⁶ And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”

⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom: “The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time. ⁸ For,” said Hushai, “you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like ^(A)a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people. ⁹ Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ ¹⁰ And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will ^(B)melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹ Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, ^(C)from Dan to Beersheba, ^(D)like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. ¹² So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. ¹³ Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will ^(E)pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”

¹⁴ So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For ^(F)the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.

Hushai Warns David to Escape

^15 (G)Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised. ¹⁶ Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend this night ^(H)in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ” ^17 (I)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz ^(J)stayed at ^(K)En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. ¹⁸ Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house ^(L)in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. ^19 (M)Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known. ²⁰ And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

So ^(N)the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.”

And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. ²¹ Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, ^(O)“Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” ²² So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.

²³ Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to ^(P)his house, to his city. Then he ^[a]put his ^(Q)household in order, and ^(R)hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴ Then David went to ^(S)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵ And Absalom made ^(T)Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was ^[b]Jithra, an ^[c]Israelite, who had gone in to ^(U)Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶ So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that ^(V)Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, ^(W)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and ^(X)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸ brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, ²⁹ honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty ^(Y)in the wilderness.”

Absalom’s Defeat and Death

18 And David ^[d]numbered the people who were with him, and ^(Z)set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. ² Then David sent out one third of the people under the hand of Joab, ^(AA)one third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the hand of ^(AB)Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I also will surely go out with you myself.”

^3 (AC)But the people answered, “You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city.”

⁴ Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵ Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” ^(AD)And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom.

⁶ So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the ^(AE)woods of Ephraim. ⁷ The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day. ⁸ For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹ Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and ^(AF)his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. ¹⁰ Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!”

¹¹ So Joab said to the man who told him, “You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”

¹² But the man said to Joab, “Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. ^(AG)For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ^[e]‘Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!’ ¹³ Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me.”

¹⁴ Then Joab said, “I cannot linger with you.” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree. ¹⁵ And ten young men who bore Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.

¹⁶ So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people. ¹⁷ And they took Absalom and cast him into a large pit in the woods, and ^(AH)laid a very large heap of stones over him. Then all Israel ^(AI)fled, everyone to his tent.

¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a ^[f]pillar for himself, which is in ^(AJ)the King’s Valley. For he said, ^(AK)“I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

¹⁹ Then ^(AL)Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has ^[g]avenged him of his enemies.”

²⁰ And Joab said to him, “You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹ Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.

²² And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “But ^[h]whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.”

So Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?”

²³ “But whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.”

So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

²⁴ Now David was sitting between the ^(AM)two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone. ²⁵ Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he came rapidly and drew near.

²⁶ Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “There is another man, running alone!”

And the king said, “He also brings news.”

²⁷ So the watchman said, ^[i]“I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.”

And the king said, “He is a good man, and comes with ^(AN)good news.”

²⁸ So Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, ^[j]“All is well!” Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king, and said, ^(AO)“Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king!”

²⁹ The king said, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about.”

³⁰ And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

³¹ Just then the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “There is good news, my lord the king! For the Lord has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you.”

³² And the king said to the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

So the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!”

David’s Mourning for Absalom

³³ Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: ^(AP)“O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, ^(AQ)my son!”

David Returns to Jerusalem

19 And Joab was told, “Behold, the king is weeping and ^(AR)mourning for Absalom.” ² So the victory that day was turned into ^(AS)mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” ³ And the people ^[k]stole back ^(AT)into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. ⁴ But the king ^(AU)covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, ^(AV)“O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵ Then ^(AW)Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, ⁶ in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you ^[l]regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. ⁷ Now therefore, arise, go out and speak ^[m]comfort to your servants. For I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now.” ⁸ Then the king arose and sat in the ^(AX)gate. And they told all the people, saying, “There is the king, sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king.

For everyone of Israel had ^(AY)fled to his tent.

David Returns to Jerusalem

⁹ Now all the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king saved us from the hand of our ^(AZ)enemies, he delivered us from the hand of the ^(BA)Philistines, and now he has ^(BB)fled from the land because of Absalom. ¹⁰ But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?”

