1 Kings 2:23-46

23King Solomon took an oath by the Lord and said, “May God strike me dead if Adonijah doesn’t pay with his life for this request!

24The Lord set me on my father David’s throne and gave me a dynasty as he promised. So I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has established me lives, that Adonijah will be put to death today.”

25King Solomon gave this task to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. Benaiah attacked and killed Adonijah.

26The king told the priest Abiathar, “Go to your land in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won’t kill you at this time because you carried the ark of the Almighty Lord ahead of my father David and because you shared all my father’s sufferings.”

27So Solomon removed Abiathar as the Lord’s priest and fulfilled the Lord’s word spoken at Shiloh about Eli’s family.

28The news reached Joab. (He had supported Adonijah, although he hadn’t supported Absalom.) So Joab fled to the Lord’s tent and clung to the horns of the altar.

29After King Solomon heard that Joab had fled to the altar in the tent of the Lord, Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to kill Joab.

30When Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord, he told Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out.’ ” “No,” Joab answered, “I’ll die here.” So Benaiah reported to the king what Joab had said and how he had answered.

31The king answered, “Do as he said. Kill him, and bury him. You can remove the innocent blood—the blood which Joab shed—from me and my father’s family.

32The Lord will repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel’s army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah’s army). Joab did this without my father’s knowledge.

33The responsibility for their blood will fall on Joab and his descendants forever. But may David, his descendants, family, and throne always receive peace from the Lord.”

34Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went and attacked Joab, killed him, and buried him at his home in the desert.

35The king then appointed Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to replace Joab as commander of the army. King Solomon also replaced Abiathar with the priest Zadok.

36The king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and stay there. Don’t leave ⌞the city⌟ to go anywhere else.

37But the day you leave and cross the brook in the Kidron Valley, you can be certain that you will die. You will be responsible for your own death.”

38“Very well,” Shimei answered. “I’ll do just what Your Majesty said.” So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39But after three years, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Gath’s King Achish, son of Maacah. Shimei was told that his slaves were in Gath,

40so he saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went to Gath and got his slaves.

41After Solomon heard that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and back,

42he summoned Shimei. Solomon asked him, “Didn’t I make you take an oath by the Lord? Didn’t I warn you that if you left ⌞the city⌟ to go anywhere, you could be certain that you would die? Didn’t you say to me, ‘Very well. I’ll do just what you said’?

43Why didn’t you keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?

44Shimei, you know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. The Lord is going to pay you back for the evil you have done.

45But King Solomon is blessed, and David’s dynasty will always be firmly established by the Lord.”

46Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. He went to attack and kill Shimei. Solomon’s power as king was now firmly established.