David Instructs Solomon (Psalm 37:1–40)
1 ULT Now the days of David to die approached, and he commanded Solomon his son, saying, BSB BSB: As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon,
2 ULT “I am going in the way of all of the earth. So you shall be strong, and you shall be a man. BSB BSB: “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.
3 ULT And you shall keep the keeping of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as written in the law of Moses, so that you may succeed{ in} all that you do and everywhere that you turn there, BSB BSB: And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,
4 ULT so that Yahweh may raise up his word, which he spoke about me, saying,‘If your sons keep their way, to walk to my face in truth with all of their heart and with all of their soul,’ saying,‘a man to you will not be cut off from upon the throne of Israel.’ BSB BSB: and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 ULT And also, you, you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me, what he did to two of the commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and to Amasa, the son of Jether, that he murdered them. For he put the blood of war in peace, and he put the blood of war on his belt that{ was} on his loins and on his sandal that{ was} on his feet. BSB BSB: Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
6 ULT And you shall act according to your wisdom, and you shall not let his gray hair go down in peace to Sheol. BSB BSB: So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
7 ULT But to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite do covenant faithfulness, and let them be among the eaters at your table. For thus they came near to me, when I fled from the face of Absalom your brother. BSB BSB: But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
8 ULT And behold, with you{ is} Shimei, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim. And he, he cursed me with a severe curse on the day of my going to Mahanaim. But he, he went down to meet me{ at} the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying,‘If I should kill you with the sword.’ BSB BSB: Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’
9 ULT But now, may you not acquit him. For you{ are} a wise man, and you know what you shall do to him. And you shall make his gray hair go down with blood to Sheol.” BSB BSB: Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
David’s Reign and Death (1 Chronicles 29:26–30)
10 ULT And David lay down with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. BSB BSB: Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.
11 ULT And the days that David had reigned over Israel{ were} 40 years. In Hebron he had reigned 7 years, and in Jerusalem he had reigned 33 years. BSB BSB: The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 ULT And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was established greatly. BSB BSB: So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
The Execution of Adonijah 13 ULT Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. And she said,“{ Is} your coming{ in} peace?” And he said,“{ In} peace.” BSB BSB: Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.
14 ULT And he said,“A word{ is} to me for you.” And she said,“Speak.” BSB BSB: Then he said, “I have something to tell you.” “Say it,” she answered.
15 ULT And he said,“You, you know that the kingdom was to me, and all of Israel had set their faces on me to reign. But the kingdom turned and became to my brother, for it was to him from Yahweh. BSB BSB: “You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.
16 ULT And now, one request I am requesting from you. Do not turn away my face.” And she said to him,“Speak.” BSB BSB: So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.” “State your request,” she told him.
17 ULT And he said,“Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not turn away your face, that he may give to me Abishag the Shunammitess for a wife.” BSB BSB: Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
18 ULT And Bathsheba said,“Good. I, I will speak about you to the king.” BSB BSB: “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 ULT And Bathsheba came to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, and he bowed down to her. And he sat on his throne, and he set a throne for the mother of the king, and she sat at his right side. BSB BSB: So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.
20 ULT And she said,“One small request I am requesting from you. Do not turn away my face.” And the king said to her,“Request, my mother, for I will not turn away your face.” BSB BSB: “I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”
21 ULT And she said,“Let Abishag the Shunammitess be given to Adonijah your brother for a wife.” BSB BSB: So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
22 ULT And King Solomon answered and said to his mother,“And why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammitess for Adonijah? Then request for him the kingdom, for he is my brother, older than me, and for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab, the son of Zeruiah!” BSB BSB: King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
23 ULT And King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying,“Thus may God do to me, and thus may he add, for against his life Adonijah has spoken this word. BSB BSB: Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
24 ULT And now, the life of Yahweh, who has established me and made me sit on the throne of David my father, and who has made a house for me, just as he said, surely Adonijah shall be killed today.” BSB BSB: And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
25 ULT And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he attacked him, and he died. BSB BSB: So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.
26 ULT And to Abiathar the priest the king said,“Go{ to} Anathoth, to your fields. For you{ are} a man of death, but I will not kill you on this day, because you carried the Box of my Lord Yahweh to the face of David my father and because you were afflicted with everything{ with} which my father was afflicted.” BSB BSB: Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”
27 ULT So Solomon drove out Abiathar from being a priest to Yahweh, to fulfill the word of Yahweh that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh. BSB BSB: So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
The Execution of Joab 28 ULT And the report came to Joab, for Joab had turned aside after Adonijah, but he had not turned aside after Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh, and he grasped the horns of the altar. BSB BSB: When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
29 ULT And it was declared to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh, and behold,{ he was} beside the altar. And Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying,“Go, attack him.” BSB BSB: It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”
30 ULT And Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh, and he said to him,“Thus says the king,‘Come out!’” And he said,“No, for here I will die.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying,“Thus Joab spoke, and thus he answered me.” BSB BSB: And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”
31 ULT And the king said to him,“Do just as he has spoken and attack him and bury him. And you shall remove the blood that Joab poured out without cause from upon me and from upon the house of my father. BSB BSB: And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.
32 ULT And Yahweh will return his blood on his head because he attacked two men more righteous and better than him, and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know, Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah. BSB BSB: The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.
33 ULT And their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed to forever. But for David and for his seed and for his house and for his throne will be peace until forever from with Yahweh.” BSB BSB: Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
34 ULT And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up and attacked him and killed him. And he was buried in his house in the wilderness. BSB BSB: So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.
35 ULT And the king put Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, in place of him over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar. BSB BSB: And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.
The Execution of Shimei 36 ULT And the king sent and called for Shimei, and he said to him,“Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and dwell there. And do not go out from there where or where. BSB BSB: Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.
37 ULT And it will happen on the day of your going out and you pass over the wadi of Kidron, knowing, you shall know that dying, you shall die. Your blood will be on your head.” BSB BSB: On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”
38 ULT And Shimei said to the king,“The word is good. Just as my lord the king has spoken, thus will your servant do.” And Shimei dwelled in Jerusalem many days. BSB BSB: “The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 ULT And it happened at the end of three years that two of the slaves of Shimei fled to Achish, the son of Maacah, the king of Gath. And they declared to Shimei, saying,“Behold, your slaves{ are} in Gath.” BSB BSB: After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”
40 ULT So Shimei arose and saddled his donkey and went to Gath, to Achish, to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought back his slaves from Gath. BSB BSB: So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.
41 ULT And it was declared to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem{ to} Gath and had returned. BSB BSB: When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,
42 ULT And the king sent and called for Shimei, and he said to him,“Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and testify against you, saying,‘On the day of your going out, and you go where or where, knowing, you shall know that dying, you shall die’? And you said to me,‘The word I have heard is good.’ BSB BSB: the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’
43 ULT So why did you not keep the oath of Yahweh and the command that I commanded upon you?” BSB BSB: So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”
44 ULT And the king said to Shimei,“You, you know all of the evil that your heart knows, which you did to David my father. And Yahweh will return your evil on your head. BSB BSB: The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.
45 ULT But King Solomon will be blessed, and the throne of David will be established to the face of Yahweh to forever.” BSB BSB: But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”
46 ULT And the king commanded Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and attacked him, and he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. BSB BSB: Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
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