Study Desk

And moreover the kings servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, May the LORD your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself upon his bed.

Then all the guests who were invited by Adonijah were afraid, and rose up and went every man his way.

And it was told King Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah is afraid because of you, and, lo, has taken refuge on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me this day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

And Solomon said, If he will show himself to be a worthy man, there shall not a hair of his head fall to the earth; but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.

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

And keep the charge of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways and 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 succeed wherever you go;

That the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If your children take heed to their ways, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.

Now, you know also what Joab the son of Zoriah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew and considered them as though they were in the battle, and shed their blood with the sword that was about his loins and trampled upon it with the shoes that were on his feet.

Do to him therefore according to your wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace.

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.

So David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.

Then Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established.

And he said to her, You know that the kingdom rightly was mine, and that all Israel were looking forward to me to be king over them; but the kingdom was taken from me and is become my brothers; for it was his from the LORD.

Bath-sheba therefore went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed himself to her and then sat on his throne, and they brought a chair for the kings mother; and she sat on his right hand.

And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, Why do you ask Abishag the Shilommite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; ask even for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab the son of Zoriah.

Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.

And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, because he attacked two men more righteous and better than he and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing of it; namely, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel; and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants for ever; but to David and to his descendants and to his house and to his throne shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.

So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and attacked him and slew him; and he was buried in his own sepulchre in the wilderness.

Then King Solomon appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his stead over the army; and Zadok the priest the king appointed in the place of Abiathar.