1   When the time of David's death drew near, he gave this last charge to his son Solomon: ‘I am going the way of all the earth. 2   Be strong and show yourself a man. 3   Fulfil your duty to the Lord your God; conform to his ways, observe his statutes and his commandments, his judgements and his solemn precepts, as they are written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in whatever you do and whichever way you turn, 4   and

The death of David and accession of Solomon that the Lord may fulfil this promise that he made about me: “If your descendants take care to walk faithfully in my sight with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall never lack a successor on the throne of Israel.” 5   You know how Joab son of Zeruiah treated me and what he did to two commanders-in-chief in Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them both, breaking the peace by bloody acts of war; and with that blood he stained the belt about my ^note waist and the sandals on my ^note feet. 6   Do as your wisdom prompts you, and do not let his grey hairs go down to the grave ^note in peace. 7   Show constant friendship to the family of Barzillai of Gilead; let them have their place at your table; they befriended me when I was a fugitive from your brother Absalom. 8   Do not forget Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me bitterly the day I went to Mahanaim. True, he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore by the Lord that I would not put him to death. 9   But you do not need to let him go unpunished now; you are a wise man and will know how to deal with him; bring down his grey hairs in blood to the grave.’ ^note

10   So David rested with his forefathers and was buried in the city of David, 11   having reigned over Israel for forty years, seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem; 12   and Solomon succeeded his father David as king and was firmly established on the throne.

The reign of Solomon

13   Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. ‘Do you come as a friend?’ she asked. ‘As a friend,’ he answered; ‘I have something to say to you.’ 14   ‘Tell me’, she said. 15   ‘You know’, he went on, ‘that the throne was mine and that all Israel was looking to me to be king; but I was passed over and the throne has gone to my brother; it was his by the Lord's will. 16   And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.’ ‘What is it?’ she said. 17   He answered, ‘Will you ask King Solomon (he will never refuse you) to give me Abishag the Shunammite in marriage?’ 18   ‘Very well,’ said Bathsheba, ‘I will speak for you to the king.’ 19   So Bathsheba went in to King Solomon to speak for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and kissed ^note her, and seated himself on his throne. A throne was set for the king's mother and she sat at his right hand. 20   Then she said, ‘I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.’ ‘What is it, mother?’ he replied; ‘I will not refuse you.’ 21   ‘It is this, that Abishag the Shunammite should be given to your brother Adonijah in marriage.’ 22   At that

The reign of Solomon Solomon answered his mother, ‘Why do you ask for Abishag the Shunammite as wife for Adonijah? you might as well ask for the throne, for he is my elder brother and has both Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah on his side.’ 23   Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: ‘So help me God, Adonijah shall pay for this with his life. 24   As the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and has founded a house for me as he promised, this very day Adonijah shall be put to death!’ 25   Thereupon King Solomon gave Benaiah son of Jehoiada his orders, and he struck him down and he died.

26   Abiathar the priest was told by the king to go off to Anathoth to his own estate. ‘You deserve to die,’ he said, ‘but in spite of this day's work I shall not put you to death, for you carried the Ark of the Lord God ^note before my father David, and you shared in all the hardships that he endured.’ 27   So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his office as priest of the Lord, and so fulfilled the sentence that the Lord had pronounced against the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28   News of all this reached Joab, and he fled to the Tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar; for he had sided with Adonijah, though not with Absalom. 29   When King Solomon learnt that Joab had fled to the Tent of the Lord and that he was by the altar, he sent ^note Benaiah son of Jehoiada with orders to strike him down. 30   Benaiah came to the Tent of the Lord and ordered Joab in the king's name to come away; but he said, ‘No; I will die here.’ Benaiah reported Joab's answer to the king, and the king said, ‘Let him have his way; 31   strike him down and bury him, and so rid me and my father's house of the guilt for the blood that he wantonly shed. 32   The Lord will hold him responsible for his own death, because he struck down two innocent men who were better men than he, Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah, and ran them through with the sword, without my father David's knowledge. 33   The guilt of their blood shall recoil on Joab and his descendants for all time; but David and his descendants, his house and his throne, will enjoy perpetual prosperity from the Lord.’ 34   So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up to the altar and struck Joab down and killed him, and he was buried in his house on the edge of the wilderness. 35   Thereafter the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to command the army in his place, and installed Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.

36   Next the king sent for Shimei and said to him, ‘Build yourself a

The reign of Solomon house in Jerusalem and stay there; you are not to leave the city for any other place. 37   If ever you leave it and cross the gorge of the Kidron, you shall die; make no mistake about that. Your blood will be on your own head.’ 38   And Shimei said to the king, ‘I accept your sentence; I will do as your majesty commands.’ So for a long time Shimei remained in Jerusalem; 39   but three years later two of his slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. When Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath, 40   he immediately saddled his ass and went there to Achish in search of his slaves; he came to Gath and returned with them. 41   When King Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and back, 42   he sent for him and said, ‘Did I not require you to swear by the Lord? Did I not give you this solemn warning: “If ever you leave this city for any other place, you shall die; make no mistake about it”? 43   And you said, “I accept your sentence; I obey.” Why then have you not kept the oath which you swore by the Lord, and the order which I gave you? 44   Shimei, you know in your own heart all the mischief you did to my father David; the Lord is now making that mischief recoil on your own head. 45   But King Solomon is blessed and the throne of David will be secure before the Lord for all time.’ 46   The king then gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down; and he died. Thus Solomon's royal power was securely established.

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