1 Kings 2:1-11

1As David’s 12time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2“3I am going the way of all the earth. 4Be strong, therefore, and 5show yourself a man. 3Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, 6according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that 7you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4so that 8the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘9If your sons are careful of their way, 10to walk before Me in 11truth with all their heart and with all their soul, 1213you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

5“Now you also know what Joab the 14son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to 15Abner the son of Ner, and to 16Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also 17shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt 18about his waist, and on his sandals 19on his feet. 620So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to 21Sheol in peace. 7But 22show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and 23let them be among those who eat at your table; 24for they 25assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8Behold, 26there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a 27violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when 28he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, 29for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to 30Sheol with blood.”

10Then 31David slept with his fathers and was buried in 32the city of David. 1133The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: 34seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.