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1 Kings 2
New International Version
1 Kings 2
New International Version
David’s Charge to Solomon(A)
2 When the time drew near for David to die,(B) he gave a charge to Solomon his son.
2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,”(C) he said. “So be strong,(D) act like a man, 3 and observe(E) what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper(F) in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise(G) to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully(H) before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you yourself know what Joab(I) son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner(J) son of Ner and Amasa(K) son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom,(L) but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
7 “But show kindness(M) to the sons of Barzillai(N) of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table.(O) They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
8 “And remember, you have with you Shimei(P) son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim.(Q) When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore(R) to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9 But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom;(S) you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”
10 Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried(T) in the City of David.(U) 11 He had reigned(V) forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne(W) of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.(X)
Solomon’s Throne Established
13 Now Adonijah,(Y) the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”(Z)
He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” 14 Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”
“You may say it,” she replied.
15 “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. 16 Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”
“You may make it,” she said.
17 So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag(AA) the Shunammite as my wife.”
18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother,(AB) and she sat down at his right hand.(AC)
20 “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”
The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”
21 So she said, “Let Abishag(AD) the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag(AE) the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother(AF)—yes, for him and for Abiathar(AG) the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”
23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,(AH) if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24 And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised(AI)—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah(AJ) son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.(AK)
26 To Abiathar(AL) the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth.(AM) You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark(AN) of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”(AO) 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling(AP) the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.
28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns(AQ) of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar.(AR) Then Solomon ordered Benaiah(AS) son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”
30 So Benaiah entered the tent(AT) of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!(AU)’”
But he answered, “No, I will die here.”
Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”
31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood(AV) that Joab shed. 32 The Lord will repay(AW) him for the blood he shed,(AX) because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa(AY) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better(AZ) men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”
34 So Benaiah(BA) son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab(BB) and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35 The king put Benaiah(BC) son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok(BD) the priest.
36 Then the king sent for Shimei(BE) and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley,(BF) you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”(BG)
38 Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish(BH) son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” 40 At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.
41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn(BI) you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ 43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”
44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong(BJ) you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure(BK) before the Lord forever.”
46 Then the king gave the order to Benaiah(BL) son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei(BM) down and he died.
The kingdom was now established(BN) in Solomon’s hands.
1 Kings 2
King James Version
1 Kings 2
King James Version
2 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.
1 Kings 2
New King James Version
1 Kings 2
New King James Version
David’s Instructions to Solomon
2 Now (A)the days of David drew near that he should die, and he [a]charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 (B)“I go the way of all the earth; (C)be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may (D)prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the Lord may (E)fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, (F)‘If your sons take heed to their way, to (G)walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, (H)‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah (I)did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (J)Abner the son of Ner and (K)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6 Therefore do (L)according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.
7 “But show kindness to the sons of (M)Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who (N)eat at your table, for so (O)they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8 “And see, you have with you (P)Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But (Q)he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and (R)I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore, (S)do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but (T)bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”
Death of David(U)
10 So (V)David [b]rested with his fathers, and was buried in (W)the City of David. 11 The period that David (X)reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 (Y)Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was (Z)firmly established.
Solomon Executes Adonijah
13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, (AA)“Do you come peaceably?”
And he said, “Peaceably.” 14 Moreover he said, “I have something to say to you.”
And she said, “Say it.”
15 Then he said, “You know that the kingdom was (AB)mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; for (AC)it was his from the Lord. 16 Now I ask one petition of you; do not [c]deny me.”
And she said to him, “Say it.”
17 Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me (AD)Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
18 So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”
19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and (AE)bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother; (AF)so she sat at his right hand. 20 Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not [d]refuse me.”
And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
22 And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also—for he is my (AG)older brother—for him, and for (AH)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, (AI)“May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! 24 Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a [e]house for me, as He (AJ)promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
25 So King Solomon sent by the hand of (AK)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.
Abiathar Exiled, Joab Executed
26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to (AL)Anathoth, to your own fields, for [f]you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, (AM)because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, that he might (AN)fulfill the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.
28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab (AO)had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and (AP)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, (AQ)strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, “Thus says the king, (AR)‘Come out!’ ”
And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
31 Then the king said to him, (AS)“Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, (AT)that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. 32 So the Lord (AU)will return his [g]blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous (AV)and better than he, and killed them with the sword—(AW)Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and (AX)Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it. 33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and (AY)upon the head of his descendants forever. (AZ)But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”
34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put (BA)Zadok the priest in the place of (BB)Abiathar.
Shimei Executed
36 Then the king sent and called for (BC)Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. 37 For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross (BD)the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; (BE)your [h]blood shall be on your own head.”
38 And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
39 Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to (BF)Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” 40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. 42 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?” 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, (BG)all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the Lord will (BH)return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and (BI)the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the (BJ)kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 2:1 commanded
- 1 Kings 2:10 Died and joined his ancestors
- 1 Kings 2:16 Lit. turn away the face
- 1 Kings 2:20 Lit. turn away the face
- 1 Kings 2:24 Royal dynasty
- 1 Kings 2:26 Lit. you are a man of death
- 1 Kings 2:32 Or bloodshed
- 1 Kings 2:37 Or bloodshed
1 Kings 2
English Standard Version
1 Kings 2
English Standard Version
David's Instructions to Solomon
2 (A)When 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. (C)Be 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, (D)that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may (E)establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, (F)‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, (G)to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, (H)you shall not lack[a] a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah (I)did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, (J)Abner the son of Ner, (K)and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging[b] in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war[c] on the belt around his[d] waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore (L)according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of (M)Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be (N)among those who eat at your table, (O)for with such loyalty[e] they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you (P)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day (Q)when I went to Mahanaim. (R)But 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, (S)for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall (T)bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
The Death of David
10 (U)Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in (V)the city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was (W)forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 (X)So 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, (Y)“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 (Z)the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, (AA)for 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 (AB)Abishag 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, (AC)and 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 (AD)Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask (AE)Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, (AF)for he is my older brother, and on his side (AG)are Abiathar[f] the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, (AH)“God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! 24 Now therefore (AI)as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, (AJ)as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon sent (AK)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to (AL)Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, (AM)because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, (AN)and because you shared in all my father's affliction.” 27 (AO)So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling (AP)the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab (AQ)had supported Adonijah although (AR)he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the (AS)horns 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, (AT)“Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, (AU)and 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 (AV)bring 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 (AW)more righteous and better than himself, (AX)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (AY)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (AZ)So 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 (BA)The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put (BB)Zadok the priest (BC)in the place of Abiathar.
36 Then the king sent and summoned (BD)Shimei 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 (BE)the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. (BF)Your 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 (BG)Achish, 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 (BH)all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will (BI)bring back your harm on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, (BJ)and 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.
(BK)So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 2:4 Hebrew there shall not be cut off for you
- 1 Kings 2:5 Septuagint; Hebrew placing
- 1 Kings 2:5 Septuagint innocent blood
- 1 Kings 2:5 Septuagint my; twice in this verse
- 1 Kings 2:7 Or steadfast love
- 1 Kings 2:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew and for him and for Abiathar
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.