| Christian Standard Bible | New International Version |
| 1As the time approached for David to die, he ordered his son Solomon, | 1When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. |
| 2"As for me, I am going the way of all of the earth. Be strong and be a man, | 2"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man, |
| 3and keep your obligation to the LORD your God to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do and wherever you turn, | 3and observe 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 in all you do and wherever you go |
| 4and so that the LORD will fulfill his promise that he made to me: 'If your sons guard their way to walk faithfully before me with all their heart and all their soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' | 4and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' |
| 5"You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to the two commanders of Israel's army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet. | 5"Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me--what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa 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. |
| 6Act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head descend to Sheol in peace. | 6Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. |
| 7"Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table because they supported me when I fled from your brother Absalom. | 7"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom. |
| 8"Keep an eye on Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim who is with you. He uttered malicious curses against me the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, and I swore to him by the LORD: 'I will never kill you with the sword.' | 8"And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: 'I will not put you to death by the sword.' |
| 9So don't let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man. You know how to deal with him to bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood." | 9But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood." |
| 10Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. | 10Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. |
| 11The length of time David reigned over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. | 11He had reigned forty years over Israel--seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. |
| 12Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingship was firmly established. | 12So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established. |
| 13Now Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. She asked, "Do you come peacefully?" "Peacefully," he replied, | 13Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Bathsheba asked him, "Do you come peacefully?" He answered, "Yes, peacefully." |
| 14and then asked, "May I talk with you?" "Go ahead," she answered. | 14Then he added, "I have something to say to you." "You may say it," she replied. |
| 15"You know the kingship was mine," he said. "All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother, for the LORD gave it to him. | 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. |
| 16So now I have just one request of you; don't turn me down." She said to him, "Go on." | 16Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it," she said. |
| 17He replied, "Please speak to King Solomon since he won't turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife." | 17So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not refuse you--to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife." |
| 18"Very well," Bathsheba replied. "I will speak to the king for you." | 18"Very well," Bathsheba replied, "I will speak to the king for you." |
| 19So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king's mother. So she sat down at his right hand. | 19When 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, and she sat down at his right hand. |
| 20Then she said, "I have just one small request of you. Don't turn me down." "Go ahead and ask, mother," the king replied, "for I won't turn you down." | 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." |
| 21So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife." | 21So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah." |
| 22King Solomon answered his mother, "Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my elder brother, you might as well ask the kingship for him, for the priest Abiathar, and for Joab son of Zeruiah." | 22King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him--after all, he is my older brother--yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!" |
| 23Then King Solomon took an oath by the LORD: "May God punish me and do so severely if Adonijah has not made this request at the cost of his life. | 23Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! |
| 24And now, as the LORD lives--the one who established me, seated me on the throne of my father David, and made me a dynasty as he promised--I swear Adonijah will be put to death today!" | 24And 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--Adonijah shall be put to death today!" |
| 25Then King Solomon dispatched Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died. | 25So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died. |
| 26The king said to the priest Abiathar, "Go to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death today, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD in the presence of my father David and you suffered through all that my father suffered." | 26To Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign LORD before my father David and shared all my father's hardships." |
| 27So Solomon banished Abiathar from being the LORD's priest, and it fulfilled the LORD's prophecy he had spoken at Shiloh against Eli's family. | 27So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD, fulfilling the word the LORD had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. |
| 28The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah but not Absalom, Joab fled to the LORD's tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar. | 28When 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 of the altar. |
| 29It was reported to King Solomon: "Joab has fled to the LORD's tabernacle and is now beside the altar." Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada and told him, "Go and strike him down!" | 29King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down!" |
| 30So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, "This is what the king says: 'Come out!'" But Joab said, "No, for I will die here." So Benaiah took a message back to the king, "This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me." | 30So Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But he answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me." |
| 31The king said to him, "Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father's family the blood that Joab shed without just cause. | 31Then 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 that Joab shed. |
| 32The LORD will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David's knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered 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 the blood he shed, 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 son of Jether, commander of Judah's army--were better men and more upright than he. |
| 33The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the LORD forever." | 33May 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." |
| 34Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness. | 34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. |
| 35Then the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab's place over the army, and he appointed the priest Zadok in Abiathar's place. | 35The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest. |
| 36Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but don't leave there and go anywhere else. | 36Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. |
| 37On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head." | 37The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head." |
| 38Shimei said to the king, "The sentence is fair; your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken." And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. | 38Shimei 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. |
| 39But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was informed, "Look, your slaves are in Gath." | 39But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath." |
| 40So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath. | 40At 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. |
| 41It was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. | 41When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, |
| 42So the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Didn't I make you swear by the LORD and warn you, saying, 'On the day you leave and go anywhere else, know for sure that you will certainly die'? And you said to me, 'The sentence is fair; I will obey.' | 42the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn 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.' |
| 43So why have you not kept the LORD's oath and the command that I gave you?" | 43Why then did you not keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?" |
| 44The king also said, "You yourself know all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore, the LORD has brought back your evil on your head, | 44The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the LORD will repay you for your wrongdoing. |
| 45but King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain established before the LORD forever." | 45But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain secure before the LORD forever." |
| 46Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in Solomon's hand. | 46Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and he died. The kingdom was now established in Solomon's hands. |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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