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¹ The dayes of Dauid drew nie that he should dye, & he charged Solomon his sonne, saying:² I go the way of al the earth, be thou strong therfore, & shewe thy selfe a man.³ Kepe thou the watch of the Lorde thy God, that thou walke in his wayes, and kepe his statutes, and his preceptes, his iudgementes, and his testimonies, euen as it is written in the lawe of Moyses: that thou mayst prosper in all that thou doest, and in euery thing that thou medlest withall.⁴ That the Lorde also may make good his worde which he spake vnto me, saying: If thy children take heede to their way, that they walke before me in trueth, with all their heartes, & with al their soules, thou shalt not (saith he) be without a man on the seate of Israel.⁵ Moreouer, thou wottest howe Ioab the sonne of Zaruia serued me, and what he did to the two captaynes of the hoastes of Israel, vnto Abner the sonne of Ner, and vnto Amasa the sonne of Iether, whom he slue, and shed blood in time of peace (euen as it had ben in warre) & put the blood of warre vpon his girdle that was about his loynes, and in his shoes that were on his feete.⁶ Deale with him therefore according to thy wisdome, and bring not his hoore head downe to the graue in peace.⁷ But shewe kindnes vnto the sonnes of Barzellai ye Gileadite, that they may eate at thy table: For they came to me whe I fled from Absalom thy brother.⁸ And behold, thou hast with thee Semei the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini of Bahurim, whiche cursed me with an horrible curse, in the day when I went to Mahanaim: But he came to meete me at Iordane, & I sware to him by the Lord, saying: I wil not slay thee with the sworde.⁹ But thou shalt not count him as vngiltie: For thou art a man of wisdome, and knowest what thou oughtest to do vnto him, his hoore head shalt thou bring to the graue with blood.¹⁰ And so Dauid slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid.¹¹ And the dayes whiche Dauid raigned vpon Israel were fourtie yeres: seuen yeres raigned he in Hebron, & thirtie and three yeres raigned he in Hierusalem.

¹² Then sate Solomon vpon the seate of Dauid his father, and his kingdome was stablished mightyly.¹³ And Adonia the sonne of Haggith came to Bethsabe the mother of Solomon, and she sayde: Comest thou peaceably? And he sayde, peaceably.¹⁴ He sayde moreouer: I haue somwhat to say vnto thee. She sayd: Say on.¹⁵ And he sayd: Thou knowest that the kingdome was myne, & that all Israel set their faces on me, that I shoulde raigne: howbeit, the kingdome is turned away, and geuen to my brother: for it is appoynted him of the Lorde.¹⁶ And nowe I aske a petition of thee, deny me not. And she sayde vnto him: Say on.¹⁷ And he said: Speake I pray thee, vnto Solomo the king (for he wil not say thee nay) that he geue me Abisag the Sunamite to wyfe.¹⁸ And Bethsabe sayd: Wel, I wil speake for thee vnto the king.¹⁹ Bethsabe therfore went vnto king Solomon, to speake vnto him for Adonia: And the king rose vp to meete her, and bowed him selfe vnto her, and sate hym downe on his seate, & there was a seate set for the kinges mother, & she sate on his right syde.²⁰ Then she sayd: I desire a litle petition of thee, I pray thee say me not nay. And the king sayd vnto her: Aske on, my mother, for I wil not say thee nay.²¹ She sayde: Let Abisag the Sunamite be geuen to Adonia thy brother to wyfe.²² And king Solomon aunswered and sayde vnto his mother: Why doest thou aske Abisag the Sunamite for Adonia? aske for him the kingdome also: for he is myne elder brother, and hath for him Abiathar the priest, and Ioab the sonne of Zaruia.²³ Then king Solomon sware by the Lord, saying: God do so and so to me, if Adonia haue not spoken this worde against his owne lyfe.²⁴ Nowe therefore, as the Lorde lyueth, whiche hath ordeyned me, and set me on the seate of Dauid my father, and made me an house as he promised, Adonia shall dye this day.²⁵ And king Solomon sent by the hande of Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada, and he smote him that he died.

