1 Kings 2:2-24 in English

² I am going the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man;

³ and keep the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself;

⁴ that Jehovah may establish 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 unto me, even 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 Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show 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 from Absalom thy brother.

⁸ And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I sware to him by Jehovah, 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 thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.

¹⁰ And 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 And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³ Then 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 Jehovah.

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 throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ Then she said, I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee.

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 Jehovah, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah hath not spoken this word against his own life.

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

² but be thou strong, and shew thyself a man;

³ and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep the commandments and the ordinances and the judgments which are written in the law of Moses; that thou mayest understand what thou shalt do in all things that I command thee:

⁴ that the Lord may confirm his word which he spoke, saying, If thy children shall take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart, I promise thee, saying, there shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel.

⁵ Moreover thou knowest all that Joab the son of Saruia did to me, what he did to the two captains of the forces of Israel, to Abenner the son of Ner, and to Amessai the son of Jether, that he slew them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put innocent blood on his girdle that was about his loins, and on his sandal that was on his foot.

⁶ Therefore thou shalt deal with him according to thy wisdom, and thou shalt not bring down his grey hairs in peace to the grave.

⁷ But thou shalt deal kindly with the sons of Berzelli the Galaadite, and they shall be among those that eat at thy table; for thus they drew nigh to me when I fled from the face of thy brother Abessalom.

⁸ And, behold, there is with thee Semei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Baurim: and he cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went into the camp; and he came down to Jordan to meet me, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

⁹ But thou shalt by no means hold him guiltless, for thou art a wise man, and wilt know what thou shalt do to him, and shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave.

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

¹¹ And the days which David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Chebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³ And Adonias the son of Aggith came in to Bersabee the mother of Solomon, and did obeisance to her: and she said, Dost thou enter peaceably? and he said, Peaceably:

¹⁴ I have business with thee. And she said to him, Say on.

¹⁵ And he said to her, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel turned their face toward me for a king; but the kingdom was turned from me and became my brother's: for it was appointed to him from the Lord.

¹⁶ And now I make one request of thee, do not turn away thy face. And Bersabee said to him, Speak on.

¹⁷ And he said to her, Speak, I pray thee, to king Solomon, for he will not turn away his face from thee, and let him give me Abisag the Somanite for a wife.

¹⁸ And Bersabee said, Well; I will speak for thee to the king.

¹⁹ And Bersabee went in to king Solomon to speak to him concerning Adonias; and the king rose up to meet her, and kissed her, and sat on the throne, and a throne was set for the mother of the king, and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ And she said to him, I ask of thee one little request; turn not away my face from thee. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, and I will not reject thee.

²¹ And she said, Let, I pray thee, Abisag the Somanite be given to Adonias thy brother to wife.

²² And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why hast thou asked Abisag for Adonias? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother, and he has for his companion Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Saruia the commander-in-chief.

²³ And king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if it be not that Adonias has spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ And now as the Lord lives who has established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and he has made me a house, as the Lord spoke, this day shall Adonias be put to death.

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.

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.

² but be you strong, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to keep the commandments and the ordinances and the judgments which are written in the law of Moses; that you may understand what you shall do in all things that I command you:

⁴ that the Lord may confirm his word which he spoke, saying, If your children shall take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart, I promise you, saying, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.

⁵ Moreover you know all that Joab the son of Saruia did to me, what he did to the two captains of the forces of Israel, to Abenner the son of Ner, and to Amessai the son of Jether, that he killed them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put innocent blood on his girdle that was about his loins, and on his sandal that was on his foot.

⁶ Therefore you shall deal with him according to your wisdom, and you shall not bring down his grey hairs in peace to the grave.

⁷ But you shall deal kindly with the sons of Berzelli the Galaadite, and they shall be among those that eat at your table; for thus they drew near to me when I fled from the face of your brother Abessalom.

⁸ And, behold, there is with you Semei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Baurim: and he cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went into the camp; and he came down to Jordan to meet me, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.

⁹ But you shall by no means hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man, and will know what you shall do to him, and shall bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave.

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

¹¹ And the days which David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Chebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³ And Adonias the son of Aggith came in to Bersabee the mother of Solomon, and did obeisance to her: and she said, Do you enter peaceably? and he said, Peaceably:

¹⁴ I have business with you. And she said to him, Say on.

¹⁵ And he said to her, You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel turned their face toward me for a king; but the kingdom was turned from me and became my brother's: for it was appointed to him from the Lord.

¹⁶ And now I make one request of you, do not turn away your face. And Bersabee said to him, Speak on.

¹⁷ And he said to her, Speak, I pray you, to king Solomon, for he will not turn away his face from you, and let him give me Abisag the Somanite for a wife.

¹⁸ And Bersabee said, Well; I will speak for you to the king.

¹⁹ And Bersabee went in to king Solomon to speak to him concerning Adonias; and the king rose up to meet her, and kissed her, and sat on the throne, and a throne was set for the mother of the king, and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ And she said to him, I ask of you one little request; turn not away my face from you. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, and I will not reject you.

²¹ And she said, Let, I pray you, Abisag the Somanite be given to Adonias your brother to wife.

²² And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why have you asked Abisag for Adonias? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother, and he has for his companion Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Saruia the commander-in-chief.

²³ And king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if it be not that Adonias has spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ And now as the Lord lives who has established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and he has made me a house, as the Lord spoke, this day shall Adonias be put to death.

