<p class="bodytext"><v id="(19:1)" /><n id="1" /> The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, &#8220;My son, Absalom! My son, my son,<n id="2" /> Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now Mephibosheth, Saul&#8217;s grandson,<n id="1" /> came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely<n id="2" /> returned, Mephibosheth<n id="3" /> had not cared for his feet<n id="4" /> nor trimmed<n id="5" /> his mustache nor washed his clothes.p>

He replied, &#8220;My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I<n id="1" /> said, &#8216;Let me get my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,&#8217; for I<n id="2" /> am lame.

Visit<n id="1" /> King David and say to him, &#8216;My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise<n id="2" /> your servant, &#8220;Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne&#8221;? So why has Adonijah become king?&#8217;

<p class="bodytext">So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites<n id="1" /> went down, put Solomon on King David&#8217;s mule, and led him to Gihon.

Do the job the <sc>Lordsc> your God has assigned you<n id="1" /> by following his instructions<n id="2" /> and obeying<n id="3" /> 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,<n id="4" />

and the <sc>Lordsc> will fulfill his promise to me,<n id="1" /> &#8216;If your descendants watch their step<n id="2" /> and live faithfully in my presence<n id="3" /> with all their heart and being,<n id="4" /> then,&#8217; he promised,<n id="5" /> &#8216;you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.&#8217;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim,<n id="1" /> who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim.<n id="2" /> He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised<n id="3" /> him by the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8216;I will not strike you down<n id="4" /> with the sword.&#8217;

When King Solomon heard<n id="1" /> that Joab had run to the tent of the <sc>Lordsc> and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Go, strike him down.&#8221;

the king summoned<n id="1" /> Shimei and said to him, &#8220;You will recall<n id="2" /> that I made you take an oath by the <sc>Lord,sc> and I solemnly warned you, &#8216;If you ever leave and go anywhere,<n id="3" /> know for sure that you will certainly die.&#8217; You said to me, &#8216;The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.&#8217;<n id="4" />

He prayed:<n id="1" /> &#8220;O <sc>Lord,sc> God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty<n id="2" /> to your servants who obey you with sincerity.<n id="3" />

then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly<n id="1" /> you will then teach them the right way to live<n id="2" /> and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess.<n id="3" />p>

On the fifteenth day after the festival started,<n id="1" /> he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king<n id="2" /> and then went to their homes, happy and content<n id="3" /> because of all the good the <sc>Lordsc> had done for his servant David and his people Israel.p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep,<n id="1" /> and decide to serve and worship other gods,<n id="2" />

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her.<n id="1" /> Then she left and returned<n id="2" /> to her homeland with her attendants.p>

While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away<n id="1" /> and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, &#8220;Give me permission to leave<n id="2" /> so I can return to my homeland.&#8221;

I am taking the kingdom from him<n id="1" /> because they have<n id="2" /> abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions<n id="3" /> by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon&#8217;s father David did.<n id="4" />

&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> says this: &#8220;Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" /> They obeyed the <sc>Lordsc> and went home as the <sc>Lordsc> had ordered them to do.<n id="2" />p>

He went and found the corpse lying in the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it;<n id="1" /> the lion had neither eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey.

Jeroboam told his wife, &#8220;Disguise<n id="1" /> yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam&#8217;s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there.<n id="2" />