1 Kings 2

1 And the days of David to die draw near, and he charges his son Solomon, saying,

And the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged his son Solomon, saying:

2 “I am going in the way of all the earth, and you have been strong, and become a man,

I am going the way of all flesh: take thou courage, and shew thyself a man.

3 and you have kept the charge of your God YHWH, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commands, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you do wisely [in] all that you do, and wherever you turn,

And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and observe his ceremonies, and his precepts, and judgments, and testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses: that thou mayest understand all thou dost, and whithersoever thou shalt turn thyself:

4 so that YHWH establishes His word which He spoke to me, saying, If your sons observe their way to walk before Me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul; saying, A man of yours is never cut off from the throne of Israel.

That the Lord may confirm his words, which he hath spoken of me, saying: If thy children shall take heed to their ways, and shall walk before me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, there shall not be taken away from thee a man on the throne of Israel.

5 And also, you have known that which he did to me—Joab son of Zeruiah—that which he did to two heads of the hosts of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether—that he slays them, and makes the blood of war in peace, and puts the blood of war in his girdle, that [is] on his loins, and in his sandals that [are] on his feet;

Thou knowest also what Joab the son of Sarvia hath done to me, what he did to the two captains of the army of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether: whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

6 and you have done according to your wisdom, and do not let his old age go down in peace to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)

Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to hell in peace. (Sheol h7585)

7 And you do kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and they have been among those eating at your table, for so they drew near to me in my fleeing from the face of your brother Absalom.

But shew kindness to the sons of Berzellai the Galaadite, and let them eat at thy table: for they met me when I fled from the face of Absalom thy brother.

8 And behold, Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, [is] with you, and he reviled me—a grievous reviling—in the day of my going to Mahanaim; and he has come down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swear to him by YHWH, saying, I do not put you to death by the sword;

Thou hast also with thee Semei the son of Gera the son of Jemini of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse, when I went to the camp: but because he came down to meet me when I passed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying: I will not kill thee with a sword:

9 and now, do not acquit him, for you [are] a wise man, and you have known that which you do to him, and have brought down his old age with blood to Sheol.” (Sheol h7585)

Do not thou hold him guiltless. But thou art a wise man, and knowest what to do with him, and thou shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to hell. (Sheol h7585)

10 And David lies down with his fathers, and is buried in the City of David,

So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

11 and the days that David has reigned over Israel [are] forty years; he has reigned seven years in Hebron, and he has reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

And the days that David reigned in Israel, were forty years: in Hebron he reigned seven years, in Jerusalem thirty-three.

12 And Solomon has sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom is established greatly,

And Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was strengthened exceedingly.

13 and Adonijah son of Haggith comes to Bathsheba, mother of Solomon, and she says, “Is your coming peace?” And he says, “Peace.”

And Adonias the son of Haggith came to Bethsabee the mother of Solomon. And she said to him: Is thy coming peaceable? he answered: Peaceable.

14 And he says, “I have a word for you,” and she says, “Speak.”

And he added: I have a word to speak with thee. She said to him: Speak. And he said:

15 And he says, “You have known that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their faces toward me for reigning, and the kingdom is turned around, and is my brother’s, for it was his from YHWH;

Thou knowest that the kingdom was nine, and all Israel had preferred me to be their king: but the kingdom is transferred, and is become my brother’s: for it was appointed him by the Lord.

16 and now, I am asking one petition of you—do not turn back my face”; and she says to him, “Speak.”

Now therefore I ask one petition of thee: turn not away my face. And she said to him: Say on.

17 And he says, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he does not turn back your face, and he gives Abishag the Shunammite to me for a wife.”

And he said: I pray thee speak to king Solomon (for he cannot deny thee any thing) to give me Abisag the Sunamitess to wife.

18 And Bathsheba says, “Good; I speak to the king for you.”

And Bethsabee said: Well, I will speak for thee to the king.

19 And Bathsheba comes to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king rises to meet her, and bows himself to her, and sits on his throne, and places a throne for the mother of the king, and she sits at his right hand.

Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right hand.

20 And she says, “I ask one small petition of you, do not turn back my face”; and the king says to her, “Ask, my mother, for I do not turn back your face.”

And she said to him: I desire one small petition of thee, do not put me to confusion. And the king said to her: My mother, ask: for I must not turn away thy face.

21 And she says, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah for a wife.”

And she said: Let Abisag the Sunamitess be given to Adonias thy brother to wife.

22 And King Solomon answers and says to his mother, “And why are you asking [for] Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Also ask [for] the kingdom for him—for he [is] my elder brother—even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.”

And king Solomon answered, and said to his mother: Why dost thou ask Abisag the Sunamitess for Adonias? ask for him also the kingdom: for he is my elder brother, and hath Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Sarvia.

23 And King Solomon swears by YHWH, saying, “Thus God does to me, and thus He adds—surely Adonijah has spoken this word against his [own] soul;

Then king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: So and so may God do to me, and add more, if Adonias hath not spoken this word against his own life.

24 and now, YHWH lives, who has established me, and causes me to sit on the throne of my father David, and who has made a house for me as He spoke—surely Adonijah is put to death today.”

And now as the Lord liveth, who hath established me, and placed me upon the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, Adonias shall be put to death this day.

25 And King Solomon sends by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he falls on him, and he dies.

And king Solomon sent by the hand of Banaias the son of Joiada, who slew him, and he died.