² I go the way of all the earth: he 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, according to that which 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 establish 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 unto me, even 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 from Absalom thy brother.

⁸ And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who 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 thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.

¹⁰ And 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 And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³ Then 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 throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.

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

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

² “I am about to die EUP, like everyone else on earth does. Be courageous and conduct yourself as an adult should.

³ Do what Yahweh our God tells you to do. Conduct yourself as he wants you to do. Obey all of his laws and commands and precepts and instructions that are written in the laws that Moses gave us. Do this in order that you will prosper in all that you do and wherever you go.

⁴ If you continually do that, Yahweh will do what he promised me: He said, ‘If your descendants do what I tell them to do, and faithfully obey my commands with all their inner beings, they will always be LIT the ones who will rule MTY Israel.’

⁵ There is something else that I want you to do. You know what Joab did to me. He killed my two army commanders, Abner and Amasa. He murdered them violently MTY during a time of peace, pretending that it was a time of war. Those two men ◄were innocent/had not done what was wrong►. But Joab killed them and caused their blood to stain his belt and his sandals.

⁶ Because you are wise, do to him what you think is best for you to do, but do not allow him to become old MTY and then die IDM peacefully.

⁷ But be kind to the sons of Barzillai, the man from the Gilead region, and be sure that they always have enough food to eat MTY. Do that because Barzillai helped me when I was running away from your older brother Absalom.

⁸ Also, you remember Gera's son Shimei from Bahurim town in the area where the descendants of Benjamin live. You know what he did to me. He cursed me terribly on the day I left Jerusalem and went to Mahanaim town. But when he later came down to see me at the Jordan River, I solemnly promised, while Yahweh listened MTY, that I would not cause him to be executed.

⁹ But now you must LIT surely punish him. You are a wise man, so you will know what you should do to him. He is an old man MTY, but be sure that he loses/sheds a lot of blood when you kill him MTY.”

¹⁰ Then David died EUP and was buried in that part of Jerusalem which was called ❛The City of David❜.

¹¹ David had been the king of Israel for 40 years: He ruled for seven years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon became the ruler/king MTY to take the place of his father David and took control of all of the kingdom.

¹³ One day Adonijah came to Solomon's mother Bathsheba. She said to him, “Have you come because you want things to go well?” He replied, “Yes.”

¹⁴ But then he said, “I have something to ask you to do.” She said, “Tell me what you want me to do.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that all the Israeli people expected me to be their king because I am David's oldest surviving son. But that did not happen. Instead, my younger brother became king, because that is what Yahweh wanted.

¹⁶ Now I have one thing that I ask you to do. Please do not refuse to do it.” She replied, “Tell me what you want me to do.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please ask King Solomon to give to me Abishag, the woman from Shunem town, to be my wife. I am sure that he will not refuse.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba replied, “Okay, I will speak to the king for you.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to tell him what Adonijah wanted. The king got up from his throne and went to greet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne again and asked someone to bring a chair for her. So she sat down at the king's right side.

²⁰ Then she said, “I have one small thing which I want you to do; please do not say that you will not do it.” The king replied, “Mother, what do you want? I will not refuse you.”

²¹ She said, “Allow Abishag to be given to your older brother Adonijah to be his wife.”

²² The king replied angrily, “What? Are you requesting me to give Abishag to Adonijah? Does he want me to allow him to rule the kingdom, too? Because he is my older brother, does he think that he should be the king? Does he think that Abiathar should be the priest instead of Zadok, and that Joab should be the army commander instead of Benaiah because they supported him when he tried to become the king?”

²³ Then Solomon solemnly promised, requesting Yahweh to listen, “I wish God would strike me and kill me if I do not cause Adonijah to be executed for requesting this!

²⁴ Yahweh has appointed me to be the king and placed me here to rule MTY as my father David did. He has promised that my descendants MTY will be the kings of Israel. So just as surely as Yahweh lives, I solemnly promise that Adonijah will be executed today!”

² but be you strong, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to keep the commandments and the ordinances and the judgements which are written in the law of Moses; that you may understand what you shall do in all things that I command you:

⁴ that the Lord may confirm his word which he spoke, saying, If your children shall take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart, I promise you, saying, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.

⁵ Moreover you know all that Joab the son of Saruia did to me, what he did to the two captains of the forces of Israel, to Abenner the son of Ner, and to Amessai the son of Jether, that he killed them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put innocent blood on his girdle that was about his loins, and on his sandal that was on his foot.

⁶ Therefore you shall deal with him according to your wisdom, and you shall not bring down his grey hairs in peace to the grave.

⁷ But you shall deal kindly with the sons of Berzelli the Galaadite, and they shall be amongst those that eat at your table; for thus they drew near to me when I fled from the face of your brother Abessalom.

⁸ And, behold, there is with you Semei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Baurim: and he cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went into the camp; and he came down to Jordan to meet me, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.

⁹ But you shall by no means hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man, and will know what you shall do to him, and shall bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave.

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

¹¹ And the days which David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Chebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³ And Adonias the son of Aggith came in to Bersabee the mother of Solomon, and did obeisance to her: and she said, Do you enter peaceably? and he said, Peaceably:

¹⁴ I have business with you. And she said to him, Say on.

¹⁵ And he said to her, You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel turned their face towards me for a king; but the kingdom was turned from me and became my brother's: for it was appointed to him from the Lord.

