2When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.H3117H1732H7126H4191H6680H8010H1121H5592"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man,H1980H1870H776H2388H3763and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go,H8104H4931H3068H430H3212H1870H8104H2708H4687H4941H5715H3789H8451H4872H7919H6213H64374and 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 man on the throne of Israel.'H3068H6965H1697H1696H559H1121H8104H1870H3212H6440H571H3824H5315H3772H559H376H3678H34785"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 stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.H3045H3097H1121H6870H6213H6213H8147H8269H6635H3478H74H1121H5369H6021H1121H3500H2026H7760H1818H4421H7965H5414H1818H4421H2290H4975H5275H72726Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.H6213H2451H7872H3381H7585H79657"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.H6213H2617H1121H1271H1569H398H7979H7126H1272H6440H53H2518"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.'H8096H1121H1617H1145H980H7043H4834H7045H3117H3212H4266H3381H7125H3383H7650H3068H559H4191H27199But 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."H5352H2450H376H3045H6213H7872H3381H7585H181810Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.H1732H7901H1H6912H5892H173211He had reigned forty years over Israel--seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.H3117H1732H4427H3478H705H8141H7651H8141H4427H2275H7970H7969H8141H4427H338912So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.H3427H8010H3678H1732H1H4438H3559H396613Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Bathsheba asked him, "Do you come peacefully?" He answered, "Yes, peacefully."H138H1121H2294H935H1339H517H8010H559H935H7965H559H796514Then he added, "I have something to say to you." "You may say it," she replied.H559H1697H559H169615"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.H559H3045H4410H3478H7760H6440H4427H4410H5437H251H306816Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it," she said.H7592H259H7596H7725H6440H559H169617So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not refuse you--to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."H559H559H8010H4428H7725H6440H7725H5414H49H7767H80218"Very well," Bathsheba replied, "I will speak to the king for you."H1339H559H2896H1696H442819When 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.H1339H935H4428H8010H1696H138H4428H6965H7125H7812H3427H3678H3678H7760H4428H517H3427H322520"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."H559H7592H259H6996H7596H7725H6440H7725H4428H559H7592H517H7725H6440H772521So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah."H559H49H7767H5414H138H251H80222King 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!"H4428H8010H6030H559H517H7592H49H7767H138H7592H4410H1419H251H54H3548H3097H1121H687023Then 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!H4428H8010H7650H3068H559H430H6213H3254H138H1696H1697H531524And 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!"H3068H2416H3559H3427H3678H1732H1H6213H1004H1696H138H4191H311725So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.H4428H8010H7971H3027H1141H1121H3077H6293H419126To 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."H54H3548H559H4428H3212H6068H7704H376H4194H3117H4191H5375H727H136H3069H6440H1732H1H6031H1H603127So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD, fulfilling the word the LORD had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.H8010H1644H54H3548H3068H4390H1697H3068H1696H1004H5941H788728When 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.H8052H935H3097H3097H5186H310H138H5186H310H53H3097H5127H168H3068H2388H7161H419629King 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!"H5046H4428H8010H3097H5127H168H3068H681H4196H8010H7971H1141H1121H3077H559H3212H629330So 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."H1141H935H168H3068H559H559H4428H3318H559H4191H1141H7725H4428H1697H7725H559H1696H3097H603031Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed.H4428H559H6213H1696H6293H6912H5493H2600H1818H3097H8210H1004H132The LORD will repay him for the blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David 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.H3068H7725H1818H7218H6293H8147H582H6662H2896H2026H2719H1H1732H3045H74H1121H5369H8269H6635H3478H6021H1121H3500H8269H6635H306333May 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."H1818H7725H7218H3097H7218H2233H5769H1732H2233H1004H3678H7965H5704H5769H306834So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert.H1141H1121H3077H5927H6293H4191H6912H1004H405735The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.H4428H5414H1141H1121H3077H6635H6659H3548H4428H5414H5436Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.H4428H7971H7121H8096H559H1129H1004H3389H3427H3318H57537The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head."H3117H3318H5674H5158H6939H3045H3045H4191H4191H1818H721838Shimei 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.H8096H559H4428H1697H2896H113H4428H1696H5650H6213H8096H3427H3389H7227H311739But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath."H7093H7969H8141H8147H5650H8096H1272H397H1121H4601H4428H1661H5046H8096H559H5650H166140At 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.H8096H6965H2280H2543H3212H1661H397H1245H5650H8096H3212H935H5650H166141When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,H5046H8010H8096H1980H3389H1661H772542the 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.'H4428H7971H7121H8096H559H7650H3068H5749H559H3045H3045H3117H3318H1980H575H4191H4191H559H1697H8085H289643Why then did you not keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?"H8104H7621H3068H4687H668044The 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.H4428H559H8096H3045H7451H3824H3045H6213H1732H1H3068H7725H7451H721845But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain secure before the LORD forever."H4428H8010H1288H3678H1732H3559H6440H3068H5704H576946Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.H4428H6680H1141H1121H3077H3318H6293H4191H4467H3559H3027H8010