The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Dauid dyeth. Adonias requyreth to haue Abisag to his concubine, and therfore Salomon commaun¦deth to sley hym. Abiathar is put frome his Preast∣hode. Semei and Ioab are slayne.

CAPI. II.

WHen the dayes of Dauid were drawen [ A] nye that he sholde dye, he charged Sa∣lomon his sonne, sayinge: I must walke by the waye of all the worlde, neuerthelesse be stronge, and quyte thy selfe manfully. And se thou kepe the appoyntment of the Lorde thy God, that thou walke in his wayes, and kepe his commaundementes, ordinaunces, la∣wes and testimonyes / as it is written in the lawe of Moses, that thou mayste vnderstande all that thou oughtest to do / and al that thou shouldest medle with, that the Lorde maye make good his promesse, whiche he hath pro∣mysed me, sayinge: yf thy chyldren shall take hede to their wayes, that they walke before me in truthe with all theyr hertes, and with all theyr soules:* 1.1 then thou shalte neuer be withoute one syttynge on the seate of Is∣rael.

* 1.2Moreouer thou wotest howe Ioab the sonne of Zaruiah hathe serued me, and what he hathe doone to the two capitaynes of tho∣stes of Israel: vnto Abner the sonne of Ner, and vnto Amasa the sonne of Iether / how he slewe them, and shedde the bloude of warre in tyme of peax, and put the bloude of warre vpon his gyrdle that was aboute his loynes, and in his shoes that were on his feete. Deale [ B] with hym therfore accordynge to thy wysdom and se thou brynge not his graye heed downe to the graue in peax.* 1.3 And shewe kyndnesse anto the sonnes of Berselai the Galaadyte, tnd let them be amonge them that eate at thy vable, bicause they so claue to me when I fled from Absolom thy brother.* 1.4 And lo thou hast with the, Semei the sonne of Gera the sonne of Gemini of Bahurim, which cursed me with a bytter curse, what tyme I wente to Maha∣nahim. But he came agaynste me to Iordan / and I sware to hym by the Lorde, sayinge. I wyl not slee the with the swerde. But pardon thou hym not. Thou art a man of wysdome, and shalte knowe what to do to hym / se ther∣fore thou brynge his graye heed to the graue with bloude. And so Dauid tested with his fa∣thers, and was buryed in the citye of Dauid. And the dayes whiche Dauid raygned vpon Israel were fourtye yeres / seuen yeres in He∣bron, and thyrtye and thre yere in Ierusalem [ C] * 1.5 So Salomon sate vpon the seate of Dauid his father. And his kyngdom was stablysshed myghtyly.

After this, Adonias the sonne of Hagith came to Bethsabe the mother of Salomon. And she said: betokeneth thy comming peax?* 1.6 And he sayde it betokeneth peax. Then sayde he, I haue a matter to shewe the. And she said: saye on. And he sayde: thou knowest that the