¹⁶ And now I make one request of you, do not turn away your face. And Bersabee said to him, Speak on.

¹⁷ And he said to her, Speak, I pray you, to king Solomon, for he will not turn away his face from you, and let him give me Abisag the Somanite for a wife.

¹⁸ And Bersabee said, Well; I will speak for you to the king.

¹⁹ And Bersabee went in to king Solomon to speak to him concerning Adonias; and the king rose up to meet her, and kissed her, and sat on the throne, and a throne was set for the mother of the king, and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ And she said to him, I ask of you one little request; turn not away my face from you. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, and I will not reject you.

²¹ And she said, Let, I pray you, Abisag the Somanite be given to Adonias your brother to wife.

²² And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why have you asked Abisag for Adonias? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother, and he has for his companion Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Saruia the commander-in-chief.

²³ And king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if it be not that Adonias has spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ And now as the Lord lives who has established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and he has made me a house, as the Lord spoke, this day shall Adonias be put to death.

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then Yahweh may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

²³ Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then Yahweh may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

²³ Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his grey head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be amongst those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his grey head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

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

²⁴ Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² I am going the way of all the earth: so be strong and be a man;

³ And keep the orders of the Lord your God, walking in his ways, keeping his laws and his orders and his rules and his words, as they are recorded in the law of Moses; so that you may do well in all you do and wherever you go,

⁴ So that the Lord may give effect to what he said of me, If your children give attention to their ways, living uprightly before me with all their heart and their soul, you will never be without a man to be king in Israel.

⁵ Now you have knowledge of what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me, and to the two captains of the army of Israel, Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether, whom he put to death, taking payment for the blood of war in time of peace, and making the band of my clothing and the shoes on my feet red with the blood of one put to death without cause.

⁶ So be guided by your wisdom, and let not his white head go down to the underworld in peace.

⁷ But be good to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be guests at your table; for so they came to me when I went in flight from Absalom your brother.

⁸ Now you have with you Shimei, the son of Gera the Benjamite of Bahurim, who put a bitter curse on me on the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to see me at Jordan, and I gave him my oath by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death by the sword.

⁹ But do not let him be free from punishment, for you are a wise man; and it will be clear to you what you have to do with him; see that his white head goes down to the underworld in blood.

¹⁰ Then David went to rest with his fathers, and his body was put into the earth in the town of David.

¹¹ David was king over Israel for forty years: for seven years he was king in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² And Solomon took his place on the seat of David his father, and his kingdom was made safe and strong.

¹³ Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon. And she said, Come you in peace? And he said, Yes, in peace.

¹⁴ Then he said, I have something to say to you. And she said, Say on.

¹⁵ And he said, You saw how the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had the idea that I would be their king; but now the kingdom is turned about, and has become my brother's, for it was given to him by the Lord.

¹⁶ Now I have one request to make to you, and do not say, No, to me. And she said to him, Say on.

¹⁷ Then he said, Will you go to Solomon the king (for he will not say, No, to you) and put before him my request that he will give me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife?

¹⁸ And Bath-sheba said, Good! I will make your request to the king.

¹⁹ So Bath-sheba went to King Solomon to have talk with him on Adonijah's account. And the king got up to come to her, and went down low to the earth before her; then he took his place on the king's seat and had a seat made ready for the king's mother and she took her place at his right hand.

²⁰ Then she said, I have one small request to make to you; do not say, No, to me. And the king said, Say on, my mother, for I will not say, No, to you.

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

²² Then King Solomon made answer and said to his mother, Why are you requesting me to give Abishag the Shunammite to Adonijah? Take the kingdom for him in addition, for he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab, the son of Zeruiah, are on his side.

²³ Then King Solomon took an oath by the Lord, saying, May God's punishment be on me if Adonijah does not give payment for these words with his life.

²⁴ Now by the living Lord, who has given me my place on the seat of David my father, and made me one of a line of kings, as he gave me his word, truly Adonijah will be put to death this day.

² I go the way of all the earth: be of good courage therefore, and be a man;

³ and keep the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, 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 Jehovah may confirm his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If thy sons 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 upon the throne of Israel.

⁵ And thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to 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 upon his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ And thou shalt do according to thy wisdom, and not let his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace.

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

⁸ And behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day that I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Jehovah saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

⁹ And now hold him not guiltless; for thou art a wise man, and thou shalt know what thou oughtest to do to him; but bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.

¹⁰ And 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: he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

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

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

¹⁴ And he said, I have something to say to thee. And she said, Speak.

¹⁵ And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their faces on me that I should reign; but the kingdom is turned about and is become my brother's, for it was his from Jehovah.

¹⁶ And now I ask one petition of thee; refuse me not. And she said to him, Speak.

¹⁷ And he said, Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king — for he will not refuse thee — that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.

¹⁸ And Bathsheba said, Well, I will speak for thee to the king.

¹⁹ And Bathsheba went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne; and he caused a throne 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; refuse me not. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse thee.

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

²² And king Solomon answered and said to 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 And king Solomon swore by Jehovah saying, God do so to me, and more also, — Adonijah has spoken this word against his own life!

²⁴ And now as Jehovah liveth, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

² I am going the way of all flesh: take thou courage, and shew thyself a man.

