1 Kings 2:12-46
World English Bible
12 Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?”
He said, “Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have something to tell you.”
She said, “Say on.”
15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh. 16 Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.”
She said to him, “Say on.” 17 He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
18 Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”
19 Bathsheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.”
The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you.”
21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me, and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
25 King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died. 26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields; for you are worthy of death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you bore the Lord[a] Yahweh’s ark before David my father, and because you were afflicted in all in which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon thrust Abiathar out from being priest to Yahweh, that he might fulfill Yahweh’s word, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 This news came to Joab; for Joab had followed Adonijah, although he didn’t follow Absalom. Joab fled to Yahweh’s Tent, and held onto the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to Yahweh’s Tent, and behold, he is by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall on him.”
30 Benaiah came to Yahweh’s Tent, and said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”
He said, “No; but I will die here.”
Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”
31 The king said to him, “Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him; that you may take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father’s house. 32 Yahweh will return his blood on his own head, because he fell on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father David didn’t know it: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the army of Judah. 33 So their blood will return on the head of Joab, and on the head of his offspring[b] forever. But for David, for his offspring, for his house, and for his throne, there will be peace forever from Yahweh.”
34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 36 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and live there, and don’t go anywhere else. 37 For on the day you go out and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.”
38 Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 At the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.”
40 Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his slaves; and Shimei went, and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again.
42 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Didn’t I adjure you by Yahweh, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain, that on the day you go out, and walk anywhere else, you shall surely die?’ You said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the commandment that I have instructed you with?” 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to David my father. Therefore Yahweh will return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But king Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will be established before Yahweh forever.” 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
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1 Kings 2:12-46
Christian Standard Bible
12 Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingship was firmly established.(A)
Adonijah’s Foolish Request
13 Now Adonijah son of Haggith(B) came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peacefully?”
“Peacefully,” he replied,(C) 14 and then asked, “May I talk with you?” [a]
“Go ahead,” she answered.
15 “You know the kingship was mine,”(D) he said. “All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother,(E) for the Lord gave it to him.(F) 16 So now I have just one request of you; don’t turn me down.”[b]
She said to him, “Go on.”
17 He replied, “Please speak to King Solomon since he won’t turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite(G) as a wife.”
18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother.(H) So she sat down at his right hand.(I)
20 Then she said, “I have just one small request of you. Don’t turn me down.”
“Go ahead and ask, mother,” the king replied, “for I won’t turn you down.”
21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my elder brother,(J) you might as well ask the kingship for him,(K) for the priest Abiathar, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.”[c](L) 23 Then King Solomon took an oath by the Lord: “May God punish me and do so severely(M) if Adonijah has not made this request at the cost of his life. 24 And now, as the Lord lives—the one who established me, seated me on the throne of my father David, and made me a dynasty as he promised(N)—I swear Adonijah will be put to death today!” 25 Then King Solomon dispatched Benaiah son of Jehoiada,(O) who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
Abiathar’s Banishment
26 The king said to the priest Abiathar,(P) “Go to your fields in Anathoth.(Q) Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death today, since you carried the ark of the Lord God in the presence of my father David(R) and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”(S) 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being the Lord’s priest, and it fulfilled the Lord’s prophecy he had spoken at Shiloh against Eli’s family.(T)
Joab’s Execution
28 The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah(U) but not Absalom,(V) Joab fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.(W)
29 It was reported to King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and is now beside the altar.”
Then Solomon sent[d] Benaiah son of Jehoiada(X) and told him, “Go and strike him down!” (Y)
30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out!’” (Z)
But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.”
So Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”
31 The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father’s family the blood that Joab shed without just cause.(AA) 32 The Lord will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner(AB) son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa(AC) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33 The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants[e] forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the Lord forever.”(AD)
34 Benaiah son of Jehoiada(AE) went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness.(AF) 35 Then the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army,(AG) and he appointed the priest Zadok in Abiathar’s place.
Shimei’s Banishment and Execution
36 Then the king summoned Shimei(AH) and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but don’t leave there and go anywhere else. 37 On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley,(AI) know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head.”(AJ)
38 Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish(AK) son of Maacah, king of Gath.(AL) Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath.
41 It was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 42 So the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Didn’t I make you swear by the Lord and warn you, saying, ‘On the day you leave and go anywhere else, know for sure that you will certainly die’? And you said to me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will obey.’ 43 So why have you not kept the Lord’s oath and the command that I gave you?” 44 The king also said, “You yourself know all the evil that you did to my father David.(AM) Therefore, the Lord has brought back your evil on your head, 45 but King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain established before the Lord forever.”(AN)
46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.(AO)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:14 Lit then said, “I have a word for you.”
- 2:16 Lit don’t make me turn my face
- 2:22 LXX, Vg, Syr read kingship for him, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah
- 2:29 LXX adds Joab a message: “What is the matter with you, that you have fled to the altar?” And Joab replied, “Because I feared you, I have fled to the Lord.” And Solomon the king sent
- 2:33 Lit Their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed
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