1 Kings 2:36–46

Shimei Executed

³⁶Then the king sent and called for ^bShimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. ³⁷For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross ^cthe Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; ^dyour ⁸blood shall be on your own head.”

³⁸And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

³⁹Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to ^eAchish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” ⁴⁰So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. ⁴¹And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. ⁴²Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ ⁴³Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?” ⁴⁴The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, ^fall the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the Lord will ^greturn your wickedness on your own head. ⁴⁵But King Solomon shall be blessed, and ^hthe throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”

⁴⁶So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the ⁱkingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.