1 Kings 2
Expanded Bible
The Death of David(A)
2 ·Since it was almost time [As the time approached] for David to die, he gave ·his son Solomon his last commands [this charge to Solomon]. 2 David said, “·My time to die is near [L I am going the way of all the earth]. Be ·a good and strong leader [L strong and show yourself a man]. 3 ·Obey [Observe the injunctions/requirements of] the Lord your God. ·Follow him [Walk in his ways] by obeying his demands, his ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements], his laws, and his ·rules [regulations] that are written in the ·teachings [Law; L Torah] of Moses. If you do these things, you will ·be successful [prosper] in all you do and wherever you ·go [turn]. 4 And if you obey the Lord, he will ·keep the promise he made to [fulfill the word he spoke concerning] me. He said: ‘If your descendants ·live as I tell them [L are careful of their way] and ·have complete faith in me [L walk in truth/faith before me], ·a man from your family will always be king over the people [L they will never fail to have a man on the throne] of Israel.’
5 “Also, you remember what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me. He killed the two commanders of Israel’s armies: Abner son of Ner [2 Sam. 3:22–39] and Amasa son of Jether [2 Sam. 20:8–10]. ·He did this as if he and they were at war, although it was a time of peace [or…retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war]. He ·put their blood on [stained with their blood] the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 ·Punish him in [L Act] the way you think is wisest, but do not let him ·die peacefully of old age [go to Sheol/the grave in peace; C the place of the dead].
7 “·Be kind [Show love] to the children of Barzillai of Gilead, and allow them to eat at your table. They ·welcomed [cared for; stood by] me when I ·ran away [fled] from your brother Absalom.
8 “And remember, Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite, is here with you. He cursed ·me [L me violently/with a terrible curse] the day I went to Mahanaim [2 Sam. 16:5–19]. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I ·promised [vowed/swore to] him before the Lord, ‘Shimei, I will not ·kill you [L put you to death by the sword; 2 Sam 19:16–23].’ 9 But you should not ·leave him unpunished [consider him innocent/guiltless]. You are a wise man, and you will know what to do to him, ·but you must be sure he is killed [L and will bring his bloody gray head to Sheol/the grave; 2:6].”
10 Then David ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David [C Jerusalem]. 11 He had ·ruled [reigned] over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 Solomon ·became king after [L sat on the throne of] David, his father, and ·he was in firm control of [firmly established] his ·kingdom [rule].
Solomon’s Reign Begins
13 At this time Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Do you come in peace?” Bathsheba asked.
“Yes, ·this is a peaceful visit [L in peace],” Adonijah answered. 14 “I have something to say to you.”
“You may speak,” she said.
15 “You ·remember [know] that at one time the kingdom was mine,” Adonijah said. “All the people of Israel ·recognized [wanted; looked to; expected] me as their king, but ·things have changed [L the kingdom has turned]. Now my brother is the king, because ·the Lord chose him [L it was his from the Lord]. 16 Now I have one ·thing [request; favor] to ask you; please do not refuse me.”
Bathsheba answered, “What do you want?”
17 “I know King Solomon will ·do anything you ask him [not refuse you],” Adonijah continued. “Please ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite [1 Kin. 1:3–4] to be my wife.”
18 “Very well,” she answered. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. When Solomon saw her, he stood up to meet her, then bowed down, and sat on the throne. He told some servants to bring another throne for his mother. Then she sat down at his right ·side [hand].
20 Bathsheba said, “I have one small thing to ask you. Please do not ·refuse me [turn me down].”
“Ask, mother,” the king answered. “I will not ·refuse you [turn you down].”
21 So she said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to ·marry [be given to] your brother Adonijah.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask me to give him Abishag? ·Why don’t you also [You may as well] ask for him to become the king since he is my older brother? Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah ·would support him [are on his side]!”
23 Then King Solomon ·swore [vowed; promised] by the name of the Lord, saying, “May God ·punish me terribly [deal severely with me, and worse; L do to me, and even more] if ·this doesn’t cost Adonijah [Adonijah doesn’t pay for this request/word with] his life! 24 By the Lord who has ·given me [established/confirmed me on] the throne that belonged to my father David and who has kept his promise and ·given the kingdom to me and my people [established my dynasty; L made me a house; 2 Sam. 7], Adonijah will die today!” 25 Then King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went and ·killed [struck down] Adonijah.
26 King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, “·I should kill you too [You deserve to die], but ·I will allow you to go back [go] to your fields in Anathoth. I will not kill you at this time, because you helped carry the Ark of the Lord God ·while marching with [for; before] my father David. And I know you shared in all the hard times with him.” 27 Then Solomon ·removed [dismissed; banished] Abiathar from being the Lord’s priest. ·This happened as the Lord had said it would […in order to fulfill the word of the Lord], when he was speaking in Shiloh about the priest Eli and his ·descendants [L house; 1 Sam. 2:34–36].
28 When Joab heard about what had happened, he was afraid. He had supported Adonijah but not Absalom. So Joab ·ran [fled] to the Tent of the Lord [C in which the Ark was kept] and took hold of the ·corners [horns; 1:50] of the altar. 29 Someone told King Solomon that Joab had run to the Tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah to go and kill him.
30 Benaiah went into the Tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”
But Joab answered, “No, I will die here.”
So Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said. 31 Then the king ordered Benaiah, “Do as he says! Kill him there and bury him. Then my ·family [L father’s house] and I will ·be free of the guilt of Joab, who has killed innocent people [L have taken away the blood Joab shed without cause]. 32 Without my father knowing it, he killed two men who were ·much [more righteous and] better than he was—Abner son of Ner, the commander of Israel’s army [2 Sam. 3:22–39], and Amasa son of Jether, the commander of Judah’s army [2 Sam. 20:8–10]. So the Lord will ·pay him back [L bring his blood on his own head] for those deaths. 33 Joab and his ·family [descendants] will ·be forever guilty for their deaths [L have their blood on their heads forever], but there will be peace from the Lord for David, his descendants, his ·family [L house], and his throne forever.”
