And Dovid’s days were nearing the time when he would die, and he commanded his son, Shlomo, saying,

“I am going the way of all [the inhabitants of] the earth; be strong and be a man.

Preserve the safeguards of Adonoy, your God, to go in His ways, to preserve His statutes, His commandments, His judgements, and His testimonies, as recorded in the Torah of Moshe, so that you will be successful in everything you do and wherever you turn.

So that Adonoy will fulfill His word that He spoke about me, saying, ‘If your children guard their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart and all their soul, saying, no man of yours will be cut off from the throne of Yisroel.

And you also know what was done to me by Yoav ben Tsruyoh—what he did to two generals of the army of Yisroel—to Avner ben Ner and to Amasa ben Yeser. He killed them and shed the blood of war at a time of peace. He put the blood of war on his belt which was on his loins, and in his shoe that was on his feet.

You shall do according to your wisdom, and do not let his graying head go down to the grave in peace.

But to the children of Barzilai of Gilod, you should show kindness, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for they were close to me when I fled from Avsholom, your brother.

And behold, there is in your company Shimi ben Geira, of the tribe of Binyomin, among the young men. He cursed me with an explicit curse on the day I went to Machanayim, and he came down to greet me at the Jordan, so I swore to him by Adonoy, saying, ‘I will not execute you by the sword.’

And now, do not consider him innocent, for you are a wise man, and you will know how to deal with him, and you bring down his gray head to the grave in blood.”

And then Dovid slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of Dovid.

The days that Dovid was king over Yisroel totaled forty years. He was king in Chevron for seven years, and in Yerusholayim He was king. for thirty-three years.

And Shlomo sat on the throne of his father, Dovid, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Adoniyohu ben Chagis came to Bas Sheva, the mother of Shlomo, and she said, “Do you come in peace?” He said, “[I come in] peace.”

And he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “speak.”

And he said, “You know that the kingdom was [rightfully] mine, and upon me all Yisroel set their faces that I should reign, but in a turn about, the kingdom reverted to my brother, for it was so ordained from Adonoy.

And now I have one request to ask of you. Do not refuse me,” and she said to him, “Speak.”

And he said, “Please speak to Shlomo Hamelech, for he will not refuse you, and let him give me Avishag, the Shunamis, as a wife.”

And Bas Sheva said, “Good, I will speak for you to the king.”

And Bas Sheva came to Shlomo Hamelech to speak to him on behalf of Adoniyohu. The king got up to greet her and bowed to her. Then he sat on his throne, and had a throne set up for the mother of the king, and she sat at his right.

And she said, “One small request I [must] ask of you, do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask of me, my mother for I will not refuse you.”

And she said, “Let Avishag the Shunamis be given to Adoniyohu, your brother, as a wife.”

Shlomo Hamelech answered and said to his mother, “Why do you ask [only] that Avishag the Shunamis [be given to] Adoniyohu, ask that the kingdom be given to him, since he is my older brother; to him and to Evyosor, the kohein, and to Yoav ben Tsruyoh.”

And Shlomo Hamelech swore by Adonoy, saying, “So may God do to me and even more for with his life has Adoniyohu spoken this word.

And now as Adonoy lives, Who has established me and set me on the throne of Dovid, my father, and Who made me a [royal] house, as He had promised; for today Adoniyohu will be put to death.”

And Shlomo Hamelech dispatched Benoyohu Ben Yehoyodoh and he struck him and he died.

And the king said to Evyosor, “Go to Anosos, to your fields, for you should be put to death. But I will not kill you today because you carried the Ark of the Lord, God, before my father Dovid, and because you suffered through all that my father suffered.”

And Shlomo banished Evyosor from being a kohein to Adonoy, thereby fulfilling the word of Adonoy that He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

And the report reached Yoav, for Yoav had sided with Adoniyohu, but he had not sided with Avsholom; and Yoav fled to the Tent of Adonoy and grasped the horns of the Altar.

And it was told to Shlomo Hamelech that Yoav had fled to the Tent of Adonoy, and that he is next to the Altar. Shlomo dispatched Benoyohu Ben Yehoyodoh saying, “Go and strike him.”

And Benoyohu came to the Tent of Adonoy, and said to him, “The king has said, ‘Go out.’ ” And he said, “No, for here will I die.” And Benoyohu brought back word to the king, saying, “This is what Yoav said, and this is what he answered me.”

And the king said to him, “Do as he said, strike him and bury him. Thus you will remove the innocent blood that Yoav spilled, from me and from my father’s house.

And Adonoy will put back his blood (guilt) upon his head for striking two men who were more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father, Dovid, did not know of it. [They were] Avner ben Ner the general of the army of Yisroel, and Amoso ben Yesser, the general of the army of Yehudah.

May their blood be put back on the head of Yoav upon the head of his offspring forever; but for Dovid and his offspring, and his house and his throne, may their be peace forever from Adonoy.”

And Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh went up and struck him and killed him. He was buried in his house in the wilderness.

And the king put Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh in his stead [as general] over the army; and Tzodok, the kohein, the king placed instead of Evyosor.

And the king sent and summoned Shimi and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Yerusholayim and live there. You must never go out from there [to go] anywhere.

And on the day you go out, and cross over the Kidron Brook, know for sure that you will die, your blood will be on your head.”

And Shimi said to the king, “It is good what you say; as my master, the king, has said, so will your servant do.” And so Shimi lived in Yerusholayim many days.

And it was at the end of three years, that two of Shimi’s slaves ran away to Ochish ben Maachoh, king of Gas. They told Shimi, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gas.”

And Shimi got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Gas to Ochish to look for his slaves. And so Shimi went and brought back his slaves from Gas.

And it was told to Shlomo that Shimi had travelled from Yerusholayim to Gas and returned.

And the king sent and summoned Shimi, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Adonoy, and warn you, saying, ‘On the day you go out and go anywhere know for sure that you will die?’ And you said to me, ‘the word is good, I have heard.’

Why then did you not abide by the oath of Adonoy and the commandment that I commanded you?”

And the king said to Shimi, “You know all the evil that was known to your heart, that you did to my father, Dovid. And Adonoy shall bring your evil upon your own head.

And may Shlomo Hamelech be blessed, and the throne of Dovid be established before Adonoy forever.”

And the king commanded Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh and he went out and struck him and he died. The kingdom was thus established in the hand of Shlomo.