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1 Kings 2-3
New English Translation

David’s Final Words to Solomon

2 When David was close to death,[a] he told[b] Solomon his son: 2 “I am about to die.[c] Be strong and become a man! 3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you[d] by following his instructions[e] and obeying[f] 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,[g] 4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me,[h] ‘If your descendants watch their step[i] and live faithfully in my presence[j] with all their heart and being,[k] then,’ he promised,[l] ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’[m]

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.[n] During peacetime he struck them down as if in battle;[o] when he shed their blood, he stained the belt on his waist and the sandals on his feet.[p] 6 Do to him what you think is appropriate,[q] but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death.[r]

7 “Treat fairly[s] the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs,[t] because they helped me[u] when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim,[v] who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim.[w] He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised[x] him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down[y] with the sword.’ 9 But now[z] don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him;[aa] make sure he has a bloody death.”[ab]

10 Then David passed away[ac] and was buried in the City of David.[ad] 11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

Solomon Secures the Throne

12 Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority[ae] was firmly solidified.

13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.”[af] 14 He added,[ag] “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom[ah] was mine and all Israel considered me king.[ai] But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his.[aj] 16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.”[ak] She said, “Go ahead and ask.”[al] 17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.”[am] 18 Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine;[an] I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet[ao] her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother,[ap] and she sat at his right hand. 20 She said, “I would like to ask you for just one small favor.[aq] Please don’t refuse me.”[ar] He said,[as] “Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him?[at] Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely,[au] if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life![av] 24 Now, as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty[aw] for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!” 25 King Solomon then sent[ax] Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah.[ay]

26 The king then told Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your property[az] in Anathoth. You deserve to die,[ba] but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times.”[bb] 27 Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest for the Lord, fulfilling the Lord’s message that he had pronounced against the family of Eli in Shiloh.

28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported[bc] Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he[bd] ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.[be] 29 When King Solomon heard[bf] that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada,[bg] “Go, strike him down.” 30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he replied, “No, I will die here!” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply.[bh] 31 The king told him, “Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father’s family[bi] the guilt of Joab’s murderous, bloody deeds.[bj] 32 May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed;[bk] behind my father David’s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he[bl]—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family,[bm] and his dynasty.”[bn] 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab;[bo] he was buried at his home in the wilderness. 35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of[bp] the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place.[bq]

36 Next the king summoned[br] Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but you may not leave there to go anywhere.[bs] 37 If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die. You will be responsible for your own death.”[bt] 38 Shimei said to the king, “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable.[bu] Your servant will do as you say.”[bv] So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.[bw]

39 Three years later two of Shimei’s servants ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. Shimei was told, “Look, your servants are in Gath.” 40 So Shimei got up, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to find his servants; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned, 42 the king summoned[bx] Shimei and said to him, “You will recall[by] that I made you take an oath by the Lord, and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere,[bz] know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’[ca] 43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?”[cb] 44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David.[cc] The Lord will punish you for what you did.[cd] 45 But King Solomon will be empowered,[ce] and David’s dynasty[cf] will endure permanently before the Lord.” 46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei.[cg]

So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom.[ch]

The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom

3 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David[ci] until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places,[cj] because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord.[ck] 3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following[cl] the practices[cm] of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places.[cn] Solomon would offer up[co] 1,000 burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared[cp] to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell[cq] me what I should give you.” 6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated[cr] great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served[cs] you faithfully, properly, and sincerely.[ct] You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne.[cu] 7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.[cv] 8 Your servant stands[cw] among your chosen people;[cx] they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning mind[cy] so he can make judicial decisions for[cz] your people and distinguish right from wrong.[da] Otherwise[db] no one is able[dc] to make judicial decisions for[dd] this great nation of yours.”[de] 10 The Lord[df] was pleased that Solomon made this request.[dg] 11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies,[dh] 12 I[di] grant your request[dj] and give[dk] you a wise and discerning mind[dl] superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you.[dm] 13 Furthermore, I am giving[dn] you what you did not request—riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation.[do] 14 If you follow my instructions[dp] by obeying[dq] my rules and regulations, just as your father David did,[dr] then I will grant you long life.”[ds] 15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream.[dt] He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings,[du] and held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Demonstrates His Wisdom

16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us.[dv] 19 This woman’s child suffocated[dw] during the night when she rolled[dx] on top of him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. 21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there[dy] he was, dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.”[dz] 22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the first woman replied, “No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented her case before the king.[ea]

