1 Kings 2:4-6

2:4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me,¹ ‘If your descendants watch their step² and live faithfully in my presence³ with all their heart and being,⁴ then,’ he promised,⁵ ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’⁶

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.⁷ During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle;⁸ when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet.⁹ 2:6 Do to him what you think is appropriate,¹⁰ but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death.¹¹

¹tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”

²tn Heb “guard their way.”

³tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”

⁴tn Or “soul.”

⁵tn Heb “saying.”

⁶tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”

⁷tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”

⁸tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”

⁹tn 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.

¹³tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”

¹⁴tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”