King James Version › 1 Kings › 2

1 Kings

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1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, say­ing, 2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong there­fore, and shew thy­self a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy 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, that thou mayest pros­per in all that thou doest, and whith­er­so­ev­er thou turnest thy­self: 4 That the LORD may con­tin­ue his word which he spake con­cern­ing me, say­ing, If thy chil­dren take heed to their way, to walk be­fore me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Is­rael. 5 More­over thou know­est also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two cap­tains of the hosts of Is­rael, unto Ab­n­er the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his gir­dle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do there­fore ac­cord­ing to thy wis­dom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But shew kind­ness unto the sons of Barzil­lai the Gilea­dite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled be­cause of Ab­sa­lom thy broth­er. 8 And, be­hold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Ben­jamite of Bahurim, which 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 sware to him by the LORD, say­ing, I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9 Now there­fore hold him not guilt­less: for thou art a wise man, and know­est what thou ought­est to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood. 10 So David slept with his fa­thers, and was buried in the city of David. 11 And the days that David reigned over Is­rael were forty years: sev­en years reigned he in He­bron, and thir­ty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. 12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his fa­ther; and his king­dom was es­tab­lished great­ly. 13 And Adoni­jah the son of Hag­gith came to Bathshe­ba the moth­er of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peace­ably? And he said, Peace­ably. 14 He said more­over, I have some­what to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. 15 And he said, Thou know­est that the king­dom was mine, and that all Is­rael set their faces on me, that I should reign: how­beit the king­dom is turned about, and is be­come my brother's: for it was his from the LORD. 16 And now I ask one pe­ti­tion of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 17 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. 18 And Bathshe­ba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. 19 Bathshe­ba 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 king's moth­er; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, I de­sire one small 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. 21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shu­nam­mite be giv­en to Adoni­jah thy broth­er to wife. 22 And king Solomon an­swered and said unto his moth­er, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shu­nam­mite for Adoni­jah? ask for him the king­dom al­so; for he is mine el­der broth­er; even for him, and for Abi­athar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 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 life. 24 Now there­fore, as the LORD liveth, which hath es­tab­lished me, and set me on the throne of David my fa­ther, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adoni­jah shall be put to death this day. 25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Be­na­iah the son of Je­hoia­da; and he fell upon him that he died. 26 And unto Abi­athar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art wor­thy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, be­cause 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. 27 So Solomon thrust out Abi­athar from be­ing priest unto the LORD; that he might ful­fil the word of the LORD, which he spake con­cern­ing the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 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 caught hold on the horns of the al­tar. 29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the taber­na­cle of the LORD; and, be­hold, he is by the al­tar. Then Solomon sent Be­na­iah the son of Je­hoia­da, say­ing, Go, fall upon him. 30 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. 31 And the king said unto him, Do as he 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. 32 And the LORD shall re­turn his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righ­teous and bet­ter than he, and slew them with the sword, my 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. 33 Their blood shall there­fore re­turn upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ev­er: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD. 34 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. 35 And the king put Be­na­iah the son of Je­hoia­da in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abi­athar. 36 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. 37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and pass­est over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for cer­tain that thou shalt sure­ly die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. 38 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. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the ser­vants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, say­ing, Be­hold, thy ser­vants be in Gath. 40 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. 41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. 42 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. 43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the com­mand­ment that I have charged thee with? 44 The king said more­over to Shimei, Thou know­est all the wicked­ness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my fa­ther: there­fore the LORD shall re­turn thy wicked­ness upon thine own head; 45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be es­tab­lished be­fore the LORD for ev­er. 46 So the king com­mand­ed Be­na­iah the son of Je­hoia­da; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the king­dom was es­tab­lished in the hand of Solomon.