
- 1 Kings 2:5 Septuagint; Hebrew placing
- 1 Kings 2:5 Septuagint innocent blood
- 1 Kings 2:5 Septuagint my; twice in this verse
- 1 Kings 2:7 Or steadfast love
- 1 Kings 2:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew and for him and for Abiathar
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
