الإصحَاحُ
الثَّانِي

 

Chapter
2

1
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his
son, saying,

2
I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a
man;

3
And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his
statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it
is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou
doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

4
That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If
thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their
heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the
throne of Israel.

5
Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he
did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and
unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace,
and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his
shoes that were on his feet.

6
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the
grave in peace.

7
But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of
those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of
Absalom thy brother.

8
And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of
Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to
Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the
LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

9
Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what
thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave
with blood.

10
So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

11
And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned
he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

12
Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was
established greatly.

13
And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And
she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.

14
He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.

15
And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set
their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about,
and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the LORD.

16
And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.

17
And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say
thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.

18
And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.

19
Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah.
And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on
his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on
his right hand.

20
Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not
nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee
nay.

21
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to
wife.

22
And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask
Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is
mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the
son of Zeruiah.

23
Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if
Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.

24
Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the
throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised,
Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

25
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell
upon him that he died.

26
And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine
own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee
to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father,
and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.

27
So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might
fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28
Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned
not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught
hold on the horns of the altar.

29
And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the
LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.

30
And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith
the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah
brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.

31
And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury
him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me,
and from the house of my father.

32
And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men
more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father
David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of
Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

33
Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of
his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and
upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.

34
So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he
was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

35
And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and
Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.

36
And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house
in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.

37
For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook
Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall
be upon thine own head.

38
And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath
said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

39
And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of
Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei,
saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.

40
And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his
servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.

41
And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was
come again.

42
And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee
to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on
the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely
die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.

43
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have
charged thee with?

44
The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine
heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall
return thy wickedness upon thine own head;

45
And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established
before the LORD for ever.

46
So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell
upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.