1 Kings 2:5-32

5“Now you also know what Joab the 1son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to 2Abner the son of Ner, and to 3Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also 4shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt 5about his waist, and on his sandals 6on his feet. 67So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to 8Sheol in peace. 7But 9show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and 10let them be among those who eat at your table; 11for they 12assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8Behold, 13there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a 14violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when 15he 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, 16for 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 17Sheol with blood.”

10Then 18David slept with his fathers and was buried in 19the city of David. 1120The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: 21seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 12And 22Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

13Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “23Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15So he said, “You know that 24the kingdom was mine and 25that all Israel 26expected me to be king; 27however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, 28for it was his from the Lord. 16Now I am making one request of you; do not 29refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not 30refuse you, that he may give me 31Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

19So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he 32had a throne set for the king’s mother, and 33she sat on his right. 20Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; 34do not 35refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not 36refuse you.” 21So she said, “37Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? 38Ask for him also the kingdom--39for he is my older brother--even for him, for 40Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has 41not spoken this word against his own 42life. 24Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and 43who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25So King Solomon 44sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

26Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “45Go to Anathoth to your own field, 46for you 47deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because 48you carried the ark of the Lord 49God before my father David, and because 50you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill 51the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28Now the news came to Joab, 52for Joab had followed Adonijah, 53although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and 54took hold of the horns of the altar. 29It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon 55sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “56Go, fall upon him.” 30So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31The king said to him, “57Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, 58that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. 3259The Lord will return his blood on his own head, 60because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: 61Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and 62Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.