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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 2:1 tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
- 1 Kings 2:1 tn Or “commanded.”
- 1 Kings 2:2 tn Heb “going the way of all the earth.”
- 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”
- 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”
- 1 Kings 2:3 tn Or “keeping.”
- 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
- 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
- 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “guard their way.”
- 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
- 1 Kings 2:4 tn Or “soul.”
- 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “saying.”
- 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
- 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”
- 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
- 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.
- 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”
- 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”
- 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”
- 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”
- 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “thus drew near to.”
- 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”
- 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
- 1 Kings 2:8 tn Or “swore an oath to.”
- 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “kill you.”
- 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.
- 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “what you should do to him.”
- 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”
- 1 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
- 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.
1 Kings 2:1-11
International Standard Version
David Instructs Solomon
2 As David’s time to die approached, he addressed his son Solomon with these words:
2 “I’m headed down the road that everyone who lives on earth travels, so be strong and demonstrate that you’re a grown man 3 by keeping the charge that the Lord your God entrusted to you. Live life his way, keep his statutes, his commands, his ordinances, and his testimonies, just as they’re written down in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything you do and wherever you go,[a] 4 and so that the Lord may fulfill his promise that he spoke about me when he said, ‘If your sons pay attention to how they live by walking truthfully in my presence with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Furthermore, you’re aware of what Zeruiah’s son Joab did to me and to those two commanders of the armies of Israel, Ner’s son Abner and Jether’s son Amasa, whom he killed, and how he shed the blood of wartime during times of peace, staining the very belt he wears around his waist and the sandals he wears on his feet. 6 So act consistently with your wisdom, and don’t let him die as a peaceful old man.[b] 7 Be gracious to the descendants of Barzillai the Gileadite, and provide for them in your household,[c] because they helped me when I had to run from your brother Absalom.
8 “Pay attention now! You have with you Gera’s son Shimei the descendant of Benjamin from Bahurim. He cursed me violently that day when I had to leave for Mahanaim. When he visited me at the Jordan River,[d] I made an oath to the Lord and told him, ‘I won’t execute you with a sword.’ 9 But don’t let him off unpunished, since you’re a wise man and you’ll know what you need to do to him. Find a way that he dies in his old age[e] by shedding his blood.”
David Dies and Solomon Consolidates His Reign(A)
10 After this, David died, as had[f] his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. 11 David had reigned over Israel for 40 years. He reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33 years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 2:3 Lit. turn
- 1 Kings 2:6 Lit. let his gray hair descend to Sheol in peace
- 1 Kings 2:7 Lit. them at your table
- 1 Kings 2:8 The Heb. lacks River
- 1 Kings 2:9 Lit. Bring his gray hair down to Sheol
- 1 Kings 2:10 Lit. David slept with
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