²“I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. So be strong. Show how brave you are. ³Do everything the Lord your God requires. Live the way he wants you to. Obey his orders and commands. Keep his laws and rules. Do everything that is written in the Law of Moses. Then you will have success in everything you do. You will succeed everywhere you go.

⁴“The Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He said, ‘Your sons must be careful about how they live. They must be faithful to me with all their heart and soul. Then you will always have a man sitting on the throne of Israel.’

⁵“You yourself know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me. You know that he killed Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether. They were the two commanders of Israel’s armies. He killed them in a time of peace. It wasn’t a time of war. Joab spilled the blood of Abner and Amasa. It stained the belt that was around his waist. It also stained the sandals on his feet. ⁶You are wise. So I leave him in your hands. Just don’t let him live to become an old man. Don’t let him die peacefully.

⁷“But be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Provide what they need. They were faithful to me when I had to run away from your brother Absalom.

⁸“Don’t forget Shimei, the son of Gera. He’s still around. He’s from Bahurim in the territory of Benjamin. He called down bitter curses on me. He did it on the day I went to Mahanaim. Later, he came down to welcome me at the Jordan River. At that time I took an oath in the name of the Lord. I promised Shimei, ‘I won’t put you to death with my sword.’ ⁹But now I want you to think of him as guilty. You are wise. You will know what to do to him. Don’t let him live to become an old man. Put him to death.”

¹⁰David joined the members of his family who had already died. His body was buried in the City of David. ¹¹He had ruled over Israel for 40 years. He ruled for seven years in Hebron. Then he ruled for 33 years in Jerusalem.

¹²So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David. His position as king was made secure.

Solomon’s Kingdom Is Made Secure

¹³Adonijah was the son of David’s wife Haggith. He went to Bathsheba. She was Solomon’s mother. She asked Adonijah, “Have you come in peace?”

He answered, “Yes. I’ve come in peace.” ¹⁴He continued, “I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” she replied.

¹⁵He said, “As you know, the kingdom belonged to me. The whole nation of Israel thought of me as their king. But now things have changed. The kingdom belongs to my brother. The Lord has given it to him. ¹⁶But I have a favor to ask of you. Don’t say no to me.”

“Go ahead,” she said.

¹⁷So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon for a favor. He won’t say no to you. Ask him to give me Abishag from Shunem to be my wife.”

¹⁸“All right,” Bathsheba replied. “I’ll speak to the king for you.”

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