David's Instructions to Solomon
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1When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,
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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, 4that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
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that the LORD may 5establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, 6'If your sons pay close attention to their way, 7to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, 8you shall not lacka a man on the throne of Israel.'
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"Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah 9did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, 10Abner the son of Ner, 11and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avengingb in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of warc on the belt around hisd waist and on the sandals on his feet.
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Act therefore 12according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
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But deal loyally with the sons of 13Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be 14among those who eat at your table, 15for with such loyaltye they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
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And there is also with you 16Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day 17when I went to Mahanaim. 18But 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.'
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Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, 19for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall 20bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol."
The Death of David
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And the time that David reigned over Israel was 23forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
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24So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Solomon's Reign Established
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Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, 25"Do you come peacefully?" He said, "Peacefully."
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Then he said, "I have something to say to you." She said, "Speak."
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He said, "You know that 26the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, 27for it was his from the LORD.
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And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me." She said to him, "Speak."
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And he said, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not refuse you--to give me 28Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."
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Bathsheba said, "Very well; I will speak for you to the king."
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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, 29and she sat on his right.
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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."
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She said, "Let 30Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife."
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King Solomon answered his mother, "And why do you ask 31Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, 32for he is my older brother, and on his side 33are Abiatharf the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah."
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Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, 34"God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
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Now therefore 35as the LORD lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, 36as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today."
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So King Solomon sent 37Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
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And to Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to 38Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, 39because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, 40and because you shared in all my father's affliction."
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41So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, thus fulfilling 42the word of the LORD that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
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When the news came to Joab--for Joab 43had supported Adonijah although 44he had not supported Absalom--Joab fled to the tent of the LORD and caught hold of the 45horns of the altar.
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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."
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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."
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The king replied to him, 46"Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, 47and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.
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The LORD will 48bring 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 49more righteous and better than himself, 50Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and 51Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
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52So 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."
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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.
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53The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put 54Zadok the priest 55in the place of Abiathar.
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Then the king sent and summoned 56Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever.
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For on the day you go out and cross 57the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. 58Your blood shall be on your own head."
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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.
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But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei's servants ran away to 59Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, "Behold, your servants are in Gath,"
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Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.
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And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned,
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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.'
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Why then have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the commandment with which I commanded you?"
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The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your own heart 60all the harm that you did to David my father. So the LORD will 61bring back your harm on your own head.
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But King Solomon shall be blessed, 62and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever."
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Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. 63So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)