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1 Kings 2:1-11
New English Translation

David’s Final Words to Solomon

2 When David was close to death,[a] he told[b] Solomon his son: 2 “I am about to die.[c] Be strong and become a man! 3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you[d] by following his instructions[e] and obeying[f] his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish,[g] 4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me,[h] ‘If your descendants watch their step[i] and live faithfully in my presence[j] with all their heart and being,[k] then,’ he promised,[l] ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’[m]

5 “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.[n] During peacetime he struck them down as if in battle;[o] when he shed their blood, he stained the belt on his waist and the sandals on his feet.[p] 6 Do to him what you think is appropriate,[q] but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death.[r]

7 “Treat fairly[s] the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs,[t] because they helped me[u] when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim,[v] who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim.[w] He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised[x] him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down[y] with the sword.’ 9 But now[z] don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him;[aa] make sure he has a bloody death.”[ab]

10 Then David passed away[ac] and was buried in the City of David.[ad] 11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
  2. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Or “commanded.”
  3. 1 Kings 2:2 tn Heb “going the way of all the earth.”
  4. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”
  5. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”
  6. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Or “keeping.”
  7. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
  8. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
  9. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “guard their way.”
  10. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
  11. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Or “soul.”
  12. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “saying.”
  13. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
  14. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”
  15. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
  16. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “and he shed the blood of battle on his belt which is on his waist and on his sandal[s] which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.
  17. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”
  18. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”
  19. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”
  20. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”
  21. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “thus drew near to.”
  22. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”
  23. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
  24. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Or “swore an oath to.”
  25. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “kill you.”
  26. 1 Kings 2:9 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the Vulgate have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.
  27. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “what you should do to him.”
  28. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”
  29. 1 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
  30. 1 Kings 2:10 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
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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.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 2:1 Lit days
  2. 1 Kings 2:2 Lit become a man
  3. 1 Kings 2:3 Or carefully perform
  4. 1 Kings 2:4 Lit word
  5. 1 Kings 2:4 Or faithfulness
  6. 1 Kings 2:4 Lit there shall not be cut off to you a man from upon
  7. 1 Kings 2:5 Lit brought blood...on peace
  8. 1 Kings 2:6 I.e., the netherworld
  9. 1 Kings 2:7 Lit so they came near to me
  10. 1 Kings 2:9 I.e., the netherworld
  11. 1 Kings 2:10 I.e., died
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