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that were with him heard it as they not slay his servant with the sword.' had made an end of eating. And And Solomon said: 'If he shall show when Joab heard the sound of the himself a worthy man, there shall not horn, he said: 'Wherefore is this a hair of him fall to the earth; but if noise of the city being in an uproar?' wickedness be found in him, he shall While he yet spoke, behold, Jon- die.' So king Solomon sent, and they athan the son of Abiathar the priest brought him down from the altar. came; and Adonijah said: 'Come in; And he came and prostrated himself for thou art a worthy man, and bring- before king Solomon; and Solomon est good tidings.' 43 And Jonathan said unto him: 'Go to thy house.' answered and said to Adonijah: 'Verily 2 Now the days of David drew our lord king David hath made nigh that he should die; and he Solomon king. And the king hath charged Solomon his son, saying: "1 sent with him Zadok the priest, and go the way of all the earth; be thou Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah strong therefore, and show thyself a the son of Jehoiada, and the Chere- man; and keep the charge of the thites and the Pelethites, and they LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, have caused him to ride upon the king's to keep His statutes, and His commule. 45And Zadok the priest and mandments, and His ordinances, and Nathan the prophet have anointed His testimonies, according to that him king in Gihon; and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying: God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne; and the king bowed down upon the bed. 48 And also thus said the king: Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.'

which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself; that the LORD may establish His word which He spoke concerning me, saying: If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee, said He, a man on the throne of Israel. "Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me, even what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner and unto Amasa the son of Jether, 49 And all the guests of Adonijah whom he slew, and shed the blood were afraid, and rose up, and went of war in peace, and put the blood of every man his way. 50And Adonijah war upon his girdle that was about feared because of Solomon; and he his loins, and in his shoes that were arose, and went, and caught hold on on his feet. Do therefore according the horns of the altar. And it was to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar told Solomon, saying: 'Behold, Ado-head go down to the grave in peace. nijah feareth king Solomon; for, lo, 'But show kindness unto the sons of he hath laid hold on the horns of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them the altar, saying: Let king Solomon be of those that eat at thy table; for swear unto me first of all that he will so they drew nigh unto me when I

fled from Absalom thy brother. And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying: I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.'

meet her, and bowed down unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20Then she said: 'I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not.' And the king said unto her: 'Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee.' 21And she said: 'Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.' 22And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother: 'And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Ado10And David slept with his fathers, nijah? ask for him the kingdom also; and was buried in the city of David. for he is mine elder brother; even for "And the days that David reigned him, and for Abiathar the priest, and over Israel were forty years: seven for Joab the son of Zeruiah.' 23Then years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty king Solomon swore by the LORD, Sayand three years reigned he in Jeru-ing: 'God do so to me, and more salem. And Solomon sat upon the also, if Adonijah have not spoken this throne of David his father; and his word against his own life. 24 Now kingdom was established firmly. therefore as the LORD liveth, who 13Then Adonijah the son of Hag- hath established me, and set me on gith came to Bath-sheba the mother the throne of David my father, and of Solomon. And she said: 'Comest who hath made me a house, as He thou peaceably? And he said: 'Peace- promised, surely Adonijah shall be ably. "He said moreover: 'I have put to death this day.' 25And king somewhat to say unto thee.' And Solomon sent by the hand of Beshe said: 'Say on.' 15And he said: naiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell "Thou knowest that the kingdom upon him, so that he died. was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign; howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's; for it was his from the LORD. 16And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not.' And she said unto him: 'Say on.' 17 And he said: 'Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king-for he will not say thee nay-that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.' 18And Bath-sheba said: 'Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.'

19Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to

26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: 'Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.' 27So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that the word of the LORD might be fulfilled, which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 And the tidings came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom.

36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell And the kingdom was established in there, and go not forth thence any 3 the hand of Solomon. 1And Solwhither. 37For on the day thou goest omon became allied to Pharaoh out, and passest over the brook Kid-king of Egypt by marriage, and took

Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her hast asked the life of thine enemies; into the city of David, until he had but hast asked for thyself undermade an end of building his own standing to discern justice; 12behold, house, and the house of the LORD, and I have done according to thy word: the wall of Jerusalem round about. lo, I have given thee a wise and an Only the people sacrificed in the high understanding heart; so that there places, because there was no house hath been none like thee before thee, built for the name of the LORD until neither after thee shall any arise those days. And Solomon loved the like unto thee. 13 And I have also LORD, walking in the statutes of David given thee that which thou hast not his father; only he sacrificed and of- asked, both riches and honour-so fered in the high places. that there hath not been any among "And the king went to Gibeon to the kings like unto thee all thy sacrifice there; for that was the great days. And if thou wilt walk in My high place; a thousand burnt-offerings ways, to keep My statutes and My did Solomon offer upon that altar. commandments, as thy father David "In Gibeon the LORD appeared to did walk, then I will lengthen thy Solomon in a dream by night; and days.' 15And Solomon awoke, and, God said: 'Ask what I shall give behold, it was a dream; and he came thee.' And Solomon said: "Thou to Jerusalem, and stood before the hast shown unto Thy servant David ark of the covenant of the LORD, and my father great kindness, according offered up burnt-offerings, and offered as he walked before Thee in truth, peace-offerings, and made a feast to and in righteousness, and in upright- all his servants. ness of heart with Thee; and Thou 16 Then came there two women, that hast kept for him this great kindness, were harlots, unto the king, and stood that Thou hast given him a son to before him. And the one woman sit on his throne, as it is this day. said: 'Oh, my lord, I and this woman "And now, O LORD my God, Thou dwell in one house; and I was delivhast made Thy servant king instead ered of a child with her in the house. of David my father; and I am but a 18And it came to pass the third day little child; I know not how to go out after I was delivered, that this woman or come in. And Thy servant is in was delivered also; and we were tothe midst of Thy people which Thou gether; there was no stranger with hast chosen, a great people, that can- us in the house, save we two in the not be numbered nor counted for house. 19And this woman's child died multitude. Give Thy servant there- in the night; because she overlay it. fore an understanding heart to judge 20And she arose at midnight, and took Thy people, that I may discern be- my son from beside me, while thy tween good and evil; for who is able handmaid slept, and laid it in her. to judge this Thy great people?' bosom, and laid her dead child in my 10And the speech pleased the Lord, bosom. "And when I rose in the mornthat Solomon had asked this thing. ing to give my child suck, behold, it And God said unto him: 'Because was dead; but when I had looked well thou hast asked this thing, and hast at it in the morning, behold, it was not asked for thyself long life; neither not my son, whom I did bear.' 22And hast asked riches for thyself, nor the other woman said: 'Nay; but

the living is my son, and the dead is thy son.' And this said: 'No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.' Thus they spoke before the king.

23Then said the king: 'The one saith: This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead; and the other saith: Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.' 24And the king said: 'Fetch me a sword.' And they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said: 'Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.' 26Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned upon her son, and she said: 'Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.' But the other said: 'It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it.' 27Then the king answered and said: 'Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.' 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.

over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in the hill-country of Ephraim; the son of Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan; 10the son of Hesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher; "the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; 13the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained. the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars; 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; "Jehoshaphat the And king Solomon was king over son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18Shimei all Israel. And these were the the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19Geber princes whom he had: Azariah the the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph the country of Sihon king of the and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of and one officer that was [over all the Ahilud, the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister and the king's friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy.

"And Solomon had twelve officers

officers] in the land. 20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.

5 And Solomon ruled over all the

kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt; they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

2And Solomon's provision for one