1 Kings 2
EasyEnglish Bible
David dies
2 David knew that he would soon die. So this is what he said to his son Solomon:
2 ‘Soon I will die, as everyone must die one day. Be strong and brave, as a man should be. 3 Do what the Lord your God tells you to do. Live in a way that pleases him. Obey his rules, commands and laws that Moses has written down in his books of God's Law. Then everything that you do will go well, wherever you go. 4 The Lord will also do what he has promised me that he will do. He promised this to me:
“Your descendants must be careful in how they live. They must serve me faithfully with all their mind and strength. If they do that, one of your descendants will always rule Israel as king.”
5 Do not forget what Zeruiah's son Joab did to me. He killed the two leaders of Israel's armies, Ner's son Abner[a] and Jether's son Amasa.[b] Joab killed them as if they were his enemies in a war. But there was no war. So he is guilty of their deaths when they had done nothing wrong. Their blood is on his belt and on his shoes. 6 So you should punish him in a way that you think is right. Do not let him die in peace as an old man.
7 Be kind to the sons of Barzillai, who lived in Gilead. Let them eat meals at your table. Help them, because they helped me when I was running away from your brother Absalom.[c]
8 Remember that Shimei is still there to give you trouble.[d] He is the son of Gera who came from Bahurim, and he belonged to Benjamin's tribe. When I went to Mahanaim, he prayed that terrible things would happen to me. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I made a promise to him. I promised him in the Lord's name that I would not punish him with death. 9 But remember that he is guilty! You are a wise man, so you will know what to do to him. Even if he is an old man, make sure that he has a violent death.’
10 Then David died. They buried him in the City of David. 11 David had ruled Israel as king for 40 years. He ruled for seven years in Hebron. Then he ruled for 33 years in Jerusalem.
Solomon makes his kingdom strong
12 So Solomon ruled as king on the throne of his father David. His kingdom became strong.
13 Haggith's son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. She asked him, ‘Do you come in peace?’ He answered, ‘Yes, I come in peace.’ 14 Then he said, ‘I want to say something to you.’ She replied, ‘Tell me.’
15 Adonijah said, ‘You know that the kingdom should belong to me. All the Israelite people thought that I should be their king. But everything changed, and now my brother is the king instead of me. The Lord decided that he should be king. 16 Now I have one thing to ask you. Please do not refuse me.’ Bathsheba replied, ‘Tell me.’
17 So Adonijah said, ‘Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag, the girl from Shunem, to be my wife. He will do it if you ask him.’ 18 Bathsheba said, ‘I will speak to the king on your behalf.’
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak on behalf of Adonijah. The king stood up to meet her. He bent his head down to respect her. Then he sat on his throne. He commanded his servants to bring another throne for his mother. So she sat down at his right side. 20 She said, ‘I have one small thing to ask you. Please do not refuse to do it for me.’ The king said to her, ‘Ask me, mother! I will not refuse you!’ 21 So she said, ‘Please let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.’ 22 But King Solomon said to his mother, ‘You are asking me to give Abishag to Adonijah as his wife! You should also ask me to give my kingdom to him, my older brother! That would be the same thing. Then he would rule together with Abiathar the priest and Zeruiah's son Joab!’[e]
23 Then King Solomon made this strong promise in the Lord's name. He said, ‘Because Adonijah has asked to have Abishag as his wife, I will certainly punish him with death. If I do not do that, I pray that God will punish me instead! 24 As surely as the Lord lives, Adonijah must die today. The Lord has done everything that he promised to me. He has made me strong so that now I rule on the throne of my father David. And my descendants will continue to rule as kings after me.’
25 So King Solomon commanded Jehoiada's son Benaiah to kill Adonijah. So Adonijah died.
26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You also deserve to die. But I will not kill you now because you served my father David. You carried the Covenant Box of the Almighty Lord when David was king. Also, the trouble that happened to my father happened to you too.’
27 Solomon sent Abiathar away so that he was no longer a priest who served the Lord. That was the punishment that the Lord had said would happen to Eli's family. So what the Lord had promised at Shiloh now happened.[f]
28 When Adonijah had tried to become king, Joab had joined with him. (But he had not joined with Absalom.) Joab heard the news about what had happened to Adonijah and Abiathar. So he hurried to the Lord's holy tent. He took hold of the horns of the altar there. 29 King Solomon heard that Joab had gone to the altar in the Lord's holy tent. He commanded Jehoiada's son Benaiah, ‘Go there! Knock Joab down to kill him!’ 30 So Benaiah went to the Lord's holy tent. When he arrived there, he said to Joab, ‘The king says, “Come out!” ’ But Joab answered, ‘No! I will die here!’
So Benaiah sent a message to tell the king what Joab had said.
31 The king replied, ‘Do as Joab said. Kill him there and bury him. He has killed people who did not deserve to die. Punish Joab with death. Then I and my father's family will no longer be guilty for the cruel murders that he has done. 32 The Lord will now punish him because of the murders that he did. He used his sword to attack and kill two men, but he did not tell my father David about it. He murdered Ner's son Abner, the leader of Israel's army. He also murdered Jether's son Amasa, the leader of Judah's army. Both those men were better and more honest than Joab was. 33 Joab and his descendants will always receive the punishment for those murders. But the Lord will cause David's descendants, his family and his kingdom to enjoy peace always.’
