1 Kings 2:36–46

³⁶Then the king sent for Shimei^c and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. ³⁷The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley,^d you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”^e

³⁸Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish^f son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” ⁴⁰At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

⁴¹When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, ⁴²the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn^g you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ ⁴³Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”

⁴⁴The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong^h you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. ⁴⁵But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secureⁱ before the Lord forever.”

⁴⁶Then the king gave the order to Benaiah^j son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei^k down and he died.

The kingdom was now established^l in Solomon’s hands.