 1 The days of David drew near for him to die. So he charged Solomon his son saying, 2 I go the way of all the earth. Now you be strong and show yourself a man. 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. 4 Thus the Lord may continue His Word that He spoke concerning me saying, If your children heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul saying, There shall not be a man of yours cut off from the throne of Israel. 5 You know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether. He murdered them and shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on his belt+ on his waist+ and in his shoes on his feet. 6 You shall do according to your wisdom and shall not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them eat at your table. For so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom your brother. 8 And, behold, with you is Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord saying, I will not put you to death with the sword. 9 Now, do not hold him guiltless. For you are a wise man, and you know what you ought to do to him. But bring his gray head down to the grave with blood. 10 David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were 40 years. He reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned 33 years in Jerusalem. 12 Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father. And his kingdom was firmly established. 13 Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon and said, Do you come peacefully? He said Peace. 14 He said, I have a word to say to you. She said Speak. 15 He said, You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected+ me to reign. However the kingdom has turned around and has become my brother's, for it was his from the Lord. 16 Now I ask one favor of you. Do not turn away your face. And she said to him, Speak. 17 He said, Please speak to King Solomon for he will not turn away your face, that he give me Abishag the Shunammite for my wife. 18 Bathsheba said, Very well. I will speak for you to the king. 19 Bathsheba came to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed to her and sat on his throne and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother. She sat at his right hand. 20 She said, I desire one small favor of you. Do not turn away from me. The king said to her, Ask mother, for I will not turn away from you. 21 She said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah for a wife. 22 King Solomon said to his mother, Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask the kingdom also for him for he is my older brother. Even for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 King Solomon swore by the Lord saying, May God do so to me and more He shall do if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his life. 24 Now, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made me a house, as He spoke, Adonijah shall be put to death today. 25 King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and he fell on him so that he died. 26 The king said to Abiathar the priest, Go to Anathoth, to your fields, for you are worthy of death. But I will not put you to death at this time because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father and because you have been afflicted in all that my father was afflicted. 27 Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest to the Lord so that he might fulfil the Word of the Lord that He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 The report came to Joab. For Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he did not turn after Absalom. And Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and, behold, he is by the altar. And Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada saying, Go fall on him. 30 Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, Thus says the king, come forth. And he said, No, but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again saying, Thus said Joab, and so he answered me. 31 The king said to him, Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him, so that you may take away the innocent blood that Joab shed, from me and from the house of my father. 32 The Lord shall return his blood on his own head, who fell on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father David not knowing of it, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 Yes, He will turn back their blood on the head of Joab, and on the head of his descendants forever. But on David, and on his descendants, and on his house, and on his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord. 34 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada 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 over the army in his place. And the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 36 The king called for Shimei and said to him, Build a house at Jerusalem and live there and do not go forth from there anywhere. 37 For on the day that you go out and pass over the river Kidron, you will know for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head. 38 Shimei said to the king, your saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do. And Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 39 At the end of three years, two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of King Maachah of Gath. They told Shimei saying, Behold, your servants are in Gath. 40 Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. And Shimei brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come again. 42 The king called for Shimei and said to him, Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and warn you saying, In the day you go out, and you have gone anywhere, you certainly shall know that 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 command that I have charged you with? 44 The king said to Shimei, you know all the wickedness that your heart knows, what you did to David my father. And the Lord shall return your wickedness on your own head. 45 King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever. 46 The king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and he fell on him so that he died. Thus the kingdom was made sure in the hand of Solomon.
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