³ And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and observe his ceremonies, and his precepts, and judgments, and testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses: that thou mayest understand all thou dost, and whithersoever thou shalt turn thyself:

⁴ That the Lord may confirm his words, which he hath spoken of me, saying: If thy children shall take heed to their ways, and shall walk before me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, there shall not be taken away from thee a man on the throne of Israel.

⁵ Thou knowest also what Joab the son of Sarvia hath done to me, what he did to the two captains of the army of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether: whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on 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 hoary head go down to hell in peace.

⁷ But shew kindness to the sons of Berzellai the Galaadite, and let them eat at thy table: for they met me when I fled from the face of Absalom thy brother.

⁸ Thou hast also with thee Semei the son of Gera the son of Jemini of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse, when I went to the camp: but because he came down to meet me when I passed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying: I will not kill thee with a sword:

⁹ Do not thou hold him guiltless. But thou art a wise man, and knowest what to do with him, and thou shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to hell.

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

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

¹² And Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was strengthened exceedingly.

¹³ And Adonias the son of Haggith came to Bethsabee the mother of Solomon. And she said to him: Is thy coming peaceable? he answered: Peaceable.

¹⁴ And he added: I have a word to speak with thee. She said to him: Speak. And he said:

¹⁵ Thou knowest that the kingdom was nine, and all Israel had preferred me to be their king: but the kingdom is transferred, and is become my brother’s: for it was appointed him by the Lord.

¹⁶ Now therefore I ask one petition of thee: turn not away my face. And she said to him: Say on.

¹⁷ And he said: I pray thee speak to king Solomon (for he cannot deny thee any thing) to give me Abisag the Sunamitess to wife.

¹⁸ And Bethsabee said: Well, I will speak for thee to the king.

¹⁹ Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ And she said to him: I desire one small petition of thee, do not put me to confusion. And the king said to her: My mother, ask: for I must not turn away thy face.

²¹ And she said: Let Abisag the Sunamitess be given to Adonias thy brother to wife.

²² And king Solomon answered, and said to his mother: Why dost thou ask Abisag the Sunamitess for Adonias? ask for him also the kingdom: for he is my elder brother, and hath Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Sarvia.

²³ Then king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: So and so may God do to me, and add more, if Adonias hath not spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ And now as the Lord liveth, who hath established me, and placed me upon the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, Adonias shall be put to death this day.

² “I am about to go the way everybody on earth must go. Be brave, and act like a man.

³ Do what God orders you to do, follow his ways. Keep his rules, his commands, and his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses, so you may be successful in everything you do, and in everything you give your attention to.

⁴ If so, then the Lord will keep his promise to me when he said: ‘If your descendants are to live right before me, faithfully and with complete commitment, then you will always have one of them on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ In addition, you know what Joab, son of Zeruiah, did to me and what he did to Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether, the two army commanders of Israel. He murdered them, spilling the blood of war during a time of peace. He smeared the blood of war on his belt and on his sandals.

⁶ Do what you think is right, but don't let his gray head go down peacefully into the grave.

⁷ But be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead. Bring them into your royal court, for they helped me when I ran from your brother Absalom.

⁸ Don't you forget Shimei, son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who cursed me with painful words when I went to Mahanaim. When he met me at the Jordan I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will not kill you with the sword.’

⁹ So don't leave him unpunished. You're a wise man and you know what you have to do to him—send him down into the grave with blood on his gray head.”

¹⁰ Then David died and his was buried in the City of David.

¹¹ His reign over Israel lasted forty years; seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon took over as king, sitting on the throne of his father David, and his hold on his kingdom was secure.

¹³ Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to see Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. She asked him, “Have you come here with good intentions?” He replied, “Yes, with good intentions.”

¹⁴ “I have something I'd like to ask of you,” he continued. “Go on,” she said.

¹⁵ “You know that the kingdom was mine,” he declared, “and everyone in Israel was looking forward to me being their next king. But everything was turned upside-down, and the kingdom passed to my brother, because that's what the Lord wanted.

¹⁶ Now I've just one request to ask of you—please don't say no.” “Tell me,” she said.

¹⁷ He went on, “Please talk to King Solomon for me because he won't turn you down. Ask him to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife.”

¹⁸ “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will talk to the king for you.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to talk to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king got up from his throne to meet her, and bowed before her. Then he sat back down and ordered another throne brought in for his mother. She sat to his right.

²⁰ “I have just one small request to ask of you,” she said. “Please don't say no.” The king replied, “Ask away, dear mother. I won't say no to you.”

²¹ “Please give Abishag from Shunem to your brother Adonijah as his wife,” she replied.

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why on earth are you asking me to give Abishag to Adonijah? You might as well ask me to give my brother the kingdom! He is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab, son of Zeruiah, are on his side!”

²³ Then King Solomon vowed before the Lord, “May God punish me, really punish me, if what Adonijah has asked for doesn't cost him his life.

²⁴ So I vow, as the Lord lives, who affirmed me as king and placed me on the throne of my father David, making me the head of a dynasty as he promised, Adonijah shall be executed today.”

² I go the way of all the earth: be strong therefore, and shew thy selfe a man,

³ And take heede to the charge of the Lord thy God, to walke in his wayes, and keepe his statutes, and his commandements, and his iudgements, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and in euery thing whereunto thou turnest thee,

⁴ That the Lord may confirme his worde which hee spake vnto me, saying, If thy sonnes take heede to their way, that they walke before me in trueth, with all their hearts, and with all their soules, thou shalt not (sayd he) want one of thy posteritie vpon the throne of Israel.