26 And the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go to Anathoth, to your fields; for you [are] a man of death, but I do not put you to death in this day, because you have carried the Ark of Lord YHWH before my father David, and because you were afflicted in all that my father was afflicted in.”

And the king said also to Abiathar the priest: Go to Anathoth to thy lands, for indeed thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst carry the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and hast endured trouble in all the troubles my father endured.

27 And Solomon casts out Abiathar from being priest of YHWH, to fulfill the word of YHWH which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

So Solomon cast out Abiathar, from being the priest of the Lord, that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he spoke concerning the house of Deli in Silo.

28 And the report has come to Joab—for Joab has turned aside after Adonijah, though he did not turn aside after Absalom—and Joab flees to the tent of YHWH, and lays hold on the horns of the altar.

And the news came to Joab, because Joab had turned after Adonias, and had not turned after Solomon: and Joab fled into the tabernacle of the Lord and laid hold on the horn of the altar.

29 And it is declared to King Solomon that Joab has fled to the tent of YHWH, and behold, [is] near the altar; and Solomon sends Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall on him.”

And it was told king Solomon, that Joab was fled into the tabernacle of the Lord, and was by the altar: and Solomon sent Banaias the son of Joiada, saying: Go, kill him.

30 And Benaiah comes into the tent of YHWH and says to him, “Thus said the king: Come out”; and he says, “No, but I die here.” And Benaiah brings back word [to] the king, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, indeed, thus he answered me.”

And Banaias came to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him: Thus saith the king: Come forth. And he said: I will not come forth, but here I will die. Banaias brought word back to the king, saying: Thus saith Joab, and thus he answered me.

31 And the king says to him, “Do as he has spoken, and fall on him, and you have buried him, and turned aside the causeless blood which Joab shed from off me, and from off the house of my father;

And the king said to him: Do as he hath said: and kill him, and bury him, and thou shalt remove the innocent blood which hath been shed by Joab, from me, and from the house of my father.

32 and YHWH has turned back his blood on his own head, [on him] who has fallen on two men more righteous and better than he, and slays them with the sword—and my father David did not know—Abner son of Ner, head of the host of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, head of the host of Judah;

And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, because he murdered two men, just and better than himself: and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing it, Abner the son of Ner, general of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, general of the army of Juda.

33 indeed, their blood has turned back on the head of Joab, and on the head of his seed for all time; and for David, and for his seed, and for his house, and for his throne, there is peace for all time, from YHWH.”

And their blood shall return the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever. But to David and his seed and his house, and to his throne be peace for ever from the Lord.

34 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada goes up and falls on him, and puts him to death, and he is buried in his own house in the wilderness,

So Banaias the son of Joiada went up, and setting upon him slew him, and he was buried in his house in the desert.

35 and the king puts Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the host in his stead, and the king has put Zadok the priest in the stead of Abiathar.

And the king appointed Banaias the son of Joiada in his room over the army, and Sadoc the priest he put in the place of Abiathar.

36 And the king sends and calls for Shimei, and says to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and you have dwelt there, and do not go out [from] there anywhere;

The king also sent, and called for Semei, and said to him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there: and go not out from thence any whither.

37 and it has been, in the day of your going out, and you have passed over the Brook of Kidron, you certainly know that you surely die—your blood is on your head.”

For on what day soever thou shalt go out, and shalt pass over the brook Cedron, know that thou shalt be put to death: thy blood shall be upon thy own head:

38 And Shimei says to the king, “The word [is] good; as my lord the king has spoken so your servant does”; and Shimei dwells in Jerusalem many days.

And Semei said to the king: The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Semei dwelt in Jerusalem, many days.

39 And it comes to pass, at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei flee to Achish son of Maachah, king of Gath, and they declare to Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants [are] in Gath”;

And it came to pass after three years, that the servants of Semei ran away to Achis the son of Maacha the king of Geth: and it was told Semei that his servants were gone to Geth.

40 and Shimei rises, and saddles his donkey, and goes to Gath, to Achish, to seek his servants, and Shimei goes and brings his servants from Gath.

And Semei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Achis to Geth to seek his servants, and he brought them out of Geth.

41 And it is declared to Solomon that Shimei has gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and returns,

And it was told Solomon that Semei had gone from Jerusalem to Geth, and was come back.

42 and the king sends and calls for Shimei, and says to him, “Have I not caused you to swear by YHWH—and I testify against you, saying, In the day of your going out, and you have gone anywhere, you certainly know that you surely die; and you say to me, The word I have heard [is] good?

And sending he called for him, and said to him: Did I not protest to thee by the Lord, and tell thee before: On what day soever thou shalt go out and walk abroad any whither, know that thou shalt die? And thou answeredst me: The word that I have heard is good.

43 And why have you not kept the oath of YHWH, and the charge that I charged on you?”

Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I laid upon thee?

44 And the king says to Shimei, “You have known all the evil that your heart has known, which you did to my father David, and YHWH has turned back your evil on your head,

And the king said to Semei: Thou knowest all the evil, of which thy heart is conscious, which thou didst to David my father: the Lord hath returned thy wickedness upon thy own head:

45 and King Solomon [is] blessed, and the throne of David is established before YHWH for all time.”

And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever.

46 And the king charges Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he goes out and falls on him, and he dies, and the kingdom is established in the hand of Solomon.

So the king commanded Banaias the son of Joiada: and he went out and struck him, and he died.