Now, carefully obey all the commands of the Lord your God. Carefully obey all his laws, commands, decisions, and agreements. Obey everything that is written in the Law of Moses. If you do this, you will be successful at whatever you do and wherever you go.
And if you obey the Lord, he will keep his promise about me. He said, 'If your sons carefully live the way I tell them, sincerely, with all their heart, the king of Israel will always be a man from your family.'"
David also said, "You remember what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me. He killed two of the commanders of Israel's army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. Remember, it was during a time of peace when he spilled the blood that splattered onto his sword belt and army boots. I should have punished him then.
"Also, be kind to the children of Barzillai from Gilead. Be friends with them, and let them eat at your table, because they helped me when I ran away from your brother Absalom.
"And remember, Shimei son of Gera is still around. He is the Benjamite from Bahurim who cursed me when I ran away to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I made a promise to him before the Lord that I would not kill him.
One day Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Solomon's mother, Bathsheba. She asked him, "Do you come in peace?" Adonijah answered, "Yes, this is a peaceful visit.
Adonijah said, "You know that at one time the kingdom was mine. All the people of Israel wanted me to be their king. But things have changed, and now my brother is the king. The Lord chose him to be king.
So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk with him. When Solomon 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.
Bathsheba said to him, "I have one small thing to ask you. Please don't refuse me." The king answered, "Ask whatever you want, mother. I will not refuse you."
King Solomon answered his mother, "Why are you asking me to give Abishag to Adonijah? Why don't you just ask me to give him the whole kingdom! After all, he is my older brother, and both Abiathar the priest and Joab support him!"
The Lord made me the king of Israel. He gave me the throne of my father David. The Lord kept his promise and gave the kingdom to me and my family. Now, as surely as the Lord lives, I swear Adonijah will die today!"
Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, "I should kill you, but I will let you go back to your home in Anathoth. I will not kill you now because you helped carry the Holy Box of the Lord while marching with my father David. And I know that you shared in the hard times with my father."
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.
Joab had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom. But when Joab heard what happened to Abiathar, he was frightened and ran to the tent of the Lord to hold onto the horns of the altar.
Benaiah went into the Lord's Tent and said to Joab, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But Joab answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said.
The king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says! Kill him there and take him out to bury him. Then my family and I will be free of Joab's guilt from killing innocent people.
Joab killed two men who were much better than he was. He killed Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah. He did this without my father's knowledge. But now the Lord will punish Joab for the men he killed.
He and his family will always be guilty for their deaths. But the Lord will bring peace to David, his descendants, his family of kings, and his kingdom forever."
But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran away. They went to King Achish of Gath, who was the son of Maacah. Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath,
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 out anywhere you would die. And you agreed to what I said. You said that you would obey me.