^2:1When David was close to death,¹ he told² Solomon his son: ^2:2“I am about to die.³ Be strong and become a man! ^2:3Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you⁴ by following his instructions⁵ and obeying⁶ his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish,⁷^2:4and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me,⁸ ‘If your descendants watch their step⁹ and live faithfully in my presence¹⁰ with all their heart and being,¹¹ then,’ he promised,¹² ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’¹³

^2:5“You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.¹⁴ During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle;¹⁵ when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet.¹⁶^2:6Do to him what you think is appropriate,¹⁷ but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death.¹⁸

^2:7“Treat fairly¹⁹ the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs,²⁰ because they helped me²¹ when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

^2:8“Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim,²² who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim.²³ He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised²⁴ him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down²⁵ with the sword.’ ^2:9But now²⁶ don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him;²⁷ make sure he has a bloody death.”²⁸

^2:10Then David passed away²⁹ and was buried in the city of David.³⁰^2:11David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem³¹ thirty-three years.

Solomon Secures the Throne

^2:12Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority³² was firmly solidified.

^2:13Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.”³³^2:14He added,³⁴ “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” ^2:15He said, “You know that the kingdom³⁵ was mine and all Israel considered me king.³⁶ But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his.³⁷^2:16Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.”³⁸ She said, “Go ahead and ask.”³⁹^2:17He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.”⁴⁰^2:18Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine,⁴¹ I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

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Footnotes

1 Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
2 Or “commanded.”
3 Heb “going the way of all the earth.”
4 Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”
5 Heb “by walking in his ways.”
6 Or “keeping.”
7 Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
8 Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
9 Heb “guard their way.”
10 Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
11 Or “soul.”
12 Heb “saying.”
13 Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
14 Heb “what he did to the two commanders … and he killed them.”
15 Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
16 Heb “and he shed the blood of battle when he killed which is on his waist and on his sandal[s] which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.
17 Heb “according to your wisdom.”
18 Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”
19 Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”
20 Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”
21 Heb “drew near to.”
22 Heb “Look, with you is Shimei.…”
23 Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
24 Or “swore an oath to.”
25 Heb “kill you.”
26 The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.
27 Heb “what you should do to him.”
28 Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”
29 Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
30 The phrase the city of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
31 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
32 Or “kingship.”
33 Heb “[in] peace.”
34 Heb “and he said.”
35 Or “kingship.”
36 Heb “set their face to me to be king.”
37 Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”
38 Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
39 Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’ ”
40 Heb “Say to Solomon the king, for he will not turn back your face, that he might give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.”
41 Heb “[It is] good!”