1Kings:2:13-46

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon . And she said : 'Comest thou peaceably ?' And he said : 'Peaceably .' * He said moreover : 'I have somewhat to say unto thee .' And she said : 'Say on .' * And he said : 'Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine , and that all Israel set their faces on me , that I should reign ; howbeit the kingdom is turned about , and is become my brother 's ; for it was his from the LORD . * And now I ask one petition of thee , deny me not .' And she said unto him : 'Say on .' * And he said : 'Speak , I pray thee , unto Solomon the king--for he will not say thee nay--that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife .' * And Bath-sheba said : 'Well ; I will speak for thee unto the king .' * Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon , to speak unto him for Adonijah . And the king rose up to meet her , and bowed down unto her , and sat down on his throne , and caused a throne to be set for the king 's mother ; and she sat on his right hand . * Then she said : 'I ask one small petition of thee ; deny me not .' And the king said unto her : 'Ask on , my mother ; for I will not deny thee .' * And she said : 'Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife .' * And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother : 'And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah ? ask for him the kingdom also ; for he is mine elder brother ; even for him , and for Abiathar the priest , and for Joab the son of Zeruiah .' * Then king Solomon swore by the LORD , saying : 'God do so to me , and more also , if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life . * Now therefore as the LORD liveth , who hath established me , and set me on the throne of David my father , and who hath made me a house , as He promised , surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day .' * And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada ; and he fell upon him , so that he died . * And unto Abiathar the priest said the king : 'Get thee to Anathoth , unto thine own fields ; for thou art deserving of death ; but I will not at this time put thee to death , because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father , and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted .' * So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD ; that the word of the LORD might be fulfilled , which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh . * And the tidings came to Joab ; for Joab had turned after Adonijah , though he turned not after Absalom . And Joab fled unto the Tent of the LORD , and caught hold on the horns of the altar . * And it was told king Solomon : 'Joab is fled unto the Tent of the LORD , and , behold , he is by the altar .' Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada , saying : 'Go , fall upon him .' * And Benaiah came to the Tent of the LORD , and said unto him : 'Thus saith the king : Come forth .' And he said : 'Nay ; but I will die here .' And Benaiah brought back word unto the king , saying : 'Thus said Joab , and thus he answered me .' * And the king said unto him : 'Do as he hath said , and fall upon him , and bury him ; that thou mayest take away the blood , which Joab shed without cause , from me and from my father 's house . * And the LORD will return his blood upon his own head , because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he , and slew them with the sword , and my father David knew it not : Abner the son of Ner , captain of the host of Israel , and Amasa the son of Jether , captain of the host of Judah . * So shall their blood return upon the head of Joab , and upon the head of his seed for ever ; but unto David , and unto his seed , and unto his house , and unto his throne , shall there be peace for ever from the LORD .' * Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up , and fell upon him , and slew him ; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness . * And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host ; and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar . * And the king sent and called for Shimei , and said unto him : Build thee a house in Jerusalem , and dwell there , and go not forth thence any whither . * For on the day thou goest out , and passest over the brook Kidron , know thou for certain that thou shalt surely die ; thy blood shall be upon thine own head .' * And Shimei said unto the king : 'The saying is good ; as my lord the king hath said , so will thy servant do .' And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days . * And it came to pass at the end of three years , that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish , son of Maacah , king of Gath . And they told Shimei , saying : 'Behold , thy servants are in Gath .' * And Shimei arose , and saddled his ass , and went to Gath to Achish , to seek his servants ; and Shimei went , and brought his servants from Gath . * And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath , and was come back . * And the king sent and called for Shimei , and said unto him : 'Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD , and forewarned thee , saying : Know for certain , that on the day thou goest out , and walkest abroad any whither , thou shalt surely die ? and thou saidst unto me : The saying is good ; I have heard it . * Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD , and the commandment that I have charged thee with ?' * The king said moreover to Shimei : 'Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to , that thou didst to David my father ; therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head . * But king Solomon shall be blessed , and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever .' * So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada ; and he went out , and fell upon him , so that he died . And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon .

---