⁵ Thou knowest also what Ioab the sonne of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captaines of the hostes of Israel, vnto Abner the sonne of Ner, and vnto Amasa the sonne of Iether: whome he slewe, and shed blood of battell in peace, and put the blood of warre vpon his girdle that was about his loynes, and in his shooes that were on his feete.

⁶ Doe therefore according to thy wisdome, and let thou not his hoare head go downe to the graue in peace.

⁷ But shew kindnes vnto the sonnes of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among them that eate at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom thy brother.

⁸ And beholde, with thee is Shimei the sonne of Gera, the sonne of Iemini, of Bahurim, which cursed mee with an horrible curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but hee came downe to meete me at Iorden, and I sware to him by the Lord, saying, I will not slay thee with the sword.

⁹ But thou shalt not count him innocent: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to doe vnto him: therefore thou shalt cause his hoare head to goe downe to the graue with blood.

¹⁰ So Dauid slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid.

¹¹ And the dayes which Dauid reigned vpon Israel, were fourtie yeeres: seuen yeeres reigned he in Hebron, and thirtie and three yeeres reigned he in Ierusalem.

¹² Then sate Salomon vpon the throne of Dauid his father, and his kingdome was stablished mightily.

¹³ And Adonijah the sonne of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Salomon: and she saide, Commest thou peaceably? And hee said, Yea.

¹⁴ He said moreouer, I haue a sute vnto thee. And she sayd, Say on.

¹⁵ Then he said, Thou knowest that the kingdome was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reigne: howbeit the kingdome is turned away, and is my brothers: for it came to him by the Lord.

¹⁶ Nowe therefore I aske thee one request, refuse me not. And she said vnto him, Say on.

¹⁷ And he sayd, Speake, I pray thee, vnto Salomon ye King, (for he will not say thee nay) that he giue me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.

¹⁸ And Bath-sheba sayd, Well, I will speake for thee vnto the King.

¹⁹ Bath-sheba therefore went vnto King Salomon, to speake vnto him for Adonijah: and the King rose to meete her, and bowed himselfe vnto her, and sate downe on his throne: and he caused a seate to be set for the Kings mother, and she sate at his right hand.

²⁰ Then she sayd, I desire a small request of thee, say me not nay. Then the King sayde vnto her, Aske on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.

²¹ She sayd then, Let Abishag the Shunammite be giuen to Adonijah thy brother to wife.

²² But King Salomon answered and sayd vnto his mother, And why doest thou aske Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? aske for him the kingdome also: for he is mine elder brother, and hath for him both Abiathar the Priest, and Ioab the sonne of Zeruiah.

²³ Then King Salomon sware by the Lord, saying, God doe so to me and more also, if Adoniiah hath not spoken this worde against his owne life.

²⁴ Now therefore as ye Lord liueth, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of Dauid my father, who also hath made me an house, as he promised, Adoniiah shall surely die this day.

² 'I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore, and show 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 ordinances, and His testimonies, according to that which 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 establish His word which He spoke 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 unto me, even 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 show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table; for so they drew nigh unto me when I fled from Absalom thy brother.

⁸ And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore 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 thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.'

¹⁰ And 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 And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established firmly.

¹³ Then 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 down unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ Then she said: 'I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not.' And the king said unto her: 'Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee.'

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 swore 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, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day.'

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 a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

² I am going the way of all the earth; but be thou strong, and become a man;

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

⁴ In order that the Lord may fulfill his word which he hath spoken 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 never fail thee, said he, a man on the throne of Israel.

⁵ And thou also knowest well what Joab the son of Zeruyah hath done to me, what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto 'Amassa the son of Yether, 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 on his shoes that were on his feet.

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

⁷ But unto the sons of Barzillai the Gil'adite show thou kindness, and let them be of those that eat at thy table; for so they came near to me when I fled from before Abshalom thy brother.

⁸ And, behold, thou hast with thee Shim'i the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bachurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Machanayim; but who came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

⁹ But now leave him not unpunished; for thou art a wise man; know then what thou oughtest to do unto him, and bring thou down his hoary head with blood to the grave.

¹⁰ And 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: in Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.

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

¹³ And Adoniyah the son of Chaggith came to Bath-sheba' the mother of Solomon: and she said, Is thy coming for peace? And he said, For peace.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have a word for thee. And she said, Speak.

¹⁵ And he said, Thou well knowest that mine was the kingdom, and that on me all Israel had set their faces, that I should reign: nevertheless the kingdom was turned about, and became my brother's; for from the Lord was it made his.

¹⁶ And now there is one petition I am going to ask of thee, do not turn me away. And she said unto him, Speak.

¹⁷ And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, for he will not turn thee away, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite for wife.

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

¹⁹ Bath-sheba' thereupon went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adoniyah; and the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and then sat down on his throne, and placed a chair for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ Then said she, There is one small petition I am going to ask of thee; do not turn me away. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother; for I will not turn thee away.

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

²² And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adoniyah? rather ask for him the kingdom; for he is my elder brother;— even for him, and for Ebyathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruyah.

²³ Then swore king Solomon by the Lord, saying, May God do so to me, and may he thus continue, if Adoniyah have not spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ And now, as the Lord liveth, who hath established me, and seated me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he hath spoken, this very day shall Adoniyah be put to death.