²⁶ And vnto Abiathar the priest sayd the king: Get thee to Anatoth vnto thine owne fieldes, for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time kill thee, because thou barest the arke of the Lorde God before Dauid my father, and because thou hast suffered with my father in all his afflictions.²⁷ And so Solomon put away Abiathar from beyng priest vnto the Lord: that he might fulfill the wordes of the Lord, which he spake ouer the house of Eli in Silo.²⁸ Then tydinges came also to Ioab (for Ioab had turned after Adonia, though he turned not after Absalom) and Ioab fled vnto the tabernacle of the Lorde, and caught holde on the hornes of the aulter.²⁹ And it was told king Solomon howe that Ioab fled vnto the tabernacle of the Lorde, and beholde he is by the aulter: Then Solomon sent Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada, saying: Go and fall vpon him.³⁰ And Banaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lorde, and sayde vnto him: Thus sayeth the king, Come out. And he sayde: Nay, but I wil dye euen here. And Banaiah brought the king word againe, saying: Thus sayde Ioab, and thus he aunswered me.³¹ And the king sayde vnto him, Do euen as he hath sayd: Smite him, & burie him, that thou mayest take away the blood which Ioab shed causelesse, from me, and from the house of my father.³² And the Lorde shall bring his blood vpon his owne head: for he smote two men righteouser and better then he, and slue them with the sworde, my father Dauid not knowing therof, euen Abner the sonne of Ner captayne of the hoast of Israel, and Amasa the sonne of Iether captayne of the hoast of Iuda.³³ Their blood shal therfore returne vpon the head of Ioab, & on the head of his seede for euer: But vpon Dauid, & vpon his seed, & vpon his house, & vpo his seat shall there be peace for euer of the Lord.³⁴ So Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada went vp, & he fel vpon him and slue him, and buried him in his house in the wildernesse.

³⁵ And the king put Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada in his roome ouer ye hoast, and put Sadoc the priest in the roome of Abiathar.³⁶ And the king sent and called Semei, & sayde vnto him: Buylde thee an house in Hierusalen, and dwell there, & see that thou go not foorth thence any whyther.³⁷ For be thou sure, that the day that thou goest out, and passest ouer the riuer of Cedron, thou shalt dye that day, and thy blood shalbe vpon thyne owne head.³⁸ And Semei sayde vnto the king, This saying is good: As my lorde ye king hath sayde, so will thy seruaunt do. And Semei dwelt in Hierusalem many a day.³⁹ And it chaunced after three yeres, that two of the seruauntes of Semei ranne away vnto Achis sonne of Maacha king of Geth: And they told Semei, saying, Behold, thy seruauntes be in Geth.⁴⁰ And Semei stoode vp, and sadled his asse, and gat him to Geth to Achis to seke his seruauntes: And Semei wet & brought his seruauntes againe from Geth.⁴¹ And it was tolde Solomon, howe that Semei had gone from Hierusalem to Geth, and was come againe.⁴² And the king sent & called Semei, and said vnto him: Did I not charge thee by the Lorde with an oth, & testified vnto thee, saying: Be sure, that whensoeuer thou goest out & walkest abroade any whyther, thou shalt bye the death? And thou saydest vnto me: It is good tydinges that I haue heard.⁴³ Why then hast thou not kept the oth of the Lorde, and the commaundement that I charged thee withall?⁴⁴ The king sayde moreoeur to Semei: Thou remembrest all the wickednesse which thyne heart knoweth, and that thou diddest to Dauid my father: the Lorde also shall bring thy wickednesse vpon thyne owne head:⁴⁵ And king Solomon shalbe blessed, and the seate of Dauid stablished before the Lorde for euer.⁴⁶ So the king commaunded Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada: which went out, and smote him that he died: And the kingdome was stablished in the hande of Solomon.