1 Kings 2:25-46

25So King Solomon commanded Jehoiada's son Benaiah to kill Adonijah. So Adonijah died.

26Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You also deserve to die. But I will not kill you now because you served my father David. You carried the Covenant Box of the Almighty Lord when David was king. Also, the trouble that happened to my father happened to you too.’

27Solomon sent Abiathar away so that he was no longer a priest who served the Lord. That was the punishment that the Lord had said would happen to Eli's family. So what the Lord had promised at Shiloh now happened.

28When Adonijah had tried to become king, Joab had joined with him. (But he had not joined with Absalom.) Joab heard the news about what had happened to Adonijah and Abiathar. So he hurried to the Lord's holy tent. He took hold of the horns of the altar there.

29King Solomon heard that Joab had gone to the altar in the Lord's holy tent. He commanded Jehoiada's son Benaiah, ‘Go there! Knock Joab down to kill him!’

30So Benaiah went to the Lord's holy tent. When he arrived there, he said to Joab, ‘The king says, “Come out!” ’ But Joab answered, ‘No! I will die here!’ So Benaiah sent a message to tell the king what Joab had said.

31The king replied, ‘Do as Joab said. Kill him there and bury him. He has killed people who did not deserve to die. Punish Joab with death. Then I and my father's family will no longer be guilty for the cruel murders that he has done.

32The Lord will now punish him because of the murders that he did. He used his sword to attack and kill two men, but he did not tell my father David about it. He murdered Ner's son Abner, the leader of Israel's army. He also murdered Jether's son Amasa, the leader of Judah's army. Both those men were better and more honest than Joab was.

33Joab and his descendants will always receive the punishment for those murders. But the Lord will cause David's descendants, his family and his kingdom to enjoy peace always.’

34So Jehoiada's son Benaiah went to the holy tent and he punished Joab with death. They buried Joab at his home in the wilderness.

35Then the king chose Benaiah to be the leader of the army instead of Joab. The king also chose Zadok to be the priest instead of Abiathar.

36Then the king told Shimei to come to him. He said to Shimei, ‘Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in it all the time. Never leave to go anywhere else.

37If you ever leave the city and you cross the Kidron stream, you will certainly die. That will be a death that you choose for yourself.’

38Shimei said to the king, ‘My lord the king, your words are good. I will do as you have decided.’ So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

39But after three years, two of his slaves ran away. They went to Achish, who was the son of Maakah, the king of Gath. Someone told Shimei, ‘Your slaves are in Gath.’

40So Shimei prepared his donkey and he left home. He went to Achish in Gath to look for his slaves. He found them and he brought them back from Gath.

41Someone told Solomon that Shimei had travelled from Jerusalem to Gath and now he had returned.

42So the king told Shimei to come to him. He said to Shimei, ‘You made a strong promise to me in the Lord's name. I am sure that you remember that! I warned you never to leave Jerusalem. I said that if you went anywhere else, you would certainly die. You said to me at that time, “I agree with what you have said.”

43But you have not done what you promised to do in the Lord's name. You should have obeyed my command.’

44The king also said to Shimei, ‘I know that you remember how you insulted my father David. Now the Lord will punish you because of the evil things that you did.

45But the Lord will bless me, King Solomon. David's descendants will continue to serve the Lord as kings for ever.’

46Then the king commanded Jehoiada's son Benaiah to punish Shimei with death. So Benaiah went and he killed Shimei. So Solomon now ruled the kingdom with complete authority.