¹¹ So King David sent to ^(BC)Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have come to the king, to his very house? ¹² You are my brethren, you are ^(BD)my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’ ^13 (BE)And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? ^(BF)God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me ^[n]continually in place of Joab.’ ” ¹⁴ So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, ^(BG)just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: “Return, you and all your servants!”

¹⁵ Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to ^(BH)Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king ^(BI)across the Jordan. ¹⁶ And ^(BJ)Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ There were a thousand men of ^(BK)Benjamin with him, and ^(BL)Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸ Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good.

David’s Mercy to Shimei

Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan. ¹⁹ Then he said to the king, ^(BM)“Do not let my lord ^[o]impute iniquity to me, or remember what ^(BN)wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should ^(BO)take it to heart. ²⁰ For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore here I am, the first to come today of all ^(BP)the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”

²¹ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, ^(BQ)because he ^(BR)cursed the Lord’s anointed?”

²² And David said, ^(BS)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? ^(BT)Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” ²³ Therefore ^(BU)the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore to him.

David and Mephibosheth Meet

²⁴ Now ^(BV)Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he returned in peace. ²⁵ So it was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, ^(BW)“Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”

²⁶ And he answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go to the king,’ because your servant is lame. ²⁷ And ^(BX)he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, ^(BY)but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes. ²⁸ For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king. ^(BZ)Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to ^[p]cry out anymore to the king?”

²⁹ So the king said to him, “Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, ‘You and Ziba divide the land.’ ”

³⁰ Then Mephibosheth said to the king, “Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house.”

David’s Kindness to Barzillai

³¹ And ^(CA)Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went across the Jordan with the king, to escort him across the Jordan. ³² Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And ^(CB)he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man. ³³ And the king said to Barzillai, “Come across with me, and I will provide for you while you are with me in Jerusalem.”

³⁴ But Barzillai said to the king, “How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ I am today ^(CC)eighty years old. Can I discern between the good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any longer the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king? ³⁶ Your servant will go a little way across the Jordan with the king. And why should the king repay me with such a reward? ³⁷ Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, near the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant ^(CD)Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems good to you.”

³⁸ And the king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you. Now whatever you request of me, I will do for you.” ³⁹ Then all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had crossed over, the king ^(CE)kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own place.

The Quarrel About the King

⁴⁰ Now the king went on to Gilgal, and ^[q]Chimham went on with him. And all the people of Judah escorted the king, and also half the people of Israel. ⁴¹ Just then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, “Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and ^(CF)brought the king, his household, and all David’s men with him across the Jordan?”

⁴² So all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is ^(CG)a close relative of ours. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we ever eaten at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”

⁴³ And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, “We have ^(CH)ten shares in the king; therefore we also have more right to David than you. Why then do you despise us—were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?”

Yet ^(CI)the words of the men of Judah were ^[r]fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

The Rebellion of Sheba

20 And there happened to be there a ^[s]rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said:

² So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the ^(CL)men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.

³ Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, ^(CM)his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

⁴ And the king said to Amasa, ^(CN)“Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.” ⁵ So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. ⁶ And David said to ^(CO)Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take ^(CP)your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.” ⁷ So Joab’s men, with the ^(CQ)Cherethites, the Pelethites, and ^(CR)all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸ When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now Joab was dressed in battle armor; on it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips; and as he was going forward, it fell out. ⁹ Then Joab said to Amasa, “Are you in health, my brother?” ^(CS)And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰ But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab’s hand. And ^(CT)he struck him with it ^(CU)in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died.

Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹ Meanwhile one of Joab’s men stood near Amasa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David—follow Joab!” ¹² But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted. ¹³ When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹⁴ And he went through all the tribes of Israel to ^(CV)Abel and Beth Maachah and all the Berites. So they were gathered together and also went after ^[t]Sheba. ¹⁵ Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they ^(CW)cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.

