Solomon & The Temple

And it is declared to Solomon, saying, `Lo, Adonijah feareth king Solomon, and lo, he hath laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me as to-day--he doth not put to death his servant by the sword.'

And Solomon saith, `If he becometh a virtuous man--there doth not fall of his hair to the earth, and if evil is found in him--then he hath died.'

And king Solomon sendeth, and they bring him down from off the altar, and he cometh in and boweth himself to king Solomon, and Solomon saith to him, `Go to thy house.'

And draw near do the days of David to die, and he chargeth Solomon his son, saying,

`I am going in the way of all the earth, and thou hast been strong, and become a man,

and kept the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commands, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that thou dost wisely all that thou dost, and whithersoever thou turnest,

so that Jehovah doth establish His word which He spake unto me, saying, If thy sons observe their way to walk before Me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul; saying, There is not cut off a man of thine from the throne of Israel.

`And also, thou hast known that which he did to me--Joab son of Zeruiah--that which he did to two heads of the hosts of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether--that he slayeth them, and maketh the blood of war in peace, and putteth the blood of war in his girdle, that is on his loins, and in his sandals that are on his feet;

and thou hast done according to thy wisdom, and dost not let his old age go down in peace to Sheol.

`And to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite thou dost do kindness, and they have been among those eating at thy table, for so they drew near unto me in my fleeing from the face of Absalom thy brother.

`And lo, with thee is Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, and he reviled me--a grievous reviling--in the day of my going to Mahanaim; and he hath come down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swear to him by Jehovah, saying, I do not put thee to death by the sword;

and now, acquit him not, for a wise man thou art , and thou hast known that which thou dost to him, and hast brought down his old age with blood to Sheol.'

And David lieth down with his fathers, and is buried in the city of David,

and the days that David hath reigned over Israel are forty years, in Hebron he hath reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he hath reigned thirty and three years.

And Solomon hath sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom is established greatly,

and Adonijah son of Haggith cometh in unto Bath-Sheba, mother of Solomon, and she saith, `Is thy coming peace?' and he saith, `Peace.'

And he saith, `I have a word unto thee,' and she saith, `Speak.'

And he saith, `Thou hast known that the kingdom was mine, and towards me set their faces had all Israel for reigning, and the kingdom is turned round about, and is my brother's, for from Jehovah it was his;

and now, one petition I am asking of thee--turn not back my face;' and she saith unto him, `Speak.'

And he saith, `Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king, for he doth not turn back thy face, and he doth give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.'

And Bath-Sheba saith, `Good; I do speak for thee unto the king.'

And Bath-Sheba cometh in unto king Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king riseth to meet her, and boweth himself to her, and sitteth on his throne, and placeth a throne for the mother of the king, and she sitteth at his right hand.

And she saith, `One small petition I ask of thee, turn not back my face;' and the king saith to her, `Ask, my mother, for I do not turn back thy face.'

And she saith, `Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother for a wife.'

And king Solomon answereth and saith to his mother, `And why art thou asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? also ask for him the kingdom--for he is mine elder brother--even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.'