David’s Charge to Solomon
1When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.
2“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
5“Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
7“But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
8“And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”
10Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.
Solomon’s Throne Established
13Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”
He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” 14Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”
“You may say it,” she replied.
15“As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. 16Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”
“You may make it,” she said.
17So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
18“Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”
19When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.
20“I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”
The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”
21So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”
22King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”
23Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.
26To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.” 27So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.
28When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”
30So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ”
But he answered, “No, I will die here.”
Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”
31Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he. 33May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”
34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.
36Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”
38Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.
39But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” 40At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.
41When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ 43Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”
44The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the Lord forever.”
46Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and he died.
The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.
大衛對所羅門的叮囑
1大衛臨終時，叮囑他兒子所羅門說： 2「我要走世人都必走的那條路了。你要剛強，做大丈夫。 3你要遵從你的上帝耶和華的吩咐，遵行祂的道，照摩西的律法遵守上帝的律例、誡命、典章和法度。這樣，你無論做什麼、去哪裡都必亨通， 4耶和華必成就給我的應許，祂對我說，『如果你的子孫謹慎自守，全心全意地在我面前盡忠，你的以色列王朝必世代相傳。』
5「你知道洗魯雅的兒子約押怎樣對我，他殺了以色列的兩名元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥和益帖的兒子亞瑪撒。他在太平的時候把他們當作戰場的敵手殺害，腰帶和鞋上沾滿了他們的血。 6你要用智慧處置他，不可讓他安享天年。
7「你要恩待基列人巴西萊的眾子，讓他們成為你的座上賓，因為我逃避你哥哥押沙龍的時候，他們曾接待我。
8「別放過巴戶琳的便雅憫人基拉的兒子示每。我逃亡到瑪哈念的時候，他曾用惡毒的話咒罵我。後來他到約旦河迎接我的時候，我曾憑耶和華起誓不殺他。 9但你不要放過他。你是個聰明人，知道該怎樣處置他。你要讓他白頭落地，不得善終。」
10大衛與祖先同眠後，葬在大衛城。 11他統治以色列四十年，他在希伯崙執政七年，在耶路撒冷執政三十三年。 12所羅門繼承大衛的王位，江山穩固。
所羅門鞏固王位
13一天，哈及的兒子亞多尼雅來見所羅門的母親拔示巴，拔示巴問他：「你是為平安而來嗎？」亞多尼雅說：「是為平安而來。」 14又說：「我有事稟告。」拔示巴說：「你說吧。」 15亞多尼雅說：「你知道，王位本該是我的，整個以色列原指望我做王。不料，王位歸了我兄弟，因為這是上帝的旨意。 16現在我有一個請求，請你不要推辭。」拔示巴說：「你說吧。」 17他說：「請你求所羅門王將那書念女子雅比莎賜我為妻，他不會拒絕你。」 18拔示巴說：「好吧，我會為你向王請求。」
19拔示巴就為亞多尼雅的事去見所羅門王，王離座迎接，向她下拜，然後坐回位上，命人在自己右邊為她擺設座位。 20拔示巴說：「我有一件小事求你，請你不要推辭。」王說：「母親請說，我必不推辭。」 21拔示巴說：「請將書念女子雅比莎賜給你哥哥亞多尼雅為妻。」
22所羅門王回答說：「為何只為亞多尼雅求書念女子雅比莎呢？你也為他求這國家吧！他是我哥哥，又有亞比亞他祭司和洗魯雅的兒子約押支持。」 23所羅門王就憑耶和華起誓說：「亞多尼雅若不為他這樣的要求付出性命，願上帝重重地懲罰我。 24耶和華讓我穩穩地坐在父親大衛的寶座上，照祂的應許為我建立了王朝，我憑永活的耶和華起誓，亞多尼雅今天必被處死。」 25於是，所羅門王命令耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅殺死亞多尼雅。
26王對亞比亞他祭司說：「你回亞拿突的老家去吧。你本是該死的，但我念你在我父大衛面前抬過主耶和華的約櫃，曾經與我父親患難與共，才饒你一命。」 27所羅門就罷免了亞比亞他的職位，不許他再做耶和華的祭司。這事應驗了耶和華在示羅所說的有關以利家的預言。
28約押雖然沒有支持押沙龍，但卻支持了亞多尼雅。他聽見風聲，就逃進聖幕，抓住祭壇的角。 29有人把這消息告訴所羅門王，說約押已經逃進聖幕，躲在祭壇旁邊。所羅門就派耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅去殺他。 30比拿雅來到耶和華的聖幕，對約押說：「王吩咐你出來！」約押卻回答說：「不，我要死在這裡。」比拿雅回去稟告王。
31王說：「你就照他的話成全他，埋葬他，把他濫殺無辜的罪從我和我父親家清除。 32耶和華要讓他血債血還。因為他背著我父親殺了兩名比他良善正直的人，即尼珥的兒子以色列元帥押尼珥和益帖的兒子猶大元帥亞瑪撒。 33所以，殺這二人的血債必永遠歸到約押和他後代身上。願耶和華的平安永遠伴隨大衛和他的後代、他的家、他的王位。」 34耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅就去把約押殺死，葬在曠野約押自己的墓地。 35王委派耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅替代約押為元帥，命撒督祭司代替亞比亞他。
36王又派人將示每召來，對他說：「你要在耶路撒冷建屋居住，不得出城去其他地方。 37你哪天越過汲淪溪，哪天必死無疑，你的死是咎由自取。」 38示每說：「好，僕人必照我主我王說的做。」示每就一直住在耶路撒冷。 39過了三年，示每的兩個僕人逃到迦特王瑪迦的兒子亞吉那裡。示每知道後， 40就備上驢到迦特的亞吉那裡找他的僕人，並把他們帶了回來。
41所羅門聽說示每從耶路撒冷前往迦特，已經返回， 42就派人召來示每，問道：「我不是叫你憑耶和華起誓不離開耶路撒冷嗎？我警告過你，你哪天離開這裡，哪天必死無疑。當時你也同意。 43現在你為何不守你向耶和華起的誓，不遵行我的命令？」 44王又說：「你以前如何惡待我父大衛，你自己心裡明白，現在耶和華要追究你的罪行了。 45但所羅門王必蒙祝福，大衛的王位必在耶和華面前必永遠穩固。」
46於是，王命令耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅殺死示每。這樣所羅門的江山得以穩固。