¹⁶ Then a wise woman cried out from the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come nearby, that I may speak with you.’ ” ¹⁷ When he had come near to her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”

He answered, “I am.”

Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your maidservant.”

And he answered, “I am listening.”

¹⁸ So she spoke, saying, “They used to talk in former times, saying, ‘They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,’ and so they would end disputes. ¹⁹ I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up ^(CX)the inheritance of the Lord?”

²⁰ And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹ That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.”

So the woman said to Joab, “Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” ²² Then the woman ^(CY)in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

David’s Government Officers

²³ And ^(CZ)Joab was over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; ²⁴ Adoram was ^(DA)in charge of revenue; ^(DB)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ²⁵ Sheva was scribe; ^(DC)Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; ^26 (DD)and Ira the Jairite was ^[u]a chief minister under David.

David Avenges the Gibeonites

21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David ^(DE)inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his ^[v]bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” ² So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but ^(DF)of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them ^(DG)in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

³ Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless ^(DH)the inheritance of the Lord?”

⁴ And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.”

So he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

⁵ Then they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, ⁶ let seven men of his descendants be delivered ^(DI)to us, and we will hang them before the Lord ^(DJ)in Gibeah of Saul, ^(DK)whom the Lord chose.”

And the king said, “I will give them.”

⁷ But the king spared ^(DL)Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of ^(DM)the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸ So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of ^(DN)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of ^[w]Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she ^[x]brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; ⁹ and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill ^(DO)before the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰ Now ^(DP)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, ^(DQ)from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

¹¹ And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. ¹² Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of ^(DR)Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of ^[y]Beth Shan, where the ^(DS)Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. ¹³ So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. ¹⁴ They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in ^(DT)Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that ^(DU)God heeded the prayer for the land.

Philistine Giants Destroyed^(DV)

¹⁵ When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. ¹⁶ Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of ^[z]the ^(DW)giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. ¹⁷ But ^(DX)Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, ^(DY)“You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the ^(DZ)lamp of Israel.”

^18 (EA)Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then ^(EB)Sibbechai the Hushathite killed ^[aa]Saph, who was one of the sons of ^[ab]the giant. ¹⁹ Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where ^(EC)Elhanan the son of ^[ac]Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed ^(ED)the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

²⁰ Yet again ^(EE)there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to ^[ad]the giant. ²¹ So when he ^(EF)defied Israel, Jonathan the son of ^[ae]Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

^22 (EG)These four were born to ^[af]the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Praise for God’s Deliverance^(EH)

22 Then David ^(EI)spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had ^(EJ)delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. ² And he ^(EK)said:

David’s Last Words

23 Now these are the last words of David.

David’s Mighty Men^(HF)

⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: ^[ax]Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among ^[ay]the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. ⁹ And after him was ^(HG)Eleazar the son of ^[az]Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. ¹⁰ He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was ^(HH)weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to ^(HI)plunder. ¹¹ And after him was ^(HJ)Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. ^(HK)The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. ¹² But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³ Then ^(HL)three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at ^(HM)the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in ^(HN)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ David was then in ^(HO)the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁵ And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁷ And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not ^(HP)the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it.

These things were done by the three mighty men.

¹⁸ Now ^(HQ)Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of ^[ba]another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. ¹⁹ Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.

²⁰ Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from ^(HR)Kabzeel, ^[bb]who had done many deeds. ^(HS)He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²¹ And he killed an Egyptian, ^[bc]a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²² These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²³ He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him ^(HT)over his guard.

^24 (HU)Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ^25 (HV)Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ²⁷ Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, ²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, ²⁹ Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite), Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, ³⁰ Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of ^(HW)Gaash, ³¹ Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, ³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the sons of Jashen), Jonathan, ^33 (HX)Shammah the ^[bd]Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, ³⁴ Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of ^(HY)Ahithophel the Gilonite, ^35 [be]Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶ Igal the son of Nathan of ^(HZ)Zobah, Bani the Gadite, ³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ^38 (IA)Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ³⁹ and ^(IB)Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

David’s Census of Israel and Judah^(IC)

24 Again ^(ID)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ^(IE)“Go, ^[bf]number Israel and Judah.”

² So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, ^(IF)from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that ^(IG)I may know the number of the people.”

