Study Desk

Then all the people followed Solomon back into the city. They were very happy and excited. They were playing flutes and making so much noise that the ground shook.

While Joab was still speaking, Jonathan, son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. Adonijah said, "Come here! You are a good man, so you must be bringing good news."

Adonijah was also afraid of Solomon, so he went to the altar and held onto the horns of the altar.

So Solomon answered, "If Adonijah shows that he is a good man, I promise that not a hair on his head will be hurt. But if he does anything wrong, he will die."

The time came for David to die, so he gave these commands to Solomon,

Adonijah said, "I know that King Solomon will do whatever you ask. So please ask him to let me marry Abishag, the woman from Shunem."

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk with him. When the king saw her, he stood up, bowed before her, and then sat back down. He told some servants to bring another throne for his mother, and she sat down at his right side.

So Bathsheba said, "Let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the woman from Shunem."

So Solomon told Abiathar that he could not continue to serve as a priest of the Lord . This happened as the Lord said it would when he told Eli the priest what would happen to him and his family.

Someone told King Solomon that Joab was at the altar in the Lord 's Tent. So Solomon ordered Benaiah to go and kill him.

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada killed Joab, and he was buried near his home in the desert.

Shimei answered, "Yes, my king. I will obey you." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

so he saddled his donkey and went to King Achish at Gath to find them. He found them there and brought them back home.

So Solomon sent for him and said, "I made you promise in the Lord 's name not to leave Jerusalem. And I warned you that if you went anywhere, you would die. And you agreed to what I said. You said that you would obey me.

So why didn't you obey me? Why did you break your promise to the Lord ?

Then the king ordered Benaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. So Solomon had full control of his kingdom.

The Temple to honor the Lord had not yet been finished, so people were still making animal sacrifices on altars at the high places.

I am your servant here among your chosen people. There are so many that they cannot be counted.

So I ask you to give me the wisdom to rule and judge them well and to help me know the difference between right and wrong. Without such great wisdom, it would be impossible to rule this great nation."

So God said to him, "You did not ask for long life and riches for yourself. You did not ask for the death of your enemies. You asked for the wisdom to listen and make the right decisions.