Open English Translation 1KI Chapter 2

2 When David knew that his death was close, he instructed his son Shelomoh, 2 “I’ll soon be coming to my end, but you must be strong and sensible. 3 You must maintain your God Yahweh’s charge to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commands, his judgments, and his testimonies, according to what is written in Mosheh’s instructions, so that you’ll be wise in everything you do and everywhere that you turn, 4 so that Yahweh’s promise to me that he’d keep one of my descendants on Israel’s throne, will stand because he gave the condition, ‘If your descendants will obey me and worship me in truth with all their hearts and with all their souls.’

5 “Also you’re aware of what Tseruyah’s son Yoav did to me—what he did to two of the commanders of Israel’s armies—to Ner’s son Abner and to Yeter’s son Amasa. He murdered them, shedding blood in peace-time as if it was in a war, and the blood guilt is on him from head to toe.[ref] 6 So use your own wisdom, but don’t let Yoav get old and die peacefully.

7 However, return loyal kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and invite them to join you at your table because they helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Abshalom.[ref]

8 Then there’s Gera’s son Shimei, the Benyamite from Bahurim. He cursed me horribly when I was going to Mahanaim. Then he went down to meet me at the Yordan, and I promised him by Yahweh that I wouldn’t execute him,[ref] 9 so don’t leave him unpunished now. You’re a wise man and you’ll know how to handle him. Although he’s old, make sure he has a bloody death.

10 Then David breathed his last and was buried in the City of David. 11 He had reigned over Israel for forty years—seven years from Hebron and thirty-three years from Yerushalem.[ref] 12 Shelomoh replaced his father David on the throne, and his authority was established with firmness.[ref]

13 Then Haggit’s son Adoniyyah came to Shelomoh’s mother Batsheva and she asked him, “Is your coming peaceful?”

“It is,” he replied. 14 “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” she answered.

15 “You yourself know that the kingship was for me as the oldest son,” he said, “and all Israel wanted me to reign. But then Yahweh decided that it was for my brother, and then everything got turned around. 16 So now, I have only one thing to request from you—please don’t refuse me.”

“Go on,” she said.

17 He said, “Please speak to Shelomoh the king because he wouldn’t refuse you. Ask him to give me Avishag the Shunammite as my wife.”[ref]

18 “Okay,” Batsheva agreed, “I’ll personally speak to the king for you.”

19 So Batsheva went to King Shelomoh to speak to him on Adoniyyah’s behalf. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and he had a throne placed on his right for his mother to sit on. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request for you. Please don’t say you won’t do it”

“What’s your request, my mother,” the king responded, “because I couldn’t refuse you.”

21 “Let Avishag the Shunammite,” she said, “be given to your brother Adoniyyah as a wife.”

22 King Shelomoh answered his mother, “You’re requesting Avishag the Shunammite for Adoniyyah! You might as well request the throne for him, because he’s my brother and he’s older than I am! And then he’ll want Evyatar the priest and Tseruyah’s son Yoav!” 23 Then Shelomoh promised by Yahweh, “May God do to me whatever he wants, unless Adoniyyah pays with his life for saying that. 24 And now as Yahweh lives, the one who established me and caused me to sit on the throne of my father David, and who promised David’s descendants to continue reigning, Adoniyyah will certainly be put to death today.”

25 So King Shelomoh instructed Yehoyada’s son Benayah and he went and struck Adoniyyah down and he died.

26 Then concerning Evyatar the priest, the king told him, “Go to your fields at Anatot because you’re marked for death, but I won’t do it today because you carried my master Yahweh’s sacred box ahead of my father David, and because you suffered through all that my father suffered.”[ref] 27 That was how Shelomoh banished Evyatar from being a priest to Yahweh. It was done to fulfill what Yahweh had said at Shiloh said about removing Eli’s descendants.[ref]

28 When the news of that reached Yoav, he fled to Yahweh’s tent and held onto the horns of the altar, because he had supported Adoniyyah (even though he hadn’t supported Avshalom). 29 Someone told King Shelomoh that Yoav had fled to Yahweh’s tent and was there beside the altar, so Shelomoh instructed Yehoyada’s son Benayah, “Go and strike him down.” 30 So Benayah entered Yahweh’s tent and he told Yoav, “The king said for you to come out.”

“No, I’ll die here,” he replied.

So Benayah went back to the king and reported both sides of the conversation 31 and the king told him, “Just do what he said. Kill him and bury him, and in that way you’ll remove the blood guilt from me and my descendants for the blood that Yoav shed without cause. 32 Yahweh will return his blood onto his own head, because he attacked two men more righteous and better than himself: Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Israel’s army, and Yeter’s son Amasa, the commander of Yehudah’s army. He killed them with the sword and my father David didn’t have anything to do with it. 33 Their shed blood will return onto Joav’s head and on the heads of his descendants forever. But for David and his family and his descendants and his throne, Yahweh will give peace forever.”

34 So Yehoyada’s son Benayah went and struck Yoav at the altar and killed him. Then he was buried on his property in the wilderness. 35 The king appointed Benayah as army commander to replace Yoav, and appointed Tsadok as priest in place of Evyatar.

36 Then the king summoned Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house here in Yerushalem and live there. But don’t go anywhere else 37 because the day that you leave and cross the Kidron valley, you can be certain that you’ll die. Your blood will be on your own head.”

38 “My master the king,” Shimei responded, “your decision is good and your servant will do just what you said.”

39 However, three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Maacah’s son, King Akish of Gat, and Shimei was told where they’d gone. 40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and rode it to Akish at Gat to try to find his slaves and he was able to recover them 41 But Shelomoh was told that Shimei left Yerushalem and gone to Gath and then returned. 42 So the king summoned Shimei and asked him, “Didn’t I get you to promise by Yahweh that you heard me say that whenever you leave here, you’ll certainly die? And didn’t you tell me that it was a good decision? 43 So why didn’t you keep the promise by Yahweh and obey what I instructed you? 44 You yourself know all the evil things that you did to my father David, so now Yahweh will return your evil on your head. 45 But despite what you yelled out,[ref] Yahweh will bless me as king, and David’s throne will be established forever in front of Yahweh.”

46 Then the king commanded Yehoyada’s son Benayah, and he went out and put Shimei to death.

In those ways, Shelomoh established his control of the kingdom.