The Holy Bible 1 Kings 2.1-33 by Robert Alter Lyrics
And David's time to die grew near, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: "I am going on the way of all earth. And you must strong, and be a man. And keep what the LORD your God enjoins, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commands, and His dictates and His admonitions, as it is written in the Teaching of Moses, so that you may prosper in everything you do and in everything to which you turn. So that the LORD may fulfill His word that He spoke unto me, saying, 'If your sons keep their way to walk before Me in truth with their whole heart and with their whole being, no man of yours will be cut off from the throne of Israel. And, what's more, you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether--he killed them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his belt that was round his waist and on his sandals that were on his feet. And you must act in your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down in peace to Sheol. And with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite keep faith, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for did they not draw near me when I fled from Absalom your brother? And, look, with you is Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim, and he cursed me with a scathing curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. And he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, 'I will not put you to death by the sword.' And now, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him, and bring his gray head down in blood to Sheol!" And David lay with his dathers and he was buried in the city of David. And the time that David was king over Israel was forty years--in Hebron he was king seven years and in Jerusalem he was king thirty-three years. And Solomon sat on the throne of David like his father, and his kingdom was wholly unshaken.
And Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and she said "Do you come in peace?" And he said, "In peace." And he said, "There is something I have to say to you." And she said, "Speak." And he said, "You yourself know that mine was the kingship, and to me did all Israel turn their faces to be a king, yet the kingship was brought round and became my brothers, for from the LORD was it his. And now, there is one petition I ask of you, do not refuse me." And she said, "Speak." And he said, "Pray, say to Solomon the King, for he would not refuse you, that he give me Abigshag the Shunamite as wife." And Bathsheba said, "Good, I myself shall speak for you to the king." And Bathsheba came to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. And the king arose to greet her and bowed to her and sat down on his throne and set out a throne for the queen mother, and she sat down to his right. And she said "There is one small petition that I ask of you, do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Ask, Mother, for I shall not refuse you." And she said, "Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife." And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "And why do you ask Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah? Ask the kingship for him, as he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah are for him." And King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, "Thus may God do to me and even more, for at the cost of his life has Adonijah spoken this thing! And now, as the LORD lives, Who seated me unshaken on the throne of David my father, and who made me a house just as He had spoken, today shall Adonijah be put to death." And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he stabbed him and he died. And to Abiathar the priest did the king say, "Go to Anathoth to your own fields, for you are a doomed man, but on this day I shall not put you to death, for you bore the Ark of the LORD God before David my father and you suffered through all that my father suffered." And Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to the lord, so as to fulfill the word of the LORD that he spoke concering the house of Eli at Shiloh.
And the news reached Joab, for Joab had sided with Adonijah, though with Absalom he had not sided, and Joab feld to the tent of the Lord, and he grasped the horns of the altar. And it was told to the king that Joab had fled to the Tent of the LORD, and there he was by the altar, and Solomon sent Benaiah son of Johoiada, saying, "Go, stab him." And Benaiah came to the Tent of the LORD and said to him, "Thus says the king, 'Come out'" And he said, "No, for here I shall die." And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, "Thus did Joab speak and thus did he answer me." And the king said, "Do as he has spoken, and stab him and bury him, and you shall take away the blood that Joab shed for no cause, from me and from my father's house." And the LORD will bring back his blood guilt on his own head, for he stabbed two men more righteous and better than himself and he killed them by the sword, unbeknownst to my father David--Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. And their blood will come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed forever, but for David and his seed and his house and his throne there will be peace evermore from the LORD." And Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and stabbed him and put him to death, and he was buried at his home in the wildnerness. And the king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada in his stead over the army, and Zadok the priest did the king put instead of Abiathar.
And Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and she said "Do you come in peace?" And he said, "In peace." And he said, "There is something I have to say to you." And she said, "Speak." And he said, "You yourself know that mine was the kingship, and to me did all Israel turn their faces to be a king, yet the kingship was brought round and became my brothers, for from the LORD was it his. And now, there is one petition I ask of you, do not refuse me." And she said, "Speak." And he said, "Pray, say to Solomon the King, for he would not refuse you, that he give me Abigshag the Shunamite as wife." And Bathsheba said, "Good, I myself shall speak for you to the king." And Bathsheba came to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. And the king arose to greet her and bowed to her and sat down on his throne and set out a throne for the queen mother, and she sat down to his right. And she said "There is one small petition that I ask of you, do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Ask, Mother, for I shall not refuse you." And she said, "Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife." And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "And why do you ask Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah? Ask the kingship for him, as he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah are for him." And King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, "Thus may God do to me and even more, for at the cost of his life has Adonijah spoken this thing! And now, as the LORD lives, Who seated me unshaken on the throne of David my father, and who made me a house just as He had spoken, today shall Adonijah be put to death." And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he stabbed him and he died. And to Abiathar the priest did the king say, "Go to Anathoth to your own fields, for you are a doomed man, but on this day I shall not put you to death, for you bore the Ark of the LORD God before David my father and you suffered through all that my father suffered." And Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to the lord, so as to fulfill the word of the LORD that he spoke concering the house of Eli at Shiloh.
And the news reached Joab, for Joab had sided with Adonijah, though with Absalom he had not sided, and Joab feld to the tent of the Lord, and he grasped the horns of the altar. And it was told to the king that Joab had fled to the Tent of the LORD, and there he was by the altar, and Solomon sent Benaiah son of Johoiada, saying, "Go, stab him." And Benaiah came to the Tent of the LORD and said to him, "Thus says the king, 'Come out'" And he said, "No, for here I shall die." And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, "Thus did Joab speak and thus did he answer me." And the king said, "Do as he has spoken, and stab him and bury him, and you shall take away the blood that Joab shed for no cause, from me and from my father's house." And the LORD will bring back his blood guilt on his own head, for he stabbed two men more righteous and better than himself and he killed them by the sword, unbeknownst to my father David--Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. And their blood will come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed forever, but for David and his seed and his house and his throne there will be peace evermore from the LORD." And Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and stabbed him and put him to death, and he was buried at his home in the wildnerness. And the king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada in his stead over the army, and Zadok the priest did the king put instead of Abiathar.