1 Kings 2

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 As David's life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son Solomon,	1 And the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged his son Solomon, saying:
2 'I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man.	2 I am going the way of all flesh: take thou courage, and shew thyself a man.
3 Observe the injunctions of Yahweh your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, hiscommandments, his ordinances and his decrees, as stands written in the Law of Moses, so that you may besuccessful in everything you do and undertake,	3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and observe his ceremonies, and his precepts, and judgments, and testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses: that thou mayest understand all thou dost, and whithersoever thou shalt turn thyself :
4 and that Yahweh may fulfil the promise which he made me, "If your sons are careful how they behave,and walk loyal y before me with all their heart and soul, you wil never want for a man on the throne of Israel."	4 That the Lord may confirm his words, which he hath spoken of me, saying: If thy children shall take heed to their ways, and shall walk before me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, there shall not be taken away from thee a man on the throne of Israel.
5 'You know too what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armyof Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether; how he murdered them, shedding the blood of war in timeof peace and staining the belt round my waist and the sandals on my feet with the blood of war.	5 Thou knowest also what Joab the son of Sarvia hath done to me, what he did to the two captains of the army of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether: whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6 You wil be wise not to let his grey head go down to Sheol in peace.	6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to hell in peace.
7 As regards the sons of Barzil ai of Gilead, treat them with faithful love, let them be among those who eatat your table, for they were as kind to me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.	7 But shew kindness to the sons of Berzellai the Galaadite, and let them eat at thy table: t for they met me when I fled from the face of Absalom thy brother.
8 You also have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim. He called down a terriblecurse on me the day I left for Mahanaim, but he came down to meet me at the Jordan and I swore to him byYahweh that I would not put him to death.	8 Thou hast also with thee Semei the son of Gera the son of Jemini of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse, when I went to the camp: but because he came down to meet me when I passed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying: I will not kill thee with a sword:
9 But you, you must not let him go unpunished; you are a wise man and wil know how to deal with him, tobring his grey head down to Sheol in blood.'	9 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 hell.
10 So David fell asleep with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.	10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
11 David was king of Israel for a period of forty years: he reigned at Hebron for seven years, and inJerusalem for thirty-three.	11 And the days that David reigned in Israel, were forty gears: in Hebron he reigned seven years, in Jerusalem thirty-three.
12 Solomon then sat on the throne of David, and his sovereignty was securely established.	12 And Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was strengthened exceedingly.
13 Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba mother of Solomon. 'Do you bring peace?' she asked. Hereplied, 'Yes, peace.'	13 And Adonias the son of Haggith came to Bethsabee the mother of Solomon. And she said to him: Is thy coming peaceable? he answered: Peaceable.
14 Then he said, 'I have something to say to you.' 'Say on,' she replied.	14 And he added: I have a word to speak with thee. She said to him: Speak. And he said:
15 'You know', he said, 'that the kingdom should have come to me, and that al Israel expected me to beking; but the crown eluded me and fell to my brother, since it came to him from Yahweh.	15 Thou knowest that the kingdom was nine, and all Israel had preferred me to be their king: but the kingdom is transferred, and is become my brother's: for it was appointed him by the Lord.
16 Now I have one request to make you; do not refuse me.' 'Go on,' she said.	16 Now therefore I ask one petition of thee: turn not away my face. And she said to him: Say on.
17 He went on, 'Please ask King Solomon -- for he wil not refuse you -- to give me Abishag of Shunem inmarriage.'	17 And he said: I pray thee speak to king Solomon (for he cannot deny thee any thing) to give me Abisag the Sunamitess to wife.
18 'Very wel ,' Bathsheba replied, 'I shal speak to the king about you.'	18 And Bethsabee said: Well, I will speak for thee to the king.
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah; the king got up to meet her andbowed before her; he then sat down on his throne; a seat was brought for the king's mother, and she sat downon his right.	19 Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand.
20 She said, 'I have one smal request to make you; do not refuse me.' 'Mother,' the king replied, 'makeyour request, for I shal not refuse you.'	20 And she said to him: I desire one small petition of thee, do not put me to confusion. And the king said to her: My mother, ask: for I must not turn away thy face.
21 'Let Abishag of Shunem', she said, 'be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.'	21 And she said: Let Abisag the Sunamitess be given to Adonias thy brother to wife.
22 King Solomon replied to his mother, 'And why do you request Abishag of Shunem for Adonijah? Youmight as wel request the kingdom for him, since he is my elder brother and Abiathar the priest and Joab son ofZeruiah are on his side.'	22 And king Solomon answered, and said to his mother: Why dost thou ask Abisag the Sunamitess for Adonias? ask for him also the kingdom: for he is my elder brother, and hath Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Sarvia.
23 And King Solomon swore by Yahweh: 'May God bring unnameable il s on me, and worse ills, too,' hesaid, 'if Adonijah does not pay for these words of his with his life!	23 Then king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: So and so may God do to me, and add more, if Adonias hath not spoken this word against his own life.
24 As Yahweh lives who has set me securely on the throne of my father David, and who, as he promised,has given him a dynasty, Adonijah shal be put to death this very day.'	24 And now as the Lord liveth, who hath established me, and placed me upon the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, Adonias shall be put to death this day.
25 And King Solomon commissioned Benaiah son of Jehoiada to strike him down, and that was how hedied.	25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Banaias the son of Joiada, who slew him, and he died.