² but be thou strong, and show thyself a man;

³ and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep the commandments and the ordinances and the judgments which are written in the law of Moses; that thou mayest understand what thou shalt do in all things that I command thee:

⁴ that the Lord may confirm his word which he spoke, saying, If thy children shall take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart, I promise thee, saying, there shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel.

⁵ Moreover thou knowest all that Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two captains of the forces of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, that he slew them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put innocent blood on his girdle that was about his loins, and on his sandal that was on his foot.

⁶ Therefore thou shalt deal with him according to thy wisdom, and thou shalt not bring down his gray hairs in peace to the grave.

⁷ But thou shalt deal kindly with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and they shall be among those that eat at thy table; for thus they drew nigh to me when I fled from the face of thy brother Absalom.

⁸ And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjaminite of Bahurim: and he cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went into the camp; and he came down to Jordan to meet me, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

⁹ But thou shalt by no means hold him guiltless, for thou art a wise man, and wilt know what thou shalt do to him, and shalt bring down his gray hairs with blood to the grave.

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

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

¹² And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³ And Adonijah the son of Haggith came in to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and did obeisance to her: and she said, Dost thou enter peaceably? and he said, Peaceably:

¹⁴ I have business with thee. And she said to him, Say on.

¹⁵ And he said to her, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel turned their face toward me for a king; but the kingdom was turned from me and became my brother’s: for it was appointed to him from the Lord.

¹⁶ And now I make one request of thee, do not turn away thy face. And Bathsheba said to him, Speak on.

¹⁷ And he said to her, Speak, I pray thee, to King Solomon, for he will not turn away his face from thee, and let him give me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.

¹⁸ And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee to the king.

¹⁹ And Bathsheba went in to King Solomon to speak to him concerning Adonijah; and the king rose up to meet her, and kissed her, and sat on the throne, and a throne was set for the mother of the king, and she sat on his right hand.

²⁰ And she said to him, I ask of thee one little request; turn not away my face from thee. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, and I will not reject thee.

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

²² And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why hast thou asked Abishag for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother, and he has for his companion Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Zeruiah the commander-in-chief.

²³ And King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if it be not that Adonijah has spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ And now as the Lord lives who has established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and he has made me a house, as the Lord spoke, this day shall Adonijah be put to death.

² “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.

³ Keep the commands of Yahweh your God to walk in his ways, to obey his statutes, his commandments, his decisions, and his covenant decrees, being careful to do what is written in the law of Moses, so you may prosper in all you do, wherever you go,

⁴ so that Yahweh may fulfill his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons carefully watch their conduct, to walk before me faithfully with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never cease to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

⁵ You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the shoes on his feet.

⁶ Deal with Joab by the wisdom you have learned, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

⁷ However, show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ Look, there is with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. Shimei came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.'

⁹ Now therefore do not let him go free from punishment. You are a wise man, and you will know what you ought to do to him. You will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood.”

¹⁰ Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. He had reigned for seven years in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peacefully?” He replied, “Peacefully.”

¹⁴ Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” So she replied, “Speak.”

¹⁵ Adonijah said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel expected me to be king. But things changed, and the kingdom was given to my brother, for it was his from Yahweh.

¹⁶ Now I have one request of you, and do not turn away from my face.” Bathsheba said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not turn away from your face, so that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak to the king.”

¹⁹ Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne brought for the king's mother. She sat at his right hand.

²⁰ Then she said, “I wish to ask one small request of you, for you will not turn away from my face.” The king answered her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn away from your face.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.”

²² King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why do you not ask the kingdom for him also, for he is my elder brother—for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah?”

²³ Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah will be put to death today.”

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then Yahweh may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

²³ Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

²⁴ Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his grey head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be amongst those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his grey head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

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

²⁴ Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show 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 spoke 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 armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to 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 hoary head go down to the grave in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to 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 Benjaminite of Bahurim, who 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 swore 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 to him; but his hoary head do thou bring 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 Solomon was seated 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 to 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: but the kingdom is turned about, and hath 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 to him, Say on.

¹⁷ And he said, Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king, (for he will not say to thee no,) that he give me Abishag the Shunamite for a wife.

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

¹⁹ Bath-sheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to 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 , deny me not. And the king said to her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not deny thee.

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

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

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

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

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the Torah of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

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

²⁴ Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man;

³ and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the Torah of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself.

⁴ Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.

⁶ Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his grey head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁷ But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be amongst those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

⁸ “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

⁹ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his grey head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city.

¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹² Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.

¹⁴ He said moreover, I have something to tell you.” She said, “Say on.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD.

¹⁶ Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”

¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

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

²⁰ Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

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

²⁴ Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

² Lo! I enter into the way of all earth; be thou comforted, and be thou a strong man.

³ And keep thou the keepings and the behests of thy Lord God, that thou go in his ways, and keep his ceremonies, and his behests, and his dooms, and witnessings, as it is written in the law of Moses; that thou under-stand all things which thou doest, and whither ever thou shalt turn thee.

⁴ That the Lord confirm his words, which the Lord spake of me, and said, If thy sons keep my ways, and go before me in truth, in all their heart, and in all their soul, a man shall not be taken away of thee from the throne of Israel.

⁵ Also thou knowest what things Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me; what things he did to the two princes of the host of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and to Amasa, the son of Jether, which he killed, and shedded the blood of battle in peace; and putted or put the blood of battle in his girdle, that was about his loins, and in his shoes, that was in his feet.

