1 Kings 2:33-46

2:33 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, ¹  and his dynasty.” ²  2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; ³  he was buried at his home in the wilderness. 2:35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of ⁴  the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place. ⁵ 

2:36 Next the king summoned ⁶  Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem ⁷  and live there – but you may not leave there to go anywhere! ⁸  2:37 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.” ⁹  2:38 Shimei said to the king, “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable. ¹⁰  Your servant will do as you say.” ¹¹  So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. ¹² 

2:39 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.” 2:40 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. 2:41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned, 2:42 the king summoned ¹³  Shimei and said to him, “You will recall ¹⁴  that I made you take an oath by the Lord, and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere, ¹⁵  know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’ ¹⁶  2:43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?” ¹⁷  2:44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. ¹⁸  The Lord will punish you for what you did. ¹⁹  2:45 But King Solomon will be empowered ²⁰  and David’s dynasty ²¹  will endure permanently before the Lord.” 2:46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. ²² 

So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom. ²³ 

[2:33]  ¹ tn Heb “house.”

[2:33]  ² tn Heb “his throne.”

[2:34]  ³ tn Heb “struck him and killed him.” The referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:35]  ⁴ tn Heb “over.”

[2:35]  ⁵ tc The Old Greek translation includes after v. 35 some fourteen verses that are absent from the MT.

[2:36]  ⁶ tn Heb “sent and summoned.”

[2:36]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:36]  ⁸ tn Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”

[2:37]  ⁹ tn Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”

[2:38]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”

[2:38]  ¹¹ tn Heb “so your servant will do.”

[2:38]  ¹² tn Heb “many days.”

[2:42]  ¹³ tn Heb “sent and summoned.”

[2:42]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Is it not [true]…?” In the Hebrew text the statement is interrogative; the rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course it is.”

[2:42]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “here or there.”

[2:42]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”

[2:43]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Why have you not kept the oath [to] the Lord and the commandment I commanded you?”

[2:44]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”

[2:44]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”

[2:45]  ²⁰ tn Or “blessed.”

[2:45]  ²¹ tn Heb “throne.”

[2:46]  ²² tn “The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”

[2:46]  ²³ tn “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”