1 Kings 2:1

Literal Standard Version

And the days of David to die draw near, and he charges his son Solomon, saying,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
As the time approached for David to die, he ordered his son Solomon,

Hebrew Names Version
Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Shlomo his son, saying,

King James Version
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

English Standard Version
When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,

New Century Version
Since it was almost time for David to die, he gave his son Solomon his last commands.

New English Translation
When David was close to death, he told Solomon his son:

Amplified Bible
When David's time to die approached, he gave instructions to Solomon his son, saying,

New American Standard Bible
As David's time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the dayes of Dauid drewe neere that he should die, and hee charged Salomon his sonne, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then David's time to die drew near, so he commanded Solomon his son, saying,

Contemporary English Version
Not long before David died, he told Solomon:

Complete Jewish Bible
The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows:

Darby Translation
And the days of David were at hand that he should die; and he enjoined Solomon his son saying,

Easy-to-Read Version
The time came for David to die, so he gave these commands to Solomon,

George Lamsa Translation
NOW the days of David to die drew near; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

Good News Translation
When David was about to die, he called his son Solomon and gave him his last instructions:

Lexham English Bible
The days of David came near for him to die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

Literal Translation
And the days of David drew near for him to die. And he commanded his son Solomon, saying,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan the tyme came that Dauid shulde dye, he commaunded Salomon his sonne, and sayde:

American Standard Version
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

Bible in Basic English
Now the time of David's death came near; and he gave orders to Solomon his son, saying,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The dayes of Dauid drew nie that he should dye, & he charged Solomon his sonne, saying:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying:

King James Version (1611)
Now the dayes of Dauid drew nigh, that he should die, and he charged Solomon his sonne, saying;

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the days of David drew near that he should die: and he addressed his son Solomon, saying, I go the way of all the earth:

English Revised Version
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe the daies of Dauid neiyiden, that he schulde die; and he comaundide to Salomon, his sone, and seide, Lo!

Young's Literal Translation
And draw near do the days of David to die, and he chargeth Solomon his son, saying,

Update Bible Version
Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

World English Bible
Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

New King James Version
Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying:

New Living Translation
As the time of King David's death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon:

New Life Bible
When David's time to die was near, he told his son Solomon,

New Revised Standard
When David's time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when the days of David drew near that he must die, he charged Solomon his son, saying: -

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged his son Solomon, saying:

Revised Standard Version
When David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,

THE MESSAGE
When David's time to die approached, he charged his son Solomon, saying, "I'm about to go the way of all the earth, but you—be strong; show what you're made of! Do what God tells you. Walk in the paths he shows you: Follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts, his course for life set out in the revelation to Moses; then you'll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go. Then God will confirm what he promised me when he said, ‘If your sons watch their step, staying true to me heart and soul, you'll always have a successor on Israel's throne.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
As David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,

Contextual Overview

¹And the days of David to die draw near, and he charges his son Solomon, saying,²"I am going in the way of all the earth, and you have been strong, and become a man, ³and you have kept the charge of your God YHWH, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commands, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you do wisely [in] all that you do, and wherever you turn, ⁴so that YHWH establishes His word which He spoke to me, saying, If your sons observe their way to walk before Me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul; saying, A man of yours is never cut off from the throne of Israel. ⁵And also, you have known that which he did to me—Joab son of Zeruiah—that which he did to two heads of the hosts of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether—that he slays them, and makes the blood of war in peace, and puts the blood of war in his girdle, that [is] on his loins, and in his sandals that [are] on his feet; ⁶and you have done according to your wisdom, and do not let his old age go down in peace to Sheol. ⁷And you do kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and they have been among those eating at your table, for so they drew near to me in my fleeing from the face of your brother Absalom. ⁸And behold, Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, [is] with you, and he reviled me—a grievous reviling—in the day of my going to Mahanaim; and he has come down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swear to him by YHWH, saying, I do not put you to death by the sword; ⁹and now, do not acquit him, for you [are] a wise man, and you have known that which you do to him, and have brought down his old age with blood to Sheol." ¹⁰And David lies down with his fathers, and is buried in the City of David,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the days: Genesis 47:29, Deuteronomy 31:14, Deuteronomy 33:1, 2 Timothy 4:6, 2 Peter 1:13-15

charged: Numbers 27:19, Deuteronomy 3:28, Deuteronomy 31:23, Acts 20:28-31, 1 Timothy 1:18, 1 Timothy 6:13, 2 Timothy 4:1

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 7:12 - And when Psalms 72:1 - the king's Proverbs 23:24 - father

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth,

Genesis 1:10
And God calls the dry land "Earth," and the collection of the waters He has called "Seas"; and God sees that [it is] good.

Genesis 2:3
And God blesses the seventh day, and sanctifies it, for in it He has ceased from all His work which God had created for making.

Genesis 2:4
These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth in their being created, in the day of YHWH God's making the earth and the heavens;

Genesis 2:5
and no shrub of the field is yet in the earth, and no herb of the field yet sprouts, for YHWH God has not rained on the earth, and there is not a man to serve the ground,

Genesis 2:8
And YHWH God plants a garden in Eden, at the east, and He sets there the man whom He has formed;

Genesis 2:11
the name of the first [is] Pison, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Havilah where the gold [is],

Genesis 2:13
and the name of the second river [is] Gihon, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush;

Exodus 20:11
for [in] six days YHWH has made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that [is] in them, and rests in the seventh day; therefore YHWH has blessed the Sabbath day and sanctifies it.

Exodus 31:17
it [is] a sign between Me and the sons of Israel for all time; for [in] six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, and in the seventh day He has ceased and is refreshed."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die,.... The number of his days fixed and determined by the Lord, Job 14:5; and which might be perceived as drawing nigh, both by himself and others, through the growing infirmities of old age, decline of nature, and various symptoms of an approaching dissolution which were upon him; see

Genesis 47:29. Abarbinel observes, that he is called only David, not King David; because Solomon his son was now anointed king, and reigned in his stead; so in 1 Kings 1:10; but there is another reason given by some Jews n, that no man, even a king, has power in the day of death; he is no king then, he has no rule over that, but that rules over him:

and he charged Solomon his son; gave him his last and dying charge:

saying; as follows.

n Bereshit Rabba, sect. 96. fol. 83. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The events related in 1 Chr. 28–29 had occurred in the interval which separates the last and this present chapter.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER II

David leaves his dying charge with Solomon, relative to his own

personal conduct, 1-4;

to Joab, 5, 6;

to Barzillai, 7;

to Shimei, 8, 9.

He dies, and Solomon is established in the kingdom, 10-12.

Adonijah requests to have Abishag to wife, and is put to death

by Solomon, 13-25.

Abiathar the priest is banished to his estate at Anathoth,

26, 27.

Joab, fearing for his life, flees to the horns of the altar, and

is slain there by Benaiah, 28-34.

Benaiah is made captain of the host in his stead, 35.

Shimei is ordered to confine himself to Jerusalem, and never

leave it on pain of death, 36-38.

After three years he follows some of his runaway servants to

Gath, and thereby forfeits his life, 39, 40.

Solomon sends for him, upbraids him, and commands him to be

slain by Benaiah, 41-46.

NOTES ON CHAP. II