⁶ Therefore thou shalt do by thy wisdom, and thou shalt not lead forth his hoariness peaceably to hells, either sepulchre.

⁷ But also thou shalt yield grace to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead, and they shall be eating in thy board; for they met me, when I fled from the face of Absalom, thy brother.

⁸ Also thou hast with thee Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, of Bahurim, the which Shimei cursed me by the worst cursing, when I went to the defensible places; but for-thy he came down to me into my meeting, when I passed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, and said, I shall not slay thee with sword,

⁹ do not thou suffer him to be unpunished; forsooth thou art a wise man, and thou shalt know what thou shalt do to him, and thou shalt lead forth his hoar hairs with blood to hells or hell.

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

¹¹ And the days, in which David reigned upon Israel, be forty years; in Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem three and thirty years.

¹² Forsooth Solomon sat upon the throne of David, his father, and his realm was made steadfast greatly.

¹³ And Adonijah, the son of Haggith, entered to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon; and she said to him, Whether thine entering is peaceable? And he answered, It is peaceable.

¹⁴ And he added, A word of me is to thee. And she said, Speak thou.

¹⁵ And he said, Thou knowest that the realm was mine, and all Israel purposed to make me into king to them; but the realm is translated or transferred, and is made my brother’s; for of the Lord it is ordained to him.

¹⁶ Now therefore I pray of thee one asking; shame thou not my face. And she said to him, Speak thou.

¹⁷ And he said, I pray, that thou say to Solomon the king; for he may not deny anything to thee; that he give me Abishag of Shunem to wife.

¹⁸ And Bathsheba said, Well, I shall speak for thee to the king.

¹⁹ Therefore Bathsheba came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah; and the king rose against the coming of her, and worshipped her, and sat on his throne; and a throne was set to the mother of the king, and she sat at his right side.

²⁰ And she said to him, I pray of thee one little asking; shame thou not my face. And the king said to her, My mother, ask thou; for it is not leaveful that I turn away thy face.

²¹ And she said, Abishag of Shunem be given wife to Adonijah, thy brother.

²² And king Solomon answered, and said to his mother, Why askest thou Abishag of Shunem to Adonijah? Ask thou to him also the realm; certainly he is mine elder brother, and he hath Abiathar, priest, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah.

²³ Therefore king Solomon swore by the Lord, and said, God do to me these things, and add these things too, for Adonijah hath spoken this word against his life.

²⁴ And now the Lord liveth, that hath confirmed me, and hath set me on the throne of David, my father, and that hath made to me an house, as he spake, for Adonijah shall be slain today.

² Lo! I enter into the way of all (the) earth; be thou strengthened (or take thou courage), and be thou a strong man.

³ And keep thou the keepings and the behests of thy Lord God, that thou go in his ways, and keep his ceremonies, and his behests, and his dooms, and (his) witnessings, as it is written in the law of Moses; that thou understand all things which thou doest, and whither ever thou shalt turn thee. (And obey thou the orders and the commands of the Lord thy God, so that thou go in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commands, and his laws, or his judgements, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses; so that thou understand all the things that thou doest, and wherever thou shalt turn thyself.)

⁴ That the Lord confirm his words, which the Lord spake of me, and said, If thy sons keep my ways, and go before me in truth, in all their heart, and in all their soul, a man shall not be taken away of thee from the throne of Israel. (So that the Lord shall establish his words, which the Lord spoke about me, saying, If thy sons follow my ways, and go before me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, a man of thee shall not be taken away from the throne of Israel.)

⁵ Also thou knowest what things Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me; (and) what things he did to the two princes of the host of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and to Amasa, the son of Jether, which he killed, and shedded the blood of battle in peace; and putted the blood of battle in his girdle, that was about his loins, and in his shoe(s), that was in his feet, (or and put the blood of battle upon his girdle, that was about his loins, and in his shoes, that were upon his feet).

⁶ Therefore thou shalt do by thy wisdom, and thou shalt not lead forth his hoariness peaceably to hells, either (the) sepulchre. (And so do thou by thy wisdom, and do not let his hoar hairs go down peacefully to Sheol, or into the grave, or into the tomb.)

⁷ But also thou shalt yield grace to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead, and they shall be eating in thy board (or and they shall eat at thy table); for they met me, when I fled from the face of Absalom, thy brother.

⁸ Also thou hast with thee Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, of Bahurim, the which Shimei cursed me by the worst cursing, when I went to the defensible places; but for-thy he came down to me into my meeting, when I passed (the) Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, and said, I shall not slay thee with sword, (Also thou hast with thee Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, of Bahurim, the which Shimei cursed me by the worst cursing, when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me when I crossed over the Jordan River, and I swore to him by the Lord, and said, I shall not kill thee with the sword,)

⁹ do not thou suffer him to be unpunished; forsooth thou art a wise man, and thou shalt know what thou shalt do to him, and thou shalt lead forth his hoar hairs with blood to hells. (but now do not thou allow him to go unpunished; thou art a wise man, and thou knowest what thou shalt do to him, and that is, thou shalt lead forth his hoar hairs in blood down to Sheol, or into the grave!)

¹⁰ And (then) David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

¹¹ And the days, in which David reigned upon Israel, be forty years; in Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem three and thirty years.

¹² Forsooth Solomon sat upon the throne of David, his father, and his realm was made steadfast greatly (or and his reign was firmly established).