³ And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God ^(IH)add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” ⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word ^[bg]prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

⁵ And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in ^(II)Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward ^(IJ)Jazer. ⁶ Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to ^(IK)Dan Jaan and around to ^(IL)Sidon; ⁷ and they came to the stronghold of ^(IM)Tyre and to all the cities of the ^(IN)Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. ⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹ Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. ^(IO)And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

The Judgment on David’s Sin^(IP)

¹⁰ And ^(IQ)David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So ^(IR)David said to the Lord, ^(IS)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have ^(IT)done very foolishly.”

¹¹ Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet ^(IU)Gad, David’s ^(IV)seer, saying, ¹² “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” ¹³ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall ^(IW)seven^[bh] years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

¹⁴ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, ^(IX)for His mercies are great; but ^(IY)do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁵ So ^(IZ)the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. ^16 (JA)And when the ^[bi]angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, ^(JB)the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of ^[bj]Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely ^(JC)I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

The Altar on the Threshing Floor^(JD)

¹⁸ And Gad came that day to David and said to him, ^(JE)“Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. ²⁰ Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

²¹ Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

^(JF)And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that ^(JG)the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”

²² Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. ^(JH)Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. ²³ All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.”

And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God ^(JI)accept you.”

²⁴ Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So ^(JJ)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ²⁵ And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. ^(JK)So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and ^(JL)the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

Adonijah Presumes to Be King

1 Now King David was ^(A)old, ^[a]advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. ² Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her ^[b]stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” ³ So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found ^(B)Abishag the ^(C)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ⁴ The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

⁵ Then ^(D)Adonijah the ^[c]son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will ^[d]be king”; and ^(E)he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶ (And his father had not ^[e]rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. ^(F)His mother had borne him after Absalom.) ⁷ Then he conferred with ^(G)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with ^(H)Abiathar the priest, and ^(I)they followed and helped Adonijah. ⁸ But ^(J)Zadok the priest, ^(K)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^(L)Nathan the prophet, ^(M)Shimei, Rei, and ^(N)the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

⁹ And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of ^[f]Zoheleth, which is by ^(O)En Rogel;^[g] he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. ¹⁰ But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or ^(P)Solomon his brother.

¹¹ So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of ^(Q)Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? ¹² Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, ^(R)“Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴ Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) ¹⁶ And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”

¹⁷ Then she said to him, “My lord, ^(S)you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸ So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. ^19 (T)He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. ²⁰ And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹ Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king ^(U)rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”

²² And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. ²³ So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴ And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? ^25 (V)For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ^(W)‘Long^[h] live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. ²⁷ Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Proclaims Solomon King^(X)

²⁸ Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. ²⁹ And the king took an oath and said, ^(Y)“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, ^30 (Z)just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.”

³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, ^(AA)“Let my lord King David live forever!”

³² And King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. ³³ The king also said to them, ^(AB)“Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own ^(AC)mule, and take him down to ^(AD)Gihon.^{[i] 34} There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet ^(AE)anoint him king over Israel; and ^(AF)blow the horn, and say, ^[j]‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, ^(AG)“Amen! May the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. ^37 (AH)As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and ^(AI)make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, ^(AJ)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the ^(AK)Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. ³⁹ Then Zadok the priest took a horn of ^(AL)oil from the tabernacle and ^(AM)anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, ^(AN)and all the people said, ^[k]“Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.

⁴¹ Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?” ⁴² While he was still speaking, there came ^(AO)Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for ^(AP)you are a prominent man, and bring good news.”

⁴³ Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴ The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵ So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. ⁴⁶ Also Solomon ^(AQ)sits on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, ^(AR)‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ ^(AS)Then the king bowed himself on the bed. ⁴⁸ Also the king said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has ^(AT)given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see ^(AU)it!’ ”

⁴⁹ So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.

