1   And the dayes of Dauid approched that he should die, and he commanded his sonne Salomon, saying:

2   I enter into the way of al flesh: take courage, and play the man.

3   And obserue the watches of our Lord thy God, that thou walke in his waies, and keepe his ceremonies, and his preceptes, and iudgementes, and testimonies, as is written in the law of Moyses: that thou mayst vnderstand al thinges which thou doest, and whithersoeuer thou shalt turne thy selfe:

Dauid. Salomon.

4   that our Lord may confirme his wordes, which he hath spoken of me, saying: If thy children shal keepe their waies, and shal walke before me in truth, in al their hart, and in al their soul, there shal not altogether be taken from thee a man out of the throne of Israel.

5   Thou knowest also what Ioab the sonne of Saruia hath done to me, what he did to the two princes of the armie of Israel, to Abner the sonne of Ner, and Amasa the sonne of Iether: whom he slewe, & shed the bloud of warre in peace, & put the bloud of battel in his belt, which was about his loynes, and in his shoe, which was on his feete.

6   Thou shalt doe therfore according to thy wisdom, and shalt not bring his hoare head peaceably vnto hel.

7   But to the sonnes also of Berzellai the Galaadite thou shalt render kindnes, and they shal eate on thy table: for they mette me when I fled from the face of Absolom thy brother.

8   Thou hast also with thee Semei the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini of Bahurim, who cursed me with a wicked curse, when I went to the Campe; but because he came downe to meete me when I passed Iordan, and I sware to him by our Lord, saying: I wil not kil thee with the sword:

9   doe not thou suffer him to be guiltles. But thou art a wise man, so that thou knowest what thou shalt doe to him, and thou shalt bring his hoare heare with bloud vnto hel.

10   Dauid therefore slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid.

11   And the daies that Dauid reigned in Israel, are fourtie yeares: in Hebron he reigned seuen yeares, in Ierusalem thirtie three.

12   And Salomon sate vpon the throne of Dauid his father, and his kingdome was confirmed excedingly. ^note

13   And Adonias the sonne of Haggith entered in to Bethsabee the mother of Salomon. Who said to him: Is thy coming peaceable? Who answered: peaceable.

14   And he added: I haue a word to speake with thee. To whom she said: Speake. And he:

15   Thou knowest, quoth he, that the kingdom was mine, and al Israel had purposed to make me ouer them to be their king: but the kingdom is transposed, & is made my brothers: for it was appointed him of our Lord.

16   Now therefore I desire one petition of thee; Confound not my face. Who said to him: Speake.

17   And he said: I pray speake to Salomon the king (for he can not denie thee any thing) that he geue me Abisag the Sunamite to wife.

18   And Bethsabee saied: wel, I wil speake for thee to the king.

19   Bethsabee therefore came to king Salomon, to

Salomon. speake vnto him for Adonias: and the king arose to meete her, and adored her, and sate downe vpon his throne: and a throne was sette for the kinges mother, who sate on his right hand.

20   And she said to him One litle petition I desire of thee, confound not my face And the king said to her: My mother aske: for ^note it behoueth not that I turne away thy face.

21   Who said: Let Abisag the Sunamite be geuen to Adonias thy brother to wife.

22   And king Salomon answered, and said to his mother: Why doest thou aske Abisag the Sunamite for Adonias? aske for him also the kingdom: for he is my brother elder then I, & hath Abiathar the priest, & Ioab the sonne of Saruia.

23   Therfore king Salomon sware by our Lord, saying: These thinges doe God to me, and these adde he, because Adonias hath spoken this word against his life.

24   And now, our Lord liueth which hath established me, and placed me vpon the throne of Dauid my father, and which hath made me a house, as he spake, this day shal Adonias be slaine.

25   And king Salomon sent by the hand of Banaias the sonne of Ioiada, who slewe him, and he died.

26   To Abiathar also the priest the king said: Goe into Anathoth to thy field, and thou in deede art a man of death: but to day I wil not kil thee, because thou didst carie the arke of our Lord God before Dauid my father, & hast susteyned labour in al thinges, wherein my father laboured.

27   Salomon therefore ^note cast out Abiathar, that he should not be the priest of our Lord, that the word of our lord might be fulfilled, which he spake concerning the house of Heli in Silo.

28   And then a messenger came to Ioab for that Ioab had turned after Adonias, and after Salomon had not turned: Ioab therfore fled into the tabernacle of our Lord, & caught the horne of the altar.

29   And it was told king Salomon, that Ioab was fled into the tabernacle of our Lord, and was beside the altar: & Salomon sent Banaias the sonne of Ioiada, saying: Goe, kil him.

30   And Banaias came to the tabernacle of our Lord, and said to him: Thus sayth the king: Come forth. Who said: I wil not come forth, but here wil I die. Banaias reported his word to the king, saying: Thus spake Ioab, and thus he answered me.

31   And the king said to him: Doe as he hath spoken: and kil him, & burie him, and thou shalt remoue the innocent bloud, which hath beene shed of Ioab, from me, and from the house of my father.

32   And our Lord shal render his bloud vpon his head, because he murdered two iust men, &

Salomon. better then him self: and slew them with his sword, my father Dauid not knowing, Abner the sonne of Ner general of the warfare of Israel, and Amasa the sonne of Iether general of the armie of Iuda:

33   and their bloud shal returne vpon the head of Ioab, and vpon the head of his seede for euer. But to Dauid and his seede and his house, and to his throne be peace for euer from our Lord.

34   Banaias therfore the sonne of Ioiada went vp, and setting vpon him slewe him: and he was buried in his house in the desert.

35   And the king appoynted Banaias the sonne of Ioiada for him ouer the armie, and Sadoc the priest he ^note placed for Abiathar.

36   The king also sent, and called Semei, and said to him: Build thee a house in Ierusalem, and dwel there: and thou shalt not goe out thence hither and thither.

37   But what day soeuer thou shalt goe out, and shalt passe the Torrent Cedron know that thou art to be slaine: thy bloud shal be vpon thy head.

38   And Semei said to the king: The saying is good: as my lord the king hath spoken, so wil thy seruant doe. Semei therfore dwelt in Ierusalem, manie dayes.

39   And it came to passe after three yeares, that the seruantes of Semei fled to Achis the sonne of Maacha the king of Geth: and it was told Semei that his seruantes were gone into Geth.

40   And Semei arose, and sadled his asse, and went to Achis into Geth to require his seruantes, and he brought them out of Geth.

41   And it was told Salomon that Semei went into Geth out of Ierusalem, and was returned.

42   And sending he called him, and said to him: Did I not testifie to thee by our Lord, and told thee before. What day soeuer thou going out shalt passe hither & thirher, know that thou shalt die? And thou didst answere me: The saying is good, which I haue heard.

43   Why then hast thou not kept the oath of our Lord, and the precept that I commanded thee?

44   And the king said to Semei: Thou knowest al the euil, wherof thy hart is priuy to thy selfe, which thou dist to Dauid my father: our Lord hath rendred thy malice vpon thy head:

45   And king Salomon be blessed, and the throne of Dauid shal be stable before our Lord for euer.

46   The king therfore commanded Banaias the sonne of Ioiada: who going out, stroke him, and he died.

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