Study Desk

So Bathsheba said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife."

King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah."

Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.

The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he killed with the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army.

Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever."

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.

So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.

Later, Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around Jerusalem.

And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David-except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

Solomon replied, "You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.

Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother."

and these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,

Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses.

Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.

He was wiser than all men-wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.