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada killed Joab, and he was buried near his home in the ·desert [wilderness]. 35 The king then ·made [appointed] Benaiah son of Jehoiada commander of the army in Joab’s place. He also ·made [appointed] Zadok the new high priest in Abiathar’s place.
36 Next the king sent for Shimei. Solomon said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there. Don’t leave the city. 37 The very day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley [C bordering Jerusalem], ·someone will kill you [L you will surely die], and ·it will be your own fault [L your blood will be on your own head].”
38 So Shimei answered the king, “·I agree with what you say [Your sentence/demand/word is fair]. I will do what you say, my master and king.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem ·for a long time [L many days].
39 But three years later two of Shimei’s ·slaves [servants] ran away to Achish king of Gath, who was the son of Maacah. Shimei heard that his ·slaves [servants] were in Gath, 40 so he put his saddle on his donkey and went to Achish at Gath to find them. Then he brought them back from Gath.
41 Someone told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 42 So Solomon sent for Shimei and said, “I made you ·promise [vow; swear] in the name of the Lord not to leave Jerusalem. I warned you ·if you went out anywhere you would [L that on the day you left you would surely] die, and you ·agreed to what I said [said, “The sentence/demand/word is fair”]. 43 Why did you break your ·promise [vow; oath] to the Lord and disobey my command?” 44 The king also said, “You know the ·many wrong [evil; wicked] things you did to my father David, so now the Lord will ·punish you for those wrongs [L return your evil on your own head]. 45 But the Lord will bless ·me [L King Solomon] and ·make the rule of David safe [establish/secure the throne of David] before the Lord forever.”
46 Then the king ordered Benaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. Now ·Solomon was in full control of his kingdom [L the kingdom was established/secured in Solomon’s hands].
1 Kings 2
New American Standard Bible 1995
David’s Charge to Solomon
2 As David’s [a](A)time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(B)I am going the way of all the earth. (C)Be strong, therefore, and [b]show yourself a man. 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, (D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (E)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (F)the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(G)If your sons are careful of their way, (H)to walk before Me in [c]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, [d](I)you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you also know what Joab the (J)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (K)Abner the son of Ner, and to (L)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also [e]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt [f]about his waist, and on his sandals [g]on his feet. 6 (M)So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to [h]Sheol in peace. 7 But (N)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (O)let them be among those who eat at your table; (P)for they [i]assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 Behold, (Q)there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a [j]violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (R)he came down to 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 let him go unpunished, (S)for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to [k]Sheol with blood.”
Death of David
10 Then (T)David slept with his fathers and was buried in (U)the city of David. 11 (V)The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: (W)seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 12 And (X)Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “(Y)Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15 So he said, “You know that (Z)the kingdom was mine and (AA)that all Israel [l]expected me to be king; (AB)however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, (AC)for it was his from the Lord. 16 Now I am making one request of you; do not [m]refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not [n]refuse you, that he may give me (AD)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
Adonijah Executed
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he (AE)had a throne set for the king’s mother, and (AF)she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; (AG)do not [o]refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not [p]refuse you.” 21 So she said, “(AH)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? (AI)Ask for him also the kingdom—(AJ)for he is my older brother—even for him, for (AK)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has (AL)not spoken this word against his own [q]life. 24 Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and (AM)who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon (AN)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.
26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “(AO)Go to Anathoth to your own field, (AP)for you [r]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because (AQ)you carried the ark of the Lord [s]God before my father David, and because (AR)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill (AS)the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Executed
28 Now the news came to Joab, (AT)for Joab had followed Adonijah, (AU)although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and (AV)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon (AW)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “(AX)Go, fall upon him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king said to him, “(AY)Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, (AZ)that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. 32 (BA)The Lord will return his blood on his own head, (BB)because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: (BC)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (BD)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (BE)So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his [t]descendants forever; but to David and his [u]descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then (BF)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (BG)in the wilderness. 35 (BH)The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (BI)Zadok the priest (BJ)in the place of Abiathar.
Shimei Executed
36 Now the king sent and called for (BK)Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. 37 For on the day you go out and (BL)cross over the [v]brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall surely die; (BM)your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away (BN)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word which I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I [w]have laid on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(BO)You know all the evil which [x]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (BP)the Lord shall return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and (BQ)the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” 46 (BR)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died.
(BS)Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 2:1 Lit days
- 1 Kings 2:2 Lit become a man
- 1 Kings 2:4 Or faithfulness
- 1 Kings 2:4 Lit there shall not be cast off to you a man from before Me
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit made
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit that was about
- 1 Kings 2:5 Lit that were on
- 1 Kings 2:6 I.e. the nether world
- 1 Kings 2:7 Lit came near to
- 1 Kings 2:8 Or grievous
- 1 Kings 2:9 I.e. the nether world
- 1 Kings 2:15 Lit set their faces on me
- 1 Kings 2:16 Lit turn away my face
- 1 Kings 2:17 Lit turn away your face
- 1 Kings 2:20 Lit turn away my face
- 1 Kings 2:20 Lit turn away your face
- 1 Kings 2:23 Lit soul
- 1 Kings 2:26 Lit are a man of death
- 1 Kings 2:26 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
- 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
- 1 Kings 2:37 Or wadi
- 1 Kings 2:43 Lit commanded
- 1 Kings 2:44 Lit your heart acknowledges
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