34 So Jehoiada's son Benaiah went to the holy tent and he punished Joab with death. They buried Joab at his home in the wilderness.
35 Then the king chose Benaiah to be the leader of the army instead of Joab. The king also chose Zadok to be the priest instead of Abiathar.
36 Then the king told Shimei to come to him. He said to Shimei, ‘Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in it all the time. Never leave to go anywhere else. 37 If you ever leave the city and you cross the Kidron stream, you will certainly die. That will be a death that you choose for yourself.’ 38 Shimei said to the king, ‘My lord the king, your words are good. I will do as you have decided.’
So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. 39 But after three years, two of his slaves ran away. They went to Achish, who was the son of Maakah, the king of Gath. Someone told Shimei, ‘Your slaves are in Gath.’ 40 So Shimei prepared his donkey and he left home. He went to Achish in Gath to look for his slaves. He found them and he brought them back from Gath. 41 Someone told Solomon that Shimei had travelled from Jerusalem to Gath and now he had returned. 42 So the king told Shimei to come to him. He said to Shimei, ‘You made a strong promise to me in the Lord's name. I am sure that you remember that! I warned you never to leave Jerusalem. I said that if you went anywhere else, you would certainly die. You said to me at that time, “I agree with what you have said.” 43 But you have not done what you promised to do in the Lord's name. You should have obeyed my command.’
44 The king also said to Shimei, ‘I know that you remember how you insulted my father David. Now the Lord will punish you because of the evil things that you did. 45 But the Lord will bless me, King Solomon. David's descendants will continue to serve the Lord as kings for ever.’
46 Then the king commanded Jehoiada's son Benaiah to punish Shimei with death. So Benaiah went and he killed Shimei.
So Solomon now ruled the kingdom with complete authority.
Footnotes
- 2:5 Abner was the cousin of King Saul. Joab killed him, 2 Samuel 3:27. David wrote a sad song about Abner, 2 Samuel 3:33-39. Ner was the brother of Kish, 1 Chronicles 9:36. Kish was the father of King Saul.
- 2:5 Amasa was a son of Jether and Abigail. Joab killed him. See 2 Samuel 17:25; 20:10.
- 2:7 See 2 Samuel 19:31-39.
- 2:8 See 2 Samuel 19:20.
- 2:22 Adonijah thought that he should be king, because he was older than Solomon. If he could marry Abishag, that would show that he had taken David's place as king.
- 2:27 See 1 Samuel 2:31-36. Now Zadok was the only important priest. See verse 35.
1 Kings 2
Legacy Standard Bible
David’s Command to Solomon
2 Then David’s [a](A)time to die drew near, so he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(B)I am going the way of all the earth. (C)So you shall be strong, and be a man. 3 And you shall keep the responsibility given by Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, (D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (E)you may be prosperous in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (F)Yahweh may establish His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(G)If your sons keep their way, (H)to walk before Me in [b]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, [c](I)you shall not have a man cut off from 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 [d]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt [e]about his [f]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 Sheol in peace. 7 But (N)show lovingkindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (O)let them be among those who eat at your table; (P)for they [h]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 [i]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 Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 So now, 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 Sheol with blood.”
The Death of David
10 Then (T)David slept with his fathers and was buried in (U)the city of David. 11 (V)And the [j]time which David reigned over Israel was forty years; in Hebron he reigned (W)seven years and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 And (X)Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Adonijah’s Request
13 Then 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 [k]expected me to be king; (AB)however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, (AC)for it was his from Yahweh. 16 So now, I am making one request of you; do not [l]turn me away.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not [m]turn you away, that he may give me (AD)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
Adonijah Put to Death
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 turn [n]me away.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn [o]you away.” 21 So she said, “(AH)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 Then 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 Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has (AL)not spoken this word against his own [p]life. 24 So now, as Yahweh 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 [q]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because (AQ)you carried the ark of Lord Yahweh before my father David, and because (AR)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon drove Abiathar away from being priest to Yahweh, in order to fulfill (AS)the word of Yahweh, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Put to Death
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 Yahweh and (AV)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh, 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 Yahweh 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 And 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)And Yahweh 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, but 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 seed forever; but to David and his seed and his house and his throne, may there be peace from Yahweh 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)And 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 Put to Death
36 Then 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 Now it will be on the day you go out and (BL)cross over the [r]brook Kidron, that 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 happened at the end of three years, that two of the slaves of Shimei ran away (BN)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to search for his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 And it was told to 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 Yahweh and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you go out 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 Yahweh, and the command which I have commanded you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(BO)You know all the evil which [s]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (BP)Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Kings 2:1 Lit days
- 1 Kings 2:4 Or faithfulness
- 1 Kings 2:4 Lit there shall not be cast off to you a man from before Me
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit made
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit that was about
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit loins
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit that were on
- 1 Kings 2:7 Lit came near to
- 1 Kings 2:8 Or grievous
- 1 Kings 2:11 Lit days
- 1 Kings 2:15 Lit set their faces on me
- 1 Kings 2:16 Lit turn away my face
- 1 Kings 2:17 Lit turn away your face
- 1 Kings 2:20 Lit my face
- 1 Kings 2:20 Lit your face
- 1 Kings 2:23 Lit soul
- 1 Kings 2:26 Lit are a man of death
- 1 Kings 2:37 Or wadi
- 1 Kings 2:44 Lit your heart acknowledges
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