1 Kings 2:8-9

2:8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, ¹  who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim. ²  He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised ³  him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down ⁴  with the sword.’ 2:9 But now ⁵  don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; ⁶  make sure he has a bloody death.” ⁷ 

1 Kings 2:36-46

2:36 Next the king summoned ⁸  Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem ⁹  and live there – but you may not leave there to go anywhere! ¹⁰  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.” ¹¹  2:38 Shimei said to the king, “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable. ¹²  Your servant will do as you say.” ¹³  So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. ¹⁴ 

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 ¹⁵  Shimei and said to him, “You will recall ¹⁶  that I made you take an oath by the Lord, and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere, ¹⁷  know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’ ¹⁸  2:43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?” ¹⁹  2:44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. ²⁰  The Lord will punish you for what you did. ²¹  2:45 But King Solomon will be empowered ²²  and David’s dynasty ²³  will endure permanently before the Lord.” 2:46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. ²⁴ 

So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom. ²⁵ 

[2:8]  ¹ tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”

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

[2:8]  ³ tn Or “swore an oath to.”

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “kill you.”

[2:9]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “what you should do to him.”

[2:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”

[2:36]  ⁸ tn Heb “sent and summoned.”

[2:36]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:36]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”

[2:37]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”

[2:38]  ¹² tn Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”

[2:38]  ¹³ tn Heb “so your servant will do.”

[2:38]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “many days.”

[2:42]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “sent and summoned.”

[2:42]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “here or there.”

[2:42]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”

[2:43]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Why have you not kept the oath [to] the Lord and the commandment I commanded you?”

[2:44]  ²⁰ tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”

[2:44]  ²¹ tn Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”

[2:45]  ²² tn Or “blessed.”

[2:45]  ²³ tn Heb “throne.”

[2:46]  ²⁴ tn “The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”

[2:46]  ²⁵ tn “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”