1 Kings 2:1-11
New American Standard Bible
David’s Command to Solomon
2 As David’s [a](A)time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying, 2 “(B)I am going the way of all the earth. So (C)be strong, and [b]prove yourself a man. 3 Do your duty to the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to [c]keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, (D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, so that (E)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (F)the Lord may fulfill His [d]promise which He spoke regarding me, saying, ‘(G)If your sons are careful about their way, (H)to walk before Me in [e]truth with all their heart and all their soul, [f](I)you shall not be deprived of a man to occupy the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you yourself 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 [g]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6 (M)So act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to [h]Sheol in peace. 7 However, (N)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (O)let them be among those who eat at your table; (P)for [i]they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And behold, you have with you (Q)Shimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a painful curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (R)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 But now do not leave him unpunished, (S)for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to [j]Sheol with blood.”
Death of David
10 Then (T)David [k]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried in (U)the city of David. 11 Now (V)the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: in Hebron he reigned for (W)seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 2:1 Lit days
- 1 Kings 2:2 Lit become a man
- 1 Kings 2:3 Or carefully perform
- 1 Kings 2:4 Lit word
- 1 Kings 2:4 Or faithfulness
- 1 Kings 2:4 Lit there shall not be cut off to you a man from upon
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit brought blood...on peace
- 1 Kings 2:6 I.e., the netherworld
- 1 Kings 2:7 Lit so they came near to me
- 1 Kings 2:9 I.e., the netherworld
- 1 Kings 2:10 I.e., died
1 Kings 2:1-11
New Living Translation
David’s Final Instructions to Solomon
2 As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon:
2 “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. 3 Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. 4 If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’
5 “And there is something else. You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me when he murdered my two army commanders, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace,[a] staining his belt and sandals with innocent blood.[b] 6 Do with him what you think best, but don’t let him grow old and go to his grave in peace.[c]
7 “Be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead. Make them permanent guests at your table, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
8 “And remember Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was fleeing to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I swore by the Lord that I would not kill him. 9 But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.[d]”
10 Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. 11 David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:5a Or He murdered them during a time of peace as revenge for deaths they had caused in time of war.
- 2:5b As in some Greek and Old Latin manuscripts; Hebrew reads with the blood of war.
- 2:6 Hebrew don’t let his white head go down to Sheol in peace.
- 2:9 Hebrew how to bring his white head down to Sheol in blood.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
