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Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he chargedSolomon his son, saying,
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I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
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And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
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That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walkbefore me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee(said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
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Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiahdid to me, and what he did to the twocaptains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
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But shewkindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fledbecause of Absalom thy brother.
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And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievouscurse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
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Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wiseman, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
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So Davidslept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
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And the days that Davidreigned over Israel were fortyyears: sevenyearsreigned he in Hebron, and thirty and threeyearsreigned he in Jerusalem.
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Then satSolomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was establishedgreatly.
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And Adonijah the son of Haggithcame to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
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He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Sayon.
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And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israelset 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.
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And now I askonepetition of thee, denyme not. And she said unto him, Say on.
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And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king,(for he will not saytheenay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
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And Bathshebasaid, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
19Bathsheba therefore went unto kingSolomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and satdown on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
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Then she said, I desireonesmallpetition of thee; I pray thee, sayme not nay. And the kingsaid unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not saytheenay.
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And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
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And kingSolomonanswered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou askAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah?ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elderbrother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
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Then kingSolomonsware by the LORD, saying, Goddo so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
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Now therefore, as the LORDliveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
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And kingSolomonsent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
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And unto Abiathar the priestsaid the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the LordGODbeforeDavid my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
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So Solomon thrust outAbiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
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Then tidingscame to Joab: for Joab had turnedafterAdonijah, though he turned not afterAbsalom. And Joabfled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
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And it was toldkingSolomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then SolomonsentBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
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And Benaiahcame to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiahbrought the kingwordagain, saying, Thus saidJoab, and thus he answered me.
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And the kingsaid unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocentblood, which Joabshed, from me, and from the house of my father.
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And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon twomen more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my fatherDavid not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
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Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seedforever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peaceforever from the LORD.
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So 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.
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And the kingputBenaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the kingput in the room of Abiathar.
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And the kingsent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
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For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brookKidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surelydie: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
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And Shimeisaid unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servantdo. And Shimeidwelt in Jerusalemmanydays.
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And it came to pass at the end of threeyears, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achishson of Maachahking of Gath. And they toldShimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.
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And Shimeiarose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimeiwent, and brought his servants from Gath.
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And it was toldSolomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
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And the kingsent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surelydie? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
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Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
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The kingsaid moreover toShimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didsttoDavid my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head;
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And kingSolomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be establishedbefore the LORDforever.
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So the kingcommandedBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.