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Sunday, June 15th, 2025
Trinity Sunday
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

1 Kings 2:6

Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - David;   Death;   Evil for Good;   Friends;   Hell;   Ingratitude;   Malice;   Retaliation;   Will;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Punishments;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abner;   Joab;   Murder;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joab;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Solomon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Judges;   Murder;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adonijah;   Joab;   Reuben;   Solomon;   Wisdom;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Joab ;   1910 New Catholic Dictionary - canticle;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Solomon;   Talent;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'vid;   Murder;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Color;   Peace;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head descend to Sheol in peace.
Hebrew Names Version
Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don't let his gray head go down to She'ol in shalom.
King James Version
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
English Standard Version
Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
New Century Version
Punish him in the way you think is wisest, but do not let him die peacefully of old age.
New English Translation
Do to him what you think is appropriate, but don't let him live long and die a peaceful death.
Amplified Bible
"So act in accordance with your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in peace.
New American Standard Bible
"So act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Doe therefore according to thy wisdome, and let thou not his hoare head go downe to the graue in peace.
Legacy Standard Bible
So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.
Contemporary English Version
in the way you think best. Whatever you do, don't let him die peacefully in his old age.
Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore, act according to your wisdom; don't let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
Darby Translation
And thou shalt do according to thy wisdom, and not let his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace.
Easy-to-Read Version
Use your wisdom, but don't let him die peacefully of old age.
George Lamsa Translation
Do to him therefore according to your wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace.
Good News Translation
You know what to do; you must not let him die a natural death.
Lexham English Bible
You must act according to your wisdom, but you must not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.
Literal Translation
and you shall do according to your wisdom, and shall not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Do thou acordynge to thy wy?dome, that thou brynge not his graye heer downe to the graue in peace.
American Standard Version
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace.
Bible in Basic English
So be guided by your wisdom, and let not his white head go down to the underworld in peace.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Deale with him therefore according to thy wisdome, and bring not his hoore head downe to the graue in peace.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
King James Version (1611)
Doe therefore according to thy wisedome, and let not his hoare head goe downe to the graue in peace.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore thou shalt deal with him according to thy wisdom, and thou shalt not bring down his grey hairs in peace to the grave.
English Revised Version
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
Berean Standard Bible
So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thou schalt do by thi wisdom, and thou schalt not lede forth his hoornesse pesibli to hellis.
Young's Literal Translation
and thou hast done according to thy wisdom, and dost not let his old age go down in peace to Sheol.
Update Bible Version
Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don't let his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace.
Webster's Bible Translation
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace.
World English Bible
Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don't let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
New Living Translation
Do with him what you think best, but don't let him grow old and go to his grave in peace.
New Life Bible
So act with wisdom. Do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.
New Revised Standard
Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou, therefore, must do according to thy wisdom, - but will not let his grey hair go down in peace, to hades.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Do, therefore, according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to hell in peace.
Revised Standard Version
Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.

Contextual Overview

1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 "I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, "If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, "you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' 5 "Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6 Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace. 7 "But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 "And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, "I will not put you to death with the sword.' 9 Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood." 10 1 Chronicles 3:4; 29:26-28">[xr] So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

according: 1 Kings 2:9, Proverbs 20:26

let: 1 Kings 2:28-34, Genesis 9:6, Numbers 35:33, Proverbs 28:17, Ecclesiastes 8:11, Isaiah 65:20

in: Genesis 42:38, 2 Kings 22:20, Psalms 37:37, Isaiah 48:22, Isaiah 57:2, Isaiah 57:21

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:20 - if he thrust Deuteronomy 19:12 - General 2 Samuel 3:39 - the Lord 2 Samuel 14:19 - of Joab 2 Samuel 20:10 - he smote 1 Kings 3:12 - I have given Psalms 55:23 - bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days Matthew 5:21 - and

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Do therefore according to thy wisdom,.... Which though young began to appear in him, even in the life of his father; he therefore exhorts him to use the wisdom he had, and take the first and fittest opportunity to cut him off for his former murders and late treason, as a dangerous man to his government and the peace of it:

and let not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace; that is, let him not die a natural, but a violent death; and let not his grey hairs be any argument for sparing him, or any reason for delaying the taking of him off, because he would in course die quickly; for he must be now an old man, as old as David, or perhaps older; since he had been his general forty years, even all the time of his reign; see 2 Samuel 2:13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

His hoar head - Joab, though the nephew of David, was probably not very greatly his junior, David being the youngest of the family, and Zeruiah, as is most likely, one of the eldest.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 2:6. Let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. — It would have been an insult to justice not to have taken the life of Joab. David was culpable in delaying it so long; but probably the circumstances of his government would not admit of his doing it sooner. According to the law of God, Joab, having murdered Abner and Amasa, should die. And had not David commanded Solomon to perform this act of justice, he could not have died in the approbation of his Maker.


 
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