kyngdome was myne, and that all Israel set theyr eyes on me that I sholde raygne, how be it the kyngdome was turned away and gi∣uen to my brother, for it was appoynted him of the Lorde: and nowe I aske a peticyon of the, wherof denye me not. And she sayde vnto him: tell what it is. Then he sayde: speake I praye the, vnto Salomon the kynge (for he wyll not saye the naye) that he gyue me Abi∣sag the Sunamyte to wyfe: And Bethsabe [ D] sayde: well, I wyll speake for the vnto the kynge. And thervpon Bethsabe wente vnto kynge Salomon to speake vnto him for Ado∣nias. And the kynge rose vp agaynste her and bowed him selfe vnto her, and sat him downe on his seate. And there was a seate set for the kynges mother, and she sat on his ryght syde. Then she sayde: I muste desyre a lyttell peti∣cion of the: saye me not naye. And the kynge sayd vnto her. Aske on my mother: for I wyl not saye the naye. And she sayd: let Abisag the Sunamit•• be gyuen to Adonias thy brother to wyf••. And kynge Salomon answered and sayde vnto his mother: why doest thou aske Abisag y^e Sunamite for Adonias? Naye, rather aske for hym the kyngdome, sithe he is myne elder brother: Euen for him aske it, and for Abiathar the Preest, and for Ioab the sonne of Zaruiah. Then kinge Salomon sware by the Lorde, sayinge: God do so to me and so, yf Adonias haue not spoken this worde a∣gaynste [ E] him selfe. Now therfore as surely as the Lorde lyueth, who hathe establysshed me and set me on the seate of Dauid my father, and who hathe made me an house as he pro∣mysed me, Adonias shall dye this daye. And kynge Salomon sent by the hande of Banai∣ah the sonne of Ioiada, and smote him so that he dyed. And vnto Abiathar the Preeste sayde the kyng: get y^e to Anatoth vnto thyne owne feldes, for thou arte worthy deth: but I wyll not at this tyme kyl the, bycause thou barest the arcke of the Lorde God before Da∣uid my father, and bycause thou sufferedest w^t my father in all his aff••ictions. And so Salo∣mon put awaye Abiathar from beinge preest vnto the Lorde: to fulfyll the wordes of the Lorde whiche he spake ouer the house of Eli in Siloh.* 1.7 Then tidynges came to Ioab: for Ioab hadde turned after Adonias, but not af∣ter Salomon. Whervpon he fledde vnto the tabernacle of the Lorde and caught holde on the hornes of the aulter. And it was told king Salomon how Ioab was fledde vnto the ta∣bernacle of the Lorde, and stode by the aulter. Then Salomon sente Banaiah the sonne of Ioiada, sayinge: go and smyte him. And when Banaiah was come to the tabernacle of the Lorde he sayd vnto him: thus sayth the king, come out. And he sayde naye. But I wyll dye here. And Banaiah brought the kynge worde, sayinge: thus sayd Ioab, and thus he answe∣red me. Then the kynge sayde: doo euen as he hathe sayde: smyte hym and burye hym, and take awaye the bloude (whiche Ioab shedde causelesse) from me, and from the house of my father / and the Lorde brynge his bloude vpon his owne heed, for he smote two men ryght∣wyser and better then he, and slew them with the swerde, my father vnwerynge: euen Ab∣ner sonne of Ner,* 1.8 capitayne of the hoste of Is¦rael, and Amasa the sonne of Iether, capitayn of the host of Iuda, and theyr bloude returne vpon the heed of Ioab, and on the heed of [ F] his seed for euer / and prosperitie be vnto Da∣uid, and vnto his seed, and vnto his house, and vnto his seate of the Lorde for euer. And Ba∣naiah the sonne of Ioiada went vp and smote him, and slewe hym & buryed him in his owne house in the wyldernesse / and the kynge put Banaiah the sonne of Ioiada in his rowme ouer the host, and put Sadock the preest in the rowme of Abiathar. Then the kynge sent and called Semei, and sayd to hym: buylde the an house in Ierusalem, and dwell there, & se thou go not thence any whither. For be thou sure of it, the daye thou goest oure and passest ouer the ryuer of Cedron, thou shalte dye for it, and thy bloude shall be on thyne owne heed. Se∣mei sayd vnto the kynge: it is well sayde / as my Lorde the kynge hathe sayde, so wyll his seruaunt do. And Semei dwelte in Ierusalem many a daye. And it chaunsed at the ende of thre yere, that two of the seruauntes of Se∣mei ranne awaye vnto Achis sonne of Maa∣cah king of Geth. And one told Semei saying: se, thy seruauntes be in Geth. And Semei stode vp and sadled his asse, and gat him to Geth to Achis to seke his seruauntes, & came and brought them agayne from Geth. But it was tolde Salomon how Semei hadde gone from Ierusalem to Geth, and was come a∣gayne. [ G] And the kynge sente and called Semei and sayd vnto hym: Dyd I not swere by the Lorde, and recorded vnto the sayinge / be sure whē so euer thou goest out and walkest abrode any whither, thou shalte dye? And thou aun∣sweredst me, it is good tydynges that I haue herd. Why then hast thou not kept the oth of the Lorde, and the commaundement that I commaunded the? And then the kynge sayd to Semei:* 1.9 thou remembrest all the wycked∣nesse whiche thyne herte knoweth that thou dyddest to Dauid my father. The Lorde ther∣fore render agayne thy wyckednesse vpon thyne owne heed: and kyng Salomō be bles∣sed, and the seate of Dauid be settled before the Lorde for euer. And the kynge commaun∣ded Banaiah the sonne of Ioiada: whiche wente oute and smote hym that he dyed. And so was the kyngdome settled in the hande of Salomon.

Notes

• * 1.1

  iii. Reg .ix. b
• * 1.2

  ii. Reg .iii. ••. and .xx .c
• * 1.3

  ii. Reg .x••x. f
• * 1.4

  ii. Re .xvi. b
• * 1.5

  i. Pa .xxix. ••
• * 1.6

  i. Reg .xvi. ••
• * 1.7

  Regum .ii. f
• * 1.8

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.9

  〈…〉〈…〉