¹³ And Adonijah, the son of Haggith, entered to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon; and she said to him, Whether thine entering is peaceable? And he answered, It is peaceable, (or and she said to him, Cometh thou here in peace? And he answered, I have come in peace).

¹⁴ And he added, A word of me is to thee, (or And he added, I have a word to say to thee). And she said, Speak thou.

¹⁵ And he said, Thou knowest that the realm was mine, and all Israel purposed to make me into king to them; but the realm is translated, and is made my brother’s ; for of the Lord it is ordained to him. (And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel purposed to make me king over them; but the kingdom was taken awayfrom me, and made my brother’s ; for the Lord ordained it to him.)

¹⁶ Now therefore I pray of thee one asking; shame thou not my face. And she said to him, Speak thou.

¹⁷ And he said, I pray, that thou say to Solomon the king; for he may not deny anything to thee; that he give me Abishag of Shunem to wife (or that he give me Abishag of Shunem for a wife).

¹⁸ And Bathsheba said, Well, I shall speak for thee to the king.

¹⁹ Therefore Bathsheba came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah; and the king rose against the coming of her, and worshipped her, and sat on his throne; and a throne was set to the mother of the king, and she sat at his right side. (And so Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah; and the king rose up to greet her, and honoured her, and then sat down on his throne; and a throne was put in place for the king’s mother, and she sat at his right side.)

²⁰ And she said to him, I pray of thee one little asking; shame thou not my face. And the king said to her, My mother, ask thou; for it is not leaveful that I turn away thy face (or for it would not be right for me to refuse thee).

²¹ And she said, (Let) Abishag of Shunem be given (for a) wife to Adonijah, thy brother.

²² And king Solomon answered, and said to his mother, Why askest thou (only for) Abishag of Shunem to Adonijah? Ask thou to him also the realm, (or Why askest thou only for Abishag of Shunem for Adonijah? Why not ask thou also for the kingdom for him?); certainly he is mine elder brother, and he hath Abiathar, (the) priest, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah.

²³ Therefore king Solomon swore by the Lord, and said, God do to me these things, and add these things too, for Adonijah hath spoken this word against his (own) life.

²⁴ And now the Lord liveth, that hath confirmed me, and hath set me on the throne of David, my father, and that hath made to me an house, as he spake, for Adonijah shall be slain today. (And now as the Lord liveth, who hath firmly established me, and hath put me on the throne of my father David, and who hath made a house for me, as he promised, let Adonijah be killed today!)

² 'I am going in the way of all the earth, and thou hast been strong, and become a man,

³ and kept the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commands, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that thou dost wisely all that thou dost, and whithersoever thou turnest,

⁴ so that Jehovah doth establish His word which He spake unto me, saying, If thy sons observe their way to walk before Me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul; saying, There is not cut off a man of thine from the throne of Israel.

⁵ 'And also, thou hast known that which he did to me — Joab son of Zeruiah — that which he did to two heads of the hosts of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether — that he slayeth them, and maketh the blood of war in peace, and putteth the blood of war in his girdle, that is on his loins, and in his sandals that are on his feet;

⁶ and thou hast done according to thy wisdom, and dost not let his old age go down in peace to Sheol.

⁷ 'And to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite thou dost do kindness, and they have been among those eating at thy table, for so they drew near unto me in my fleeing from the face of Absalom thy brother.

⁸ 'And lo, with thee is Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, and he reviled me — a grievous reviling — in the day of my going to Mahanaim; and he hath come down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swear to him by Jehovah, saying, I do not put thee to death by the sword;

⁹ and now, acquit him not, for a wise man thou art, and thou hast known that which thou dost to him, and hast brought down his old age with blood to Sheol.'

¹⁰ And David lieth down with his fathers, and is buried in the city of David,

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

¹² And Solomon hath sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom is established greatly,

¹³ and Adonijah son of Haggith cometh in unto Bath-Sheba, mother of Solomon, and she saith, 'Is thy coming peace?' and he saith, 'Peace.'

¹⁴ And he saith, 'I have a word unto thee,' and she saith, 'Speak.'

¹⁵ And he saith, 'Thou hast known that the kingdom was mine, and towards me set their faces had all Israel for reigning, and the kingdom is turned round about, and is my brother's, for from Jehovah it was his;

¹⁶ and now, one petition I am asking of thee — turn not back my face;' and she saith unto him, 'Speak.'

¹⁷ And he saith, 'Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king, for he doth not turn back thy face, and he doth give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.'

¹⁸ And Bath-Sheba saith, 'Good; I do speak for thee unto the king.'

¹⁹ And Bath-Sheba cometh in unto king Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king riseth to meet her, and boweth himself to her, and sitteth on his throne, and placeth a throne for the mother of the king, and she sitteth at his right hand.

²⁰ And she saith, 'One small petition I ask of thee, turn not back my face;' and the king saith to her, 'Ask, my mother, for I do not turn back thy face.'

²¹ And she saith, 'Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother for a wife.'

²² And king Solomon answereth and saith to his mother, 'And why art thou asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? also ask for him the kingdom — for he is mine elder brother — even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.'

²³ And king Solomon sweareth by Jehovah, saying, 'Thus doth God to me, and thus He doth add — surely against his soul hath Adonijah spoken this word;

²⁴ and now, Jehovah liveth, who hath established me, and causeth me to sit on the throne of David my father, and who hath made for me an house as He spake — surely to-day is Adonijah put to death.'