⁵⁰ Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and ^(AV)took hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”

⁵² Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, ^(AW)not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” ⁵³ So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

David’s Instructions to Solomon

2 Now ^(AX)the days of David drew near that he should die, and he ^[l]charged Solomon his son, saying: ^2 (AY)“I go the way of all the earth; ^(AZ)be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. ³ And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may ^(BA)prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; ⁴ that the Lord may ^(BB)fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ^(BC)‘If your sons take heed to their way, to ^(BD)walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ^(BE)‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^(BF)did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ^(BG)Abner the son of Ner and ^(BH)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. ⁶ Therefore do ^(BI)according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.

⁷ “But show kindness to the sons of ^(BJ)Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who ^(BK)eat at your table, for so ^(BL)they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “And see, you have with you ^(BM)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 ^(BN)he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and ^(BO)I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ ⁹ Now therefore, ^(BP)do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but ^(BQ)bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”

Death of David^(BR)

¹⁰ So ^(BS)David ^[m]rested with his fathers, and was buried in ^(BT)the City of David. ¹¹ The period that David ^(BU)reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. ^12 (BV)Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was ^(BW)firmly established.

Solomon Executes Adonijah

¹³ Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, ^(BX)“Do you come peaceably?”

And he said, “Peaceably.” ¹⁴ Moreover he said, “I have something to say to you.”

And she said, “Say it.”

¹⁵ Then he said, “You know that the kingdom was ^(BY)mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; for ^(BZ)it was his from the Lord. ¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you; do not ^[n]deny me.”

And she said to him, “Say it.”

¹⁷ Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me ^(CA)Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”

¹⁹ Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and ^(CB)bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother; ^(CC)so she sat at his right hand. ²⁰ Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not ^[o]refuse me.”

And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”

²¹ So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also—for he is my ^(CD)older brother—for him, and for ^(CE)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” ²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, ^(CF)“May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! ²⁴ Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a ^[p]house for me, as He ^(CG)promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

²⁵ So King Solomon sent by the hand of ^(CH)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.

Abiathar Exiled, Joab Executed

²⁶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to ^(CI)Anathoth, to your own fields, for ^[q]you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, ^(CJ)because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.” ²⁷ So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, that he might ^(CK)fulfill the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

²⁸ Then news came to Joab, for Joab ^(CL)had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and ^(CM)took hold of the horns of the altar. ²⁹ And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, ^(CN)strike him down.” ³⁰ So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, “Thus says the king, ^(CO)‘Come out!’ ”

And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”

³¹ Then the king said to him, ^(CP)“Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, ^(CQ)that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. ³² So the Lord ^(CR)will return his ^[r]blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous ^(CS)and better than he, and killed them with the sword—^(CT)Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and ^(CU)Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it. ³³ Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and ^(CV)upon the head of his descendants forever. ^(CW)But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”

³⁴ So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck 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 ^(CX)Zadok the priest in the place of ^(CY)Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

³⁶ Then the king sent and called for ^(CZ)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 ^(DA)the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; ^(DB)your ^[s]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 ^(DC)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, ^(DD)all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the Lord will ^(DE)return your wickedness on your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon shall be blessed, and ^(DF)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 ^(DG)kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

Solomon Requests Wisdom^(DH)

3 Now ^(DI)Solomon made ^[t]a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her ^(DJ)to the City of David until he had finished building his ^(DK)own house, and ^(DL)the house of the Lord, and ^(DM)the wall all around Jerusalem. ^2 (DN)Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. ³ And Solomon ^(DO)loved the Lord, ^(DP)walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

⁴ Now ^(DQ)the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, ^(DR)for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ^5 (DS)At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon ^(DT)in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

^6 (DU)And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he ^(DV)walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You ^(DW)have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷ Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a ^(DX)little child; I do not know how ^(DY)to go out or come in. ⁸ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You ^(DZ)have chosen, a great people, ^(EA)too numerous to be numbered or counted. ^9 (EB)Therefore give to Your servant an ^[u]understanding heart ^(EC)to judge Your people, that I may ^(ED)discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

¹⁰ The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹ Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have ^(EE)not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, ^12 (EF)behold, I have done according to your words; ^(EG)see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. ¹³ And I have also ^(EH)given you what you have not asked: both ^(EI)riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. ¹⁴ So ^(EJ)if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, ^(EK)as your father David walked, then I will ^(EL)lengthen^[v] your days.”

