1 Kings 2:9

New King James Version

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."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So don’t let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man. You know how to deal with him to bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

Hebrew Names Version
Now therefore don't hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to She'ol with blood.

King James Version
Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.

English Standard Version
Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol."

New Century Version
But you should not leave him unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what to do to him, but you must be sure he is killed."

New English Translation
But now don't treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; make sure he has a bloody death."

Amplified Bible
"But now do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray head down to Sheol [covered] with blood."

New American Standard Bible
"But now do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood."

Geneva Bible (1587)
But thou shalt not count him innocent: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to doe vnto him: therefore thou shalt cause his hoare head to goe downe to the graue with blood.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, do not let him go unpunished, for 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 Sheol with blood."

Contemporary English Version
Now you must punish him. He's an old man, but you're wise enough to know that you must have him killed.

Complete Jewish Bible
Now, however, you should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him — you will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood."

Darby Translation
And now hold him not guiltless; for thou art a wise man, and thou shalt know what thou oughtest to do to him; but bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.

Easy-to-Read Version
Now, don't leave him unpunished. You are a wise man. You will know what you must do, but don't let him die peacefully of old age."

George Lamsa Translation
Now therefore hold him not guiltless; for you are a wise man, and know what you ought to do to him; and bring his folly on his head; and you shall bring down his hoary head with blood to Sheol.

Good News Translation
But you must not let him go unpunished. You know what to do, and you must see to it that he is put to death."

Lexham English Bible
So then, do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man, and you will know what you must do to him. You must bring his grey hair down to Sheol with blood."

Literal Translation
And now, do not acquit him, for you are a wise man, and you know that which you shall do to him and shall bring his old age down with blood to Sheol.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But suffre not thou him to be vngiltye, for thou art a wyse man, and shalt wel knowe what thou oughtest to do vnto him, that thou mayest brynge his graye heer downe to the graue with bloude.

American Standard Version
Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.

Bible in Basic English
But do not let him be free from punishment, for you are a wise man; and it will be clear to you what you have to do with him; see that his white head goes down to the underworld in blood.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But thou shalt not count him as vngiltie: For thou art a man of wisdome, and knowest what thou oughtest to do vnto him, his hoore head shalt thou bring to the graue with blood.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.'

King James Version (1611)
Nowe therefore holde him not guiltlesse: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to doe vnto him, but his hoare head bring thou downe to the graue with blood.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But thou shalt by no means hold him guiltless, for thou art a wise man, and wilt know what thou shalt do to him, and shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave.

English Revised Version
Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.

Berean Standard Bible
Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
nyle thou suffre hym to be vnpunyschid; forsothe thou art a wise man, and thou schalt wite what thou schalt do to hym, and thou schalt lede forth hise hoor heeris with blood to hellis.

Young's Literal Translation
and now, acquit him not, for a wise man thou [art], and thou hast known that which thou dost to him, and hast brought down his old age with blood to Sheol.'

Update Bible Version
Now therefore don't hold him innocent, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou [art] a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do to him; but his hoary head do thou bring down to the grave with blood.

World English Bible
Now therefore don't hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.

New Living Translation
But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him."

New Life Bible
So do not let him go without being punished. For you are a wise man. You will know what you should do to him. Bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood."

New Revised Standard
Therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you must bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore do not hold him guiltless, for, a wise man, thou art, and wilt know how thou oughtest to deal with him, and wilt suffer his grey hairs to go down with blood, to hades.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Do not thou hold him guiltless. But thou art a wise man, and knowest what to do with him, and thou shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave.

Revised Standard Version
Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for you are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, for 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 Sheol with blood."

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

hold him: Do not consider him as an innocent man; for, as thou art a wise man, and knowest how to treat such persons, treat him as he deserves; only, as I have sworn to him that I would not put him to death, "bring not his hoar head down to the grave with blood." So Solomon understood David; for, after he had commanded Joab to be slain, in obedience to his father, he sent for Shimei, and knowing he ought to be well watched, he confined him to Jerusalem for the rest of his life, and so it appears David should be understood; for the negative particle lo, in the former clause, "hold him not guiltless," should be repeated in the latter clause, though not expressed; instances of which frequently occur in the Hebrew Scriptures. (See note on Judges 5:30. 1 Samuel 2:3. Psalms 1:5, Psalms 9:18, Psalms 38:1, Psalms 75:5. Proverbs 5:16, Proverbs 24:12, etc). This is the view taken of the subject by Dr. Kennicott, and it seems the best and most correct mode of interpreting the text. Exodus 20:7, Exodus 22:28, Job 9:28

wise: 1 Kings 3:12, 1 Kings 3:28

his: 1 Kings 2:6, Genesis 42:38, Genesis 44:31

with: Numbers 32:23

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 16:5 - whose name 2 Samuel 19:23 - Thou shalt 1 Kings 2:36 - Shimei Psalms 45:9 - upon Proverbs 15:20 - wise Proverbs 19:5 - unpunished Proverbs 23:24 - father

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:17
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Genesis 3:3
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."'

Deuteronomy 6:25
Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.'

Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.

Isaiah 44:25
Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness;

Isaiah 47:10
"For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, "No one sees me'; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one else besides me.'

Ezekiel 31:16
I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore hold him not guiltless,.... Do not look upon him as an innocent person; and if he commits an offence against thee, as he has against me, do not acquit him as I have done:

for thou [art] a wise man; so it seems he was before the appearance of the Lord to him at Gibeon, even before his father's death he had given some proofs of it to David himself:

and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; to watch and observe him, and, if found offending, to punish him according to the rules of justice, and the laws of the land:

but his hoary head bring thou down to the grave with blood; spare him not on account of his age, but put him to death whensoever he shall be found guilty, let him not die a natural death.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hold him not guiltless - i. e. “Do not treat him as an innocent man. Punish him as in thy wisdom thou deemest best. Not capitally at once; but so that he may be likely to give thee in course of time a just occasion to slay him.” So, at least, Solomon seems to have understood the charge. (See 1 Kings 2:36-46.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 2:9. Hold him not guiltless — Do not consider him as an innocent man, though I have sworn to him that I would not put him to death by the sword; yet as thou art a wise man, and knowest how to treat such persons, treat him as he deserves; only as I have sworn to him, and he is an aged man, let him not die a violent death; bring not down his hoary head to the grave with blood. So Solomon understood David, and so I think David should be understood; for the negative particle לא lo, in the former clause, hold him NOT guiltless, should be repeated in this latter clause, though not expressed, his hoary head bring thou NOT down; instances of which frequently occur in the Hebrew Bible. See Dr. Kennicott's note at the end of this chapter. 1 Kings 2:46.