Shimei Curses David

⁵ Now when King David came to ^(A)Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^(B)Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came.

¹⁶ Then her husband went along with her to ^(A)Bahurim, ^[a]weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.

⁸ “And see, you have with you ^(A)Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But ^(B)he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and ^(C)I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ ⁹ Now therefore, ^(D)do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but ^(E)bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”

⁴³ So the Philistine ^(A)said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

^28 (A)“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ^(B)ruler of your people.

Shimei Executed

³⁶ Then the king sent and called for ^(A)Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. ³⁷ For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross ^(B)the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; ^(C)your ^[a]blood shall be on your own head.”

³⁸ And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

³⁹ Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to ^(D)Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” ⁴⁰ So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. ⁴¹ And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. ⁴² Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ ⁴³ Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?” ⁴⁴ The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, ^(E)all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the Lord will ^(F)return your wickedness on your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon shall be blessed, and ^(G)the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”

⁴⁶ So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the ^(H)kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

¹⁸ Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house ^(A)in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it.

^11 (A)Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of ^(B)evil against you falsely for My sake. ^12 (C)Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for ^(D)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

²¹ They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and ^(A)curse ^[a]their king and their God, and look upward.