THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
1 Kings 2 ©
David, lying on his deathbed, exhorts Solomon to a godly life, and to courageous governing, v. 1, &c. He charges him to punish Joab, for his murders, 5. Recompense Barzillai his kindness, 7. And to punish Shimei, 8. David dies, 10. Solomon reigns, 12. Adonijah requests Abishag, 13. Is denied, and put to death, 22. Abiathar deposed, 26. Joab put to death, 29. And Shimei, 36.
NOW the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
1I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and 2shew thyself a man;
And 3keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his 4statutes, and his commandments, and his 5judgments, and his testimonies, asa it is written in the law of Moses, thatb thou mayest 6prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying,c If thy children take heed to their 7way, to walk 8before me in truth with 9all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail 10thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to 11me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abnerd the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the 12blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war 13upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his 14shoes that were on his feet.
Do therefore 15according to thy wisdom, and let not 16his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillaie the Gileadite, and let them be 17of those that eat at thy table: for so they 18came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, 19a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursedf me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to 20Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I 21sware to him by the LORD, saying, 22I will not put thee to death with the sword.
Now therefore hold him 23not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest 24what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
So David 25slept with his fathers, andg was buried in the 26city of David.
And the 27days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: sevenh years reigned he in 28Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
¶Theni sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
¶And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, 29Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was 30mine, and that all Israel set 31their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: 32forj it was his from the LORD.
And now I ask one petition of thee, 33deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
¶Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the 34king’s mother; and 35she sat on his right hand.
Then she said, I desire one 36small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? 37ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine 38elder brother; even for him, and for 39Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own 40life.
Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, andk41set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me 42an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put 43to death this day.
And king Solomon 44sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he 45fell upon him that he died.
¶And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to 46Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art 47worthy of death: but I will not 48at this time put thee to death, becausel thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
So Solomon 49thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; 50that he might 51fulfilm52the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in 53Shiloh.
¶Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and 54caughtn hold on the horns of the altar.
And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the 55tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
And the king said unto him, Do as 56he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
And the LORD shall return 57his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, 58my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
Their 59blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed 60for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace 61for ever from the LORD.
So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
¶And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and 62Zadoko the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.
¶And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook 63Kidron, 64thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt 65surely die: thy 66blood shall be upon thine own head.
And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto 67Achish son of 68Maachah king of 69Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.
And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
Why then hast thou not kept the 70oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
The king said moreover to Shimei, Thoup knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness 71upon thine own head;
And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.
So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom wasq established in the hand of Solomon.