Historical
David in Old Age
1 Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her stand before the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (A)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 Now the young woman was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and attended him, but the king did not [a]know her.
5 Now (B)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So (C)he prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen and fifty men as runners before him. 6 But his father had never [b]grieved him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man in form, and [c](D)he was born after Absalom. 7 [d]And he had conferred with (E)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (F)Abiathar the priest; and following (G)Adonijah, they helped him. 8 But (H)Zadok the priest, (I)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (J)Nathan the prophet, (K)Shimei, Rei, and (L)the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [e]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside (M)En-rogel; and he 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, and (N)Solomon his brother.
Nathan Speaks to Bathsheba
11 Then Nathan spoke to (O)Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me (P)give you counsel and provide escape for your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go [f]at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “(Q)Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and fully confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now (R)the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [g]before the king. And the king said, “What [h]do you wish?” 17 And she said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by [i]Yahweh your God, saying, ‘(S)Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 (T)And he has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will be, (U)as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [j]offenders.”
22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 Then they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And then he came in before the king and prostrated himself [k]before the king with his [l]face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 (V)For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘(W)Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (X)But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27 Has this thing happened by my lord the king, and you have not made known to your [m]servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore and said, “(Y)As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as (Z)I swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will surely do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her [n]face to the ground, and prostrated herself [o]before the king and said, “(AA)May my lord King David live forever.”
32 Then King David said, “Call to me (AB)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you (AC)the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to (AD)Gihon. 34 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet shall (AE)anoint him there as king over Israel and (AF)blow the trumpet and say, ‘(AG)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 commanded him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say. 37 (AH)As Yahweh has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and (AI)make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
Solomon Anointed King
38 So (AJ)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (AK)the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to (AL)Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest then (AM)took the horn of oil from the tent and (AN)anointed Solomon. Then they (AO)blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “(AP)Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, and the people [p]were playing on flutes and were glad with great gladness, so that the earth [q]shook at their sound.
41 And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. Then Joab heard the sound of the trumpet and said, “Why is the sound of the city such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, (AQ)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for (AR)you are a valiant man and bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has also 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 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there with gladness, (AS)so that the city is in an uproar. This is the sound which you have heard. 46 And also, (AT)Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And also, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May (AU)your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!’ And (AV)the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 And also, the king said thus, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who (AW)has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled; and they arose and each went on his way. 50 And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went, and (AX)took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, 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 And Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, (AY)not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself [r]before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
David’s Command to Solomon
2 Then David’s [s](AZ)time to die drew near, so he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(BA)I am going the way of all the earth. (BB)So you shall be strong, and be a man. 3 And you shall keep the responsibility given by Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, (BC)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (BD)you may be prosperous in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (BE)Yahweh may establish His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(BF)If your sons keep their way, (BG)to walk before Me in [t]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, [u](BH)you shall not have a man cut off from the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you also know what Joab the (BI)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (BJ)Abner the son of Ner, and to (BK)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also [v]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt [w]about his [x]waist, and on his sandals [y]on his feet. 6 (BL)So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But (BM)show lovingkindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (BN)let them be among those who eat at your table; (BO)for they [z]assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 Behold, (BP)there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a [aa]violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (BQ)he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 So now, do not let him go unpunished, (BR)for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”
The Death of David
10 Then (BS)David slept with his fathers and was buried in (BT)the city of David. 11 (BU)And the [ab]time which David reigned over Israel was forty years; in Hebron he reigned (BV)seven years and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 And (BW)Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Adonijah’s Request
13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “(BX)Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15 So he said, “You know that (BY)the kingdom was mine and (BZ)that all Israel [ac]expected me to be king; (CA)however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, (CB)for it was his from Yahweh. 16 So now, I am making one request of you; do not [ad]turn me away.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not [ae]turn you away, that he may give me (CC)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
Adonijah Put to Death
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he (CD)had a throne set for the king’s mother, and (CE)she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; (CF)do not turn [af]me away.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn [ag]you away.” 21 So she said, “(CG)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 Then King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? (CH)Ask for him also the kingdom—(CI)for he is my older brother—even for him, for (CJ)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has (CK)not spoken this word against his own [ah]life. 24 So now, as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and (CL)who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon (CM)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.
26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “(CN)Go to Anathoth to your own field, (CO)for you [ai]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because (CP)you carried the ark of Lord Yahweh before my father David, and because (CQ)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon drove Abiathar away from being priest to Yahweh, in order to fulfill (CR)the word of Yahweh, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Put to Death
28 Now the news came to Joab, (CS)for Joab had followed Adonijah, (CT)although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh and (CU)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon (CV)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “(CW)Go, fall upon him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 And the king said to him, “(CX)Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, (CY)that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. 32 (CZ)And Yahweh will return his blood on his own head, (DA)because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, but my father David did not know it: (DB)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (DC)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (DD)So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed forever; but to David and his seed and his house and his throne, may there be peace from Yahweh forever.” 34 Then (DE)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (DF)in the wilderness. 35 (DG)And the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (DH)Zadok the priest (DI)in the place of Abiathar.
Shimei Put to Death
36 Then the king sent and called for (DJ)Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. 37 Now it will be on the day you go out and (DK)cross over the [aj]brook Kidron, that you will know for certain that you shall surely die; (DL)your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it happened at the end of three years, that two of the slaves of Shimei ran away (DM)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to search for his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 And it was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you go out and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word which I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the command which I have commanded you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(DN)You know all the evil which [ak]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (DO)Yahweh shall return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and (DP)the throne of David shall be established before Yahweh forever.” 46 (DQ)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died.
(DR)Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
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