| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1When David was close to death, he told Solomon his son: | 1As David's time to die approached, he addressed his son Solomon with these words: |
| 2"I am about to die. Be strong and become a man! | 2"I'm headed down the road that everyone who lives on earth travels, so be strong and demonstrate that you're a grown man |
| 3Do the job the LORD your God has assigned you by following his instructions and obeying his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish, | 3by keeping the charge that the LORD your God entrusted to you. Live life his way, keep his statutes, his commands, his ordinances, and his testimonies, just as they're written down in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything you do and wherever you go, |
| 4and the LORD will fulfill his promise to me, 'If your descendants watch their step and live faithfully in my presence with all their heart and being, then,' he promised, 'you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' | 4and so that the LORD may fulfill his promise that he spoke about me when he said, 'If your sons pay attention to how they live by walking truthfully in my presence with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never lack a man on the throne of Israel.' |
| 5"You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me--how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle; when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet. | 5"Furthermore, you're aware of what Zeruiah's son Joab did to me and to those two commanders of the armies of Israel, Ner's son Abner and Jether's son Amasa, whom he killed, and how he shed the blood of wartime during times of peace, staining the very belt he wears around his waist and the sandals he wears on his feet. |
| 6Do to him what you think is appropriate, but don't let him live long and die a peaceful death. | 6So act consistently with your wisdom, and don't let him die as a peaceful old man. |
| 7"Treat fairly the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs, because they helped me when I had to flee from your brother Absalom. | 7Be gracious to the descendants of Barzillai the Gileadite, and provide for them in your household, because they helped me when I had to run from your brother Absalom. |
| 8"Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim. He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised him by the LORD, 'I will not strike you down with the sword.' | 8"Pay attention now! You have with you Gera's son Shimei the descendant of Benjamin from Bahurim. He cursed me violently that day when I had to leave for Mahanaim. When he visited me at the Jordan River, I made an oath to the LORD and told him, 'I won't execute you with a sword.' |
| 9But now don't treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; make sure he has a bloody death." | 9But don't let him off unpunished, since you're a wise man and you'll know what you need to do to him. Find a way that he dies in his old age by shedding his blood." |
| 10Then David passed away and was buried in the city of David. | 10After this, David died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. |
| 11David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem thirty-three years. | 11David had reigned over Israel for 40 years. He reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33 years. |
| 12Solomon sat on his father David's throne, and his royal authority was firmly solidified. | 12Solomon then assumed his father David's throne, and his kingdom was firmly established. |
| 13Haggith's son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. She asked, "Do you come in peace?" He answered, "Yes." | 13Later, Haggith's son Adonijah approached Solomon's mother. "Are you here on a peaceful mission?" she asked. "Yes," he replied. |
| 14He added, "I have something to say to you." She replied, "Speak." | 14"I have something to ask you about." "Talk," she told him. |
| 15He said, "You know that the kingdom was mine and all Israel considered me king. But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the LORD decided it should be his. | 15So he replied, "You know that the kingdom should have come to me, and that everyone in Israel intended to place me as the next king. However, the kingdom has turned around and now belongs to my brother, because it went to him from the LORD. |
| 16Now I'd like to ask you for just one thing. Please don't refuse me." She said, "Go ahead and ask." | 16So now I'm asking one thing from you. Don't refuse me." "Talk," she told him. |
| 17He said, "Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won't refuse you." | 17Then he asked her, "Please talk to King Solomon for me, since he won't refuse you. Ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife." |
| 18Bathsheba replied, "That's fine, I'll speak to the king on your behalf." | 18"Okay," Bathsheba replied. "I'll talk to the king for you." |
| 19So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah's behalf. The king got up to greet her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king's mother, and she sat at his right hand. | 19So Bathsheba went to talk to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. He ordered a throne be set in place for his mother. She sat on a throne to his right |
| 20She said, "I would like to ask you for just one small favor. Please don't refuse me." He said, "Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you." | 20and told him, "I would like to make a minor request of you. Please don't refuse me." "What is your request, mother?" the king asked her. "I won't turn you down." |
| 21She said, "Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife." | 21So she asked him, "Give Abishag the Shunammite to your brother Adonijah as a wife." |
| 22King Solomon answered his mother, "Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!" | 22But King Solomon replied to his mother, "Why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why not ask me to give up the kingdom for him, since he's my older brother, and why not ask for Abiathar the priest, and for Zeruiah's son Joab?" |
| 23King Solomon then swore an oath by the LORD, "May God judge me severely, if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life! | 23Then King Solomon took this oath in the name of the LORD: "May God do so to me, and more besides, if Adonijah hasn't endangered his life by bringing up this subject. |
| 24Now, as certainly as the LORD lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David's throne, and established a dynasty for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!" | 24Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of my father David, and who has established a dynasty, just like he promised, Adonijah will surely be executed today." |