26 As for Abiathar the priest, the king said to him, 'Go to Anathoth to your estate. You deserve to die, but Iam not going to put you to death now, since you carried the ark of Yahweh in the presence of my father Davidand shared al my father's hardships.'	26 And the king said also to Abiathar the priest: Go to Anathoth to thy lands, for indeed thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst carry the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and hast endured trouble in all the troubles my father endured.
27 Solomon deprived Abiathar of the priesthood of Yahweh, thus fulfil ing the prophecy which Yahweh haduttered against the House of Eli at Shiloh.	27 So Solomon cast out Abiathar, from being the priest of the Lord, that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he spoke concerning the house of Deli in Silo.
28 When the news reached Joab -- for Joab had lent his support to Adonijah, though he had notsupported Absalom -- he fled to the Tent of Yahweh and clung to the horns of the altar.	28 And the news came to Joab, because Joab had turned after Adonias, and had not turned after Solomon: and Joab fled into the tabernacle of the Lord and laid hold on the horn of the altar.
29 King Solomon was told, 'Joab has fled to the Tent of Yahweh; he is there beside the altar.' On this,Solomon sent word to Joab, 'What reason did you have for fleeing to the altar?' Joab replied, 'I was afraid of youand fled to Yahweh.' Solomon then sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada. 'Go', he said, 'and strike him down.'	29 And it was told king Solomon, that Joab was fled into the tabernacle of the Lord, and was by the altar: and Solomon sent Banaias the son of Joiada, saying: Go, kill him.
30 Accordingly Benaiah went to the Tent of Yahweh. 'By order of the king,' he said, 'come out!' 'No,' hesaid, 'I will die here.' So Benaiah brought word back to the king, 'This is what Joab said, and the answer he gaveme.'	30 And Banaias came to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him: Thus saith the king: Come forth. And he said: I will not come forth, but here I will die. Banaias brought word back to the king, saying: Thus saith Joab, and thus he answered me.
31 'Do as he says,' the king replied. 'Strike him down and bury him, and so rid me and my family today ofthe innocent blood which Joab has shed.	31 And the king said to him: Do as he hath said: and kill him, and bury him, and thou shalt remove the innocent blood which hath been shed by Joab, from me, and from the house of my father.
32 Yahweh wil bring his blood down on his own head, because he struck down two more upright andbetter men than he, and, without my father David's knowledge, put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander ofthe army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.	32 And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, because he murdered two men, just and better than himself: and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing it, Abner the son of Ner, general of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, general of the army of Juda.
33 May their blood come down on the head of Joab and his descendants for ever, but may David, hisdescendants, his dynasty, his throne, have peace for ever from Yahweh.'	33 And their blood shall return the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever. But to David and his seed and his house, and to his throne be peace for ever from the Lord.
34 Whereupon Benaiah son of Jehoiada went out, struck Joab down and put him to death; he was buriedat his home in the desert.	34 So Banaias the son of Joiada went up, and setting upon him slew him, and he was buried in his house in the desert.
35 In his place as head of the army the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada and, in place of Abiathar,the priest Zadok.	35 And the king appointed Banaias the son of Joiada in his room over the army, and Sadoc the priest he put in the place of Abiathar.
36 The king had Shimei summoned to him. 'Build yourself a house in Jerusalem,' he told him. 'You are tolive there; do not leave it to go anywhere at all.	36 The king also sent, and called for Semei, and said to him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there: and go not out from thence any whither.
37 The day you go out and cross the ravine of the Kidron, be sure you wil certainly die. Your blood wil beon your own head.'	37 For on what day soever thou shalt go out, and shalt pass over the brook Cedron, know that thou shalt be put to death: thy blood shall be upon thy own head:
38 'That is a fair demand,' Shimei replied to the king, 'your servant wil do as my lord the king orders.' Andfor a long time Shimei lived in Jerusalem.	38 And Semei said to the king: The saying is good : as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Semei dwelt in Jerusalem, many days.
39 But when three years had gone by, it happened that two of Shimei's slaves ran away to Achish son ofMaacah, king of Gath; Shimei was told, 'Your slaves are in Gath.'	39 And it came to pass after three years, that the servants of Semei ran away to Achis the son of Maacha the king of Geth: and it was told Semei that his servants were gone to Geth.
40 On this, Shimei got up and saddled his donkey and went to Akish at Gath to find his slaves. He went offand brought his slaves back from Gath.	40 And Semei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Achis to Geth to seek his servants, and he brought them out of Geth.
41 Solomon was informed that Shimei had left Jerusalem for Gath and come back again.	41 And it was told Solomon that Semei had gone from Jerusalem to Geth, and was come back.
42 The king had Shimei summoned to him. 'Did I not make you swear by Yahweh,' he said, 'and did I notwarn you, "The day you leave to go anywhere at all, be sure you wil certainly die"? To which you replied, "That is a fair demand."	42 And sending he called for him, and said to him: Did I not protest to thee by the Lord, and tell thee before: On what day soever thou shalt go out and walk abroad any whither, know that thou shalt die? And thou answeredst me: The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why did you not keep the oath to Yahweh and the order which I imposed on you?'	43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I laid upon thee?
44 The king then said to Shimei, 'You know wel al the evil you did to my father David. Yahweh is about tobring your wickedness down on your own head.	44 And the king said to Semei: Thou knowest all the evil, of which thy heart is conscious, which thou didst to David my father: the Lord hath returned thy wickedness upon thy own head:
45 But may King Solomon be blessed, and may the throne of David be kept secure before Yahweh forever!'	45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever.
46 The king gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he went out and struck Shimei down; and that washow he died. And now the kingdom was securely in Solomon's hands.	46 So the king commanded Banaias the son of Joiada: and he went out and struck him, and he died.