1 Kings 2:1-19

David’s Final Words to Solomon

2:1 When David was close to death, ¹  he told ²  Solomon his son: 2:2 “I am about to die. ³  Be strong and become a man! 2:3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you ⁴  by following his instructions ⁵  and obeying ⁶  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, ⁷  2:4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me, ⁸  ‘If your descendants watch their step ⁹  and live faithfully in my presence ¹⁰  with all their heart and being, ¹¹  then,’ he promised, ¹²  ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ ¹³ 

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. ¹⁴  During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle; ¹⁵  when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet. ¹⁶  2:6 Do to him what you think is appropriate, ¹⁷  but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death. ¹⁸ 

2:7 “Treat fairly ¹⁹  the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs, ²⁰  because they helped me ²¹  when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

2:8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, ²²  who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim. ²³  He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised ²⁴  him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down ²⁵  with the sword.’ 2:9 But now ²⁶  don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; ²⁷  make sure he has a bloody death.” ²⁸ 

2:10 Then David passed away ²⁹  and was buried in the city of David. ³⁰  2:11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem ³¹  thirty-three years.

Solomon Secures the Throne

2:12 Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority ³²  was firmly solidified.

2:13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.” ³³  2:14 He added, ³⁴  “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” 2:15 He said, “You know that the kingdom ³⁵  was mine and all Israel considered me king. ³⁶  But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his. ³⁷  2:16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.” ³⁸  She said, “Go ahead and ask.” ³⁹  2:17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.” ⁴⁰  2:18 Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine, ⁴¹  I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

2:19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet ⁴²  her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother, ⁴³  and she sat at his right hand.

[2:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”

[2:1]  ² tn Or “commanded.”

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “going the way of all the earth.”

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Or “keeping.”

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”

[2:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”

[2:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “guard their way.”

[2:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”

[2:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “soul.”

[2:4]  ¹² tn Heb “saying.”

[2:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”

[2:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”

[2:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”

[2:5]  ¹⁶ tn 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.

[2:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”

[2:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”

[2:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”

[2:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”

[2:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “drew near to.”

[2:8]  ²² tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”

[2:8]  ²³ tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”

[2:8]  ²⁴ tn Or “swore an oath to.”

[2:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “kill you.”

[2:9]  ²⁶ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the Vulgate have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.

[2:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “what you should do to him.”

[2:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”

[2:10]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”

[2:10]  ³⁰ sn The phrase the city of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.

[2:11]  ³¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:12]  ³² tn Or “kingship.”

[2:13]  ³³ tn Heb “[in] peace.”

[2:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and he said.”

[2:15]  ³⁵ tn Or “kingship.”

[2:15]  ³⁶ tn Heb “set their face to me to be king.”

[2:15]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”

[2:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”

[2:16]  ³⁹ tn Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”

[2:17]  ⁴⁰ 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.”

[2:18]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[It is] good!”

[2:19]  ⁴² tn Or “meet.”

[2:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”