| 25King Solomon then sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah. | 25So King Solomon sent for Jehoiada's son Benaiah, who attacked and killed Adonijah. |
| 26The king then told Abiathar the priest, "Go back to your property in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the sovereign LORD before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times." | 26The king also told Abiathar the priest, "Go home to Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won't kill you today, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David and because you shared all the troubles that my father went through." |
| 27Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his position as priest of the LORD, fulfilling the decree of judgment the LORD made in Shiloh against the family of Eli. | 27So Solomon fired Abiathar as the LORD's priest, thus fulfilling the promise that the LORD had spoken in Shiloh concerning Eli's household. |
| 28When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he ran to the tent of the LORD and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. | 28When Joab learned what had happened, he ran to the LORD's tent and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar, since Joab had supported Adonijah (though he had not supported Absalom). |
| 29When King Solomon heard that Joab had run to the tent of the LORD and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down." | 29Somebody informed King Solomon, "Joab just ran to the LORD's tent and now he's standing beside the altar!" But Solomon ordered Jehoiada's son Benaiah, "Go kill him!" |
| 30When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the LORD, he said to him, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But he replied, "No, I will die here!" So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab's reply. | 30So Benaiah went into the LORD's tent and told Joab, "The king orders you to come out!" "No," Joab said, "I'd rather die here!" So Benaiah went and informed the king, "This is how Joab answered me." |
| 31The king told him, "Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father's family the guilt of Joab's murderous, bloody deeds. | 31The king replied to him, "Do just what he asked. Kill him and bury him so that you may remove from me and from my father's household the guilt that Joab shed needlessly. |
| 32May the LORD punish him for the blood he shed; behind my father David's back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he--Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army. | 32The LORD will repay him for his bloodshed because, without my father David's consent he attacked and murdered two men more righteous and better than he, Ner's son Abner, the commander of Israel's army and Jether's son Amasa, commander of Judah's army. |
| 33May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the LORD give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family, and his dynasty." | 33May their blood be repaid to Joab and to his descendants forever, and may there be peace shown from the LORD forever to David, to his descendants, to his household, and to his throne." |
| 34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; he was buried at his home in the wilderness. | 34Jehoiada's son Benaiah then approached Joab, attacked him, killed him, and had him buried at Joab's home in the wilderness. |
| 35The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar's place. | 35The king appointed Jehoiada's son Benaiah in charge of the army to replace Joab and also appointed Zadok the priest to replace Abiathar. |
| 36Next the king summoned Shimei and told him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there--but you may not leave there to go anywhere! | 36The king sent for Shimei and told him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but don't go anywhere from there. |
| 37If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die! You will be responsible for your own death." | 37If you ever leave and cross the Kidron Brook, you can be sure that you'll die. You'll be responsible for your own death." |
| 38Shimei said to the king, "My master the king's proposal is acceptable. Your servant will do as you say." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. | 38Shimei replied to the king, "What your majesty has decreed is acceptable to me. I'll do what you've said." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for quite some time. |
| 39Three years later two of Shimei's servants ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. Shimei was told, "Look, your servants are in Gath." | 39But three years later, two of Shimei's servants escaped to Maacah's son Achish, the king of Gath. Somebody told Shimei, "Look! Your servants went to Gath!" |
| 40So Shimei got up, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to find his servants; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath. | 40So Shimei got up, saddled a donkey, and traveled to Gath to find his servants. He found them and brought them back from Gath. |
| 41When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned, | 41Later, Solomon found out that Shimei had left Jerusalem, gone to Gath, and had returned, |
| 42the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "You will recall that I made you take an oath by the LORD, and I solemnly warned you, 'If you ever leave and go anywhere, know for sure that you will certainly die.' You said to me, 'The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.' | 42so the king sent for Shimei and asked him, "Didn't I make a promise to the LORD and warn you, 'The day you leave and go anywhere else, you can be sure you'll die'? And you told me, 'What your majesty has decreed is acceptable to me.' |
| 43Why then have you broken the oath you made before the LORD and disobeyed the order I gave you?" | 43So why haven't you kept the oath you made to the LORD, and why didn't you obey my personal order to you?" |
| 44Then the king said to Shimei, "You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. The LORD will punish you for what you did. | 44The king also reminded Shimei, "You know all the evil things that you admit you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD is going to repay you for all of your evil. |
| 45But King Solomon will be empowered and David's dynasty will endure permanently before the LORD." | 45But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will be established in the presence of the LORD forever." |
| 46The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom. | 46So the king gave orders to Jehoiada's son Benaiah to go out, attack Shimei, and kill him. That is how the kingdom was established under Solomon's control. |
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