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.
大卫对所罗门的叮嘱
1大卫临终时，叮嘱他儿子所罗门说： 2“我要走世人都必走的那条路了。你要刚强，做大丈夫。 3你要遵从你的上帝耶和华的吩咐，遵行祂的道，照摩西的律法遵守上帝的律例、诫命、典章和法度。这样，你无论做什么、去哪里都必亨通， 4耶和华必成就给我的应许，祂对我说，‘如果你的子孙谨慎自守，全心全意地在我面前尽忠，你的以色列王朝必世代相传。’
5“你知道洗鲁雅的儿子约押怎样对我，他杀了以色列的两名元帅尼珥的儿子押尼珥和益帖的儿子亚玛撒。他在太平的时候把他们当作战场的敌手杀害，腰带和鞋上沾满了他们的血。 6你要用智慧处置他，不可让他安享天年。
7“你要恩待基列人巴西莱的众子，让他们成为你的座上宾，因为我逃避你哥哥押沙龙的时候，他们曾接待我。
8“别放过巴户琳的便雅悯人基拉的儿子示每。我逃亡到玛哈念的时候，他曾用恶毒的话咒骂我。后来他到约旦河迎接我的时候，我曾凭耶和华起誓不杀他。 9但你不要放过他。你是个聪明人，知道该怎样处置他。你要让他白头落地，不得善终。”
10大卫与祖先同眠后，葬在大卫城。 11他统治以色列四十年，他在希伯仑执政七年，在耶路撒冷执政三十三年。 12所罗门继承大卫的王位，江山稳固。
所罗门巩固王位
13一天，哈及的儿子亚多尼雅来见所罗门的母亲拔示巴，拔示巴问他：“你是为平安而来吗？”亚多尼雅说：“是为平安而来。” 14又说：“我有事禀告。”拔示巴说：“你说吧。” 15亚多尼雅说：“你知道，王位本该是我的，整个以色列原指望我做王。不料，王位归了我兄弟，因为这是上帝的旨意。 16现在我有一个请求，请你不要推辞。”拔示巴说：“你说吧。” 17他说：“请你求所罗门王将那书念女子雅比莎赐我为妻，他不会拒绝你。” 18拔示巴说：“好吧，我会为你向王请求。”
19拔示巴就为亚多尼雅的事去见所罗门王，王离座迎接，向她下拜，然后坐回位上，命人在自己右边为她摆设座位。 20拔示巴说：“我有一件小事求你，请你不要推辞。”王说：“母亲请说，我必不推辞。” 21拔示巴说：“请将书念女子雅比莎赐给你哥哥亚多尼雅为妻。”
22所罗门王回答说：“为何只为亚多尼雅求书念女子雅比莎呢？你也为他求这国家吧！他是我哥哥，又有亚比亚他祭司和洗鲁雅的儿子约押支持。” 23所罗门王就凭耶和华起誓说：“亚多尼雅若不为他这样的要求付出性命，愿上帝重重地惩罚我。 24耶和华让我稳稳地坐在父亲大卫的宝座上，照祂的应许为我建立了王朝，我凭永活的耶和华起誓，亚多尼雅今天必被处死。” 25于是，所罗门王命令耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅杀死亚多尼雅。
26王对亚比亚他祭司说：“你回亚拿突的老家去吧。你本是该死的，但我念你在我父大卫面前抬过主耶和华的约柜，曾经与我父亲患难与共，才饶你一命。” 27所罗门就罢免了亚比亚他的职位，不许他再做耶和华的祭司。这事应验了耶和华在示罗所说的有关以利家的预言。
28约押虽然没有支持押沙龙，但却支持了亚多尼雅。他听见风声，就逃进圣幕，抓住祭坛的角。 29有人把这消息告诉所罗门王，说约押已经逃进圣幕，躲在祭坛旁边。所罗门就派耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅去杀他。 30比拿雅来到耶和华的圣幕，对约押说：“王吩咐你出来！”约押却回答说：“不，我要死在这里。”比拿雅回去禀告王。
31王说：“你就照他的话成全他，埋葬他，把他滥杀无辜的罪从我和我父亲家清除。 32耶和华要让他血债血还。因为他背着我父亲杀了两名比他良善正直的人，即尼珥的儿子以色列元帅押尼珥和益帖的儿子犹大元帅亚玛撒。 33所以，杀这二人的血债必永远归到约押和他后代身上。愿耶和华的平安永远伴随大卫和他的后代、他的家、他的王位。” 34耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅就去把约押杀死，葬在旷野约押自己的墓地。 35王委派耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅替代约押为元帅，命撒督祭司代替亚比亚他。
36王又派人将示每召来，对他说：“你要在耶路撒冷建屋居住，不得出城去其他地方。 37你哪天越过汲沦溪，哪天必死无疑，你的死是咎由自取。” 38示每说：“好，仆人必照我主我王说的做。”示每就一直住在耶路撒冷。 39过了三年，示每的两个仆人逃到迦特王玛迦的儿子亚吉那里。示每知道后， 40就备上驴到迦特的亚吉那里找他的仆人，并把他们带了回来。
41所罗门听说示每从耶路撒冷前往迦特，已经返回， 42就派人召来示每，问道：“我不是叫你凭耶和华起誓不离开耶路撒冷吗？我警告过你，你哪天离开这里，哪天必死无疑。当时你也同意。 43现在你为何不守你向耶和华起的誓，不遵行我的命令？” 44王又说：“你以前如何恶待我父大卫，你自己心里明白，现在耶和华要追究你的罪行了。 45但所罗门王必蒙祝福，大卫的王位必在耶和华面前必永远稳固。”
46于是，王命令耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅杀死示每。这样所罗门的江山得以稳固。