¹⁵ Then Solomon ^(EM)awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and ^(EN)made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s Wise Judgment

¹⁶ Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and ^(EO)stood before him. ¹⁷ And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. ¹⁸ Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; ^[w]no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. ¹⁹ And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. ²⁰ So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. ²¹ And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

²² Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”

And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”

Thus they spoke before the king.

²³ And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” ²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵ And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

²⁶ Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for ^(EP)she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”

But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”

²⁷ So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸ And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the ^(EQ)wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

Solomon’s Administration

4 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. ² And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; ³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, ^[x]scribes; ^(ER)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; ^4 (ES)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and ^(ET)Abiathar, the priests; ⁵ Azariah the son of Nathan, over ^(EU)the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, ^(EV)a priest and ^(EW)the king’s friend; ⁶ Ahishar, over the household; and ^(EX)Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

⁷ And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. ⁸ These are their names: ^[y]Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; ^9 [z]Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; ^10 [aa]Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; ^11 [ab]Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; ¹² Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; ^13 [ac]Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged ^(EY)the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged ^(EZ)the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; ¹⁴ Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; ^15 (FA)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; ¹⁶ Baanah the son of ^(FB)Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; ¹⁷ Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; ^18 (FC)Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; ¹⁹ Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in ^(FD)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.

Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

²⁰ Judah and Israel were as numerous ^(FE)as the sand by the sea in multitude, ^(FF)eating and drinking and rejoicing. ²¹ So ^(FG)Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from ^(FH)the^[ad] River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ^(FI)They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

^22 (FJ)Now Solomon’s ^[ae]provision for one day was thirty ^[af]kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ²³ ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

²⁴ For he had dominion over all the region on this side of ^[ag]the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over ^(FK)all the kings on this side of the River; and ^(FL)he had peace on every side all around him. ²⁵ And Judah and Israel ^(FM)dwelt^[ah] safely, ^(FN)each man under his vine and his fig tree, ^(FO)from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

^26 (FP)Solomon had ^[ai]forty thousand stalls of ^(FQ)horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷ And ^(FR)these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. ²⁸ They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

²⁹ And ^(FS)God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men ^(FT)of the East and all ^(FU)the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ For he was ^(FV)wiser than all men—^(FW)than Ethan the Ezrahite, ^(FX)and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. ^32 (FY)He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his ^(FZ)songs were one thousand and five. ³³ Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. ³⁴ And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, ^(GA)came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple^(GB)

5 Now ^(GC)Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, ^(GD)for Hiram had always loved David. ² Then ^(GE)Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

⁷ So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said,

⁸ Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying:

¹⁰ Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. ^11 (GN)And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand ^[an]kors of wheat as food for his household, and ^[ao]twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.

¹² So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, ^(GO)as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

¹³ Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; ^(GP)Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. ^15 (GQ)Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, ¹⁶ besides three thousand ^[ap]three hundred from the ^(GR)chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. ¹⁷ And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and ^(GS)hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the ^[aq]temple. ¹⁸ So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the ^[ar]temple.

Solomon Builds the Temple^(GT)

6 And ^(GU)it came to pass in the four hundred and ^[as]eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of ^[at]Ziv, which is the second month, ^(GV)that he began to build the house of the Lord. ² Now ^(GW)the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. ³ The vestibule in front of the ^[au]sanctuary of the house was ^[av]twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of ^[aw]the vestibule extended ^[ax]ten cubits from the front of the house.