1Ki 2 | NASB2020 | STEP | As David’s time to die drew near , he commanded his son Solomon , saying ,

1 Kings 2

David’s Command to Solomon

1 As David’s ^{▼▼Lit days
,} ^btime to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying, 2 “ ^cI am going the way of all the earth. So ^dbe strong, and ^{▼▼Lit become a man}prove yourself a man. 3 Do your duty to the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to ^{▼▼Or carefully perform}keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, ^gaccording to what is written in the Law of Moses, so that ^hyou may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that ⁱthe Lord may fulfill His ^{▼▼Lit word}promise which He spoke regarding me, saying, ‘ ^kIf your sons are careful about their way, ^lto walk before Me in ^{▼▼Or faithfulness}truth with all their heart and all their soul, ^{▼▼Lit there shall not be cut off to you a man from upon
,} ^oyou shall not be deprived of a man to occupy the throne of Israel.’

5 “Now you yourself also know what Joab the ^pson of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ^qAbner the son of Ner and to ^rAmasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also ^{▼▼Lit brought blood...on peace}shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6 ^tSo act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to ^{▼▼I.e., the netherworld}Sheol in peace. 7 However, ^vshow kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and ^wlet them be among those who eat at your table; ^xfor ^{▼▼Lit so they came near to me}they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And behold, you have with you ^zShimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a painful curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when ^aahe came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 But now do not leave him unpunished, ^abfor you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to ^{▼▼I.e., the netherworld}Sheol with blood.”

Death of David

10 Then ^adDavid ^{▼▼I.e., died}lay down with his fathers, and he was buried in ^afthe city of David. 11 Now ^agthe days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: in Hebron he reigned for ^ahseven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. 12 Then ^aiSolomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “ ^ajDo 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 yourself know that ^akthe kingdom was mine and ^althat all Israel ^{▼▼Lit set their faces toward me}intended for me to be king; ^anhowever, the kingdom has turned around and become my brother’s, ^aofor it was his from the Lord. 16 So now I am making one request of you; do not ^{▼▼Lit turn away my face}refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king--for he will not ^{▼▼Lit turn away your face}refuse you--that he may give me ^arAbishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

Adonijah Executed

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king stood to meet her, bowed to her, and sat on his throne; then he ^ashad a throne set up for the king’s mother, and ^atshe sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; ^audo not ^{▼▼Lit turn away my face}refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not ^{▼▼Lit turn away your face}refuse you.” 21 So she said, “ ^axLet Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 But King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ^ayRequest for him the kingdom as well-- ^azsince he is my older brother--for him, for ^baAbiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more so, if Adonijah has ^bbnot spoken this word against his own ^{▼▼Lit soul}life! 24 Now then, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and ^bdhas made me a house just as He ^{▼▼Lit spoke}promised, Adonijah certainly shall be put to death today!” 25 Then King Solomon ^bfsent the order by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he ^{▼▼Lit attacked}struck him so that he died.

26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “ ^bhGo to Anathoth to your own field, ^bifor you ^{▼▼Lit are a man of death}deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this ^{▼▼Lit day}time, because ^blyou carried the ark of the Lord ^{▼▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God before my father David, and because ^bnyou were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, to fulfill ^bothe word of the Lord, which He had spoken regarding the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Joab Executed

28 Now the news came to Joab ^bpbecause Joab had followed Adonijah, ^bqthough he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and ^brtook hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was reported to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and ^{▼▼Lit behold, beside}was beside the altar. Then Solomon ^btsent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “ ^buGo, ^{▼▼Lit attack}execute him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “This is what the king has said: ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” So Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “This is what Joab spoke, and so he answered me.” 31 And the king said to him, “ ^bwDo just as he has spoken, and ^{▼▼Lit attack}execute him and bury him, ^byso that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without ^{▼▼Or cause}justification. 32 ^caThe Lord will return his blood on his own head, ^cbbecause he ^{▼▼Lit attacked}struck two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know about it: ^cdAbner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and ^ceAmasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 ^cfSo their blood shall return on the head of Joab and on the head of his ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants forever; but for David and his ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants, and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then ^ciBenaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and ^{▼▼Lit attacked}struck him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house ^ckin the wilderness. 35 And ^clthe king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed ^cmZadok the priest ^cnin place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Now the king sent men and summoned ^coShimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not leave there for any other place. 37 For on the day you leave and ^cpcross the ^{▼▼Or wadi}brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you will assuredly die; ^cryour blood will be ^{▼▼I.e., your own responsibility}on your own head.” 38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. Just as my lord the king has spoken, so your servant shall do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of Shimei’s servants ran away ^ctto Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And others told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to search for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent men and summoned Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall assuredly 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 which I ^{▼▼Lit commanded}imposed on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “ ^cvYou yourself know all the evil that ^{▼▼Lit your heart acknowledges}you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore ^cxthe Lord will return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and ^cythe throne of David will be established before the Lord forever.” 46 ^czSo the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and ^{▼▼Lit attacked}struck him so that he died.

^dbAnd the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.