23 The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 24 The king ordered, “Get me a sword.” So they placed a sword before the king. 25 The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 26 The real mother[eb] spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were awakened.[ec] She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!”[ed] But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him. Let them cut him in two!” 27 The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected[ee] the king, for they realized[ef] that he possessed divine wisdom[eg] to make judicial decisions.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
  2. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Or “commanded.”
  3. 1 Kings 2:2 tn Heb “going the way of all the earth.”
  4. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”
  5. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”
  6. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Or “keeping.”
  7. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
  8. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
  9. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “guard their way.”
  10. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
  11. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Or “soul.”
  12. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “saying.”
  13. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
  14. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”
  15. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
  16. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “and he shed the blood of battle on his belt 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. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”
  18. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”
  19. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”
  20. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”
  21. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “thus drew near to.”
  22. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”
  23. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
  24. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Or “swore an oath to.”
  25. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “kill you.”
  26. 1 Kings 2:9 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the Vulgate have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.
  27. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “what you should do to him.”
  28. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”
  29. 1 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
  30. 1 Kings 2:10 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  31. 1 Kings 2:12 tn Or “kingship.”
  32. 1 Kings 2:13 tn Heb “[in] peace.”
  33. 1 Kings 2:14 tn Heb “and he said.”
  34. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Or “kingship.”
  35. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “set their face to me to be king.”
  36. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”
  37. 1 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
  38. 1 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”
  39. 1 Kings 2:17 tn 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.”
  40. 1 Kings 2:18 tn Heb “[It is] good!”
  41. 1 Kings 2:19 tn Or “meet.”
  42. 1 Kings 2:19 tn Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”
  43. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Or “I’d like to make just one request of you.”
  44. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
  45. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “and the king said to her.”
  46. 1 Kings 2:22 tn Heb “for Adonijah.”
  47. 1 Kings 2:23 tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”
  48. 1 Kings 2:23 tn Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”
  49. 1 Kings 2:24 tn Heb “house.”
  50. 1 Kings 2:25 tn The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”
  51. 1 Kings 2:25 tn Heb “and he struck him and he died.”
  52. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Or “field.”
  53. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Heb “you are a man of death,” an idiom.
  54. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Heb “and because you suffered through all which my father suffered.”
  55. 1 Kings 2:28 tn Heb “turned after” (also later in this verse).
  56. 1 Kings 2:28 tn Heb “Joab.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  57. 1 Kings 2:28 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.
  58. 1 Kings 2:29 tn Heb “and it was related to King Solomon.”
  59. 1 Kings 2:29 tn Heb “so Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying.”
  60. 1 Kings 2:30 tn Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”
  61. 1 Kings 2:31 tn Heb “house.”
  62. 1 Kings 2:31 tn Heb “take away the undeserved bloodshed which Joab spilled from upon me and from upon the house of my father.”
  63. 1 Kings 2:32 tn Heb “The Lord will cause his blood to return upon his head.”
  64. 1 Kings 2:32 tn Heb “because he struck down two men more innocent and better than he and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know.”
  65. 1 Kings 2:33 tn Heb “house.”
  66. 1 Kings 2:33 tn Heb “his throne.”
  67. 1 Kings 2:34 tn Heb “struck him and killed him.” The referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  68. 1 Kings 2:35 tn Heb “over.”
  69. 1 Kings 2:35 tc The Old Greek translation includes after v. 35 some fourteen verses that are absent from the MT.
  70. 1 Kings 2:36 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
  71. 1 Kings 2:36 tn Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”
  72. 1 Kings 2:37 tn Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”
  73. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”
  74. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “so your servant will do.”
  75. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “many days.”
  76. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
  77. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “Is it not [true]…?” In the Hebrew text the statement is interrogative; the rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course it is.”
  78. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “here or there.”
  79. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”
  80. 1 Kings 2:43 tn Heb “Why have you not kept the oath [to] the Lord and the commandment I commanded you?”
  81. 1 Kings 2:44 tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”
  82. 1 Kings 2:44 tn Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”
  83. 1 Kings 2:45 tn Or “blessed.”
  84. 1 Kings 2:45 tn Heb “throne.”
  85. 1 Kings 2:46 tn “The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”
  86. 1 Kings 2:46 tn “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”
  87. 1 Kings 3:1 sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  88. 1 Kings 3:2 sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.
  89. 1 Kings 3:2 tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  90. 1 Kings 3:3 tn Heb “by walking in.”
  91. 1 Kings 3:3 tn Or “policies, rules.”
  92. 1 Kings 3:4 tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”
  93. 1 Kings 3:4 tn Or, “customarily offered up.” The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107.b.
  94. 1 Kings 3:5 tn Or “revealed himself.”
  95. 1 Kings 3:5 tn Heb “ask.”
  96. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “did.”
  97. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “walked before.”
  98. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”
  99. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”
  100. 1 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”
  101. 1 Kings 3:8 tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  102. 1 Kings 3:8 tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”
  103. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
  104. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
  105. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”
  106. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
  107. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
  108. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
  109. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “your numerous people.”
  110. 1 Kings 3:10 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  111. 1 Kings 3:10 tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”
  112. 1 Kings 3:11 tn Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.”
  113. 1 Kings 3:12 tn This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
  114. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.
  115. 1 Kings 3:12 tn This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”).
  116. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
  117. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”
  118. 1 Kings 3:13 tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.
  119. 1 Kings 3:13 tn Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.” The LXX lacks the words “all your days.”
  120. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
  121. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Or “keeping.”
  122. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “walked.”
  123. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”
  124. 1 Kings 3:15 tn Heb “and look, a dream.”
  125. 1 Kings 3:15 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
  126. 1 Kings 3:18 sn There was no one else in the house except the two of us. In other words, there were no other witnesses to the births who could identify which child belonged to which mother.
  127. 1 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “died.”
  128. 1 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “lay, slept.”
  129. 1 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “look.”
  130. 1 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”
  131. 1 Kings 3:22 tn Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”
  132. 1 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”
  133. 1 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”
  134. 1 Kings 3:26 tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.
  135. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.”
  136. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “saw.”
  137. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “the wisdom of God was in his midst for performing justice.” The phrase “wisdom of God” may be taken as an attributive genitive, “divine wisdom,” or as a genitive of source, “wisdom from God.” Even in English they are basically the same, since wisdom from God is divine in character.
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