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

1 ^aWhen David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 ^b“I am about to go the way of all the earth. ^cBe strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, ^dthat you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may ^eestablish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ^f‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, ^gto walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, ^hyou shall not lack ^{▼▼Hebrew there shall not be cut off for you} a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^jdid to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, ^kAbner the son of Ner, ^land Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew placing} in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war ^{▼▼Septuagint innocent blood} on the belt around his ^{▼▼Septuagint my; twice in this verse} waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore ^paccording to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of ^qBarzillai the Gileadite, and let them be ^ramong those who eat at your table, ^sfor with such loyalty ^{▼▼Or steadfast love} they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you ^uShimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day ^vwhen I went to Mahanaim. ^wBut when he 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 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, ^xfor you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall ^ybring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”

The Death of David

10 ^zThen David slept with his fathers and was buried in ^aathe city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was ^abforty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 ^acSo Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon’s Reign Established

13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, ^ad“Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that ^aethe kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, ^affor it was his from the Lord. 16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.” 17 And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me ^agAbishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, ^ahand she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Let ^aiAbishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask ^ajAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, ^akfor he is my older brother, and on his side ^alare Abiathar ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew and for him and for Abiathar} the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, ^an“God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! 24 Now therefore ^aoas the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, ^apas he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon sent ^aqBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.

26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to ^arAnathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, ^asbecause you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, ^atand because you shared in all my father’s affliction.” 27 ^auSo Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling ^avthe word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab ^awhad supported Adonijah although ^axhe had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the ^ayhorns of the altar. 29 And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king replied to him, ^az“Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, ^baand thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32 The Lord will ^bbbring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men ^bcmore righteous and better than himself, ^bdAbner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and ^beAmasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 ^bfSo shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.” 34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 ^bgThe king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put ^bhZadok the priest ^biin the place of Abiathar.

36 Then the king sent and summoned ^bjShimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. 37 For on the day you go out and cross ^bkthe brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. ^blYour blood shall be on your own head.” 38 And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.

39 But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s servants ran away to ^bmAchish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” 40 Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42 the king sent 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 go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’ 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart ^bnall the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will ^bobring back your harm on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, ^bpand the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” 46 Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